Meet the founders

Lia Athena - My pronouns are she/her. (You can also call me Athena) I identify as a queer lesbian. I am biracial - half Korean, half white - and grew up in New York City. Last year I self-published my first novel, Rainbow Plague, which tells the story of a gay, biracial teenager in a near-future dystopian America: one where it becomes illegal to be who we are - to be queer. This success came even though I dropped out of college after my first year in 2018, tried it again in 2022, and dropped out again. College wasn't right for me. Making a difference is.

Zachary - My pronouns are he/him. I am a straight, male ally to the LGBTQ+ community (of course "ally" just means a regular, decent human being, but that's besides the point). I am an American-born-Chinese and grew up in New York City and New Jersey. After graduating from Pratt Institute in the design field, I gravitated towards my own ventures. I created my own company, Corki Designs, in early 2021 where I currently design and sell handmade, sustainable cork planters. My goal: to incorporate sustainability into daily life and introduce plants as a means of connecting to nature and to each other.