Sara Holoubek

Sara Holoubek is the Founding Partner of Luminary Labs, a strategy and innovation consultancy established in 2009 that serves the private sector, federal agencies, and philanthropic organizations. With over 25 years of experience guiding clients through technological disruption, regulatory complexity, and organizational transformation, Sara now focuses on executive advisory services, helping senior leaders navigate change and make confident decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Throughout her career, Sara has pioneered new ways of working, structured public-private partnerships, helped organizations place considered bets on the future, and designed novel funding mechanisms. Under her leadership, Luminary Labs designed and produced open innovation programs –– including accelerators, prizes, and piloting programs –– representing more than $350 million in potential incentives for effective and scalable solutions.

Sara is an active angel investor and serves as an independent board director of Contextere, an industrial AI company. Her nonprofit roles have included serving on the inaugural RWJF Pioneer Fund Advisory Group, the Aspen Health Innovation Project Planning Committee, the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History 2020 Visiting Scientist Committee, the 2024 Health Datapalooza Advisory Committee, and as national board chair of Step Up.

An active writer and public speaker, Sara authored “Open Innovation for Impact,” a chapter in Perspectives on Impact: Leading Voices On Making Systemic Change in the Twenty-First Century. She has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Voice since 2017, by Mashable as a female founder to watch, and by PepsiCo WIN for her contributions to women in technology.

Sara brings a global perspective to her work, having lived and worked in Latin America and Europe; she speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from HEC Paris.

CEO and Founder

Luminary Labs is a New York City-based strategy and innovation consultancy established in 2009. Thorny problems are our strong suit: We are energized by complex, multistakeholder spaces where the solutions are not obvious and the potential for impact is high. Our work spans a broad cross section of topics across four focus areas: the future of health, the future of work and education, scientific breakthroughs, and multidimensional infrastructure

⚡️A new year, and new beginnings…

I’m thrilled to announce that Janna Gilbert has been named CEO of Luminary Labs!

20 years ago I left a role thinking that I would consult as a stop gap. At the time, I carried a business card with the title “Free Agent and Aspiring Luminary.” You see, I wanted nothing more than to work with smart people and solve interesting problems. I also wanted the freedom to do things, well, a little differently!

Never, in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that Luminary Labs would become the company it is today. Over the past 16 years we have addressed some of the world’s thorniest problems (120 and counting!) across the future of health, scientific discovery, the future of work and education, and infrastructure. 

With roots providing strategy services for the private sector such as Sanofi, Pfizer, Merck, this woman-owned business expanded to serve federal agencies from NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, designing and producing some of the federal government’s largest incentive prize mechanisms to date. And more recently, we have found the opportunity to accelerate change working with forward-thinking philanthropic organizations including Walton Family Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, Bezos Earth Fund, and RWJF. With an equal appreciation for strategy and execution, we have designed dozens of open innovation programs – including accelerators, prizes, and piloting programs – representing more than $350 million in potential incentives for effective and scalable solutions.

But what I am most proud of are the people who placed a bet on Luminary Labs. I offer my deepest gratitude to the clients, supporters, and team members – both past and present – who signed on to doing things differently. 

And that most certainly includes Janna! 

Janna joined Luminary Labs in 2013, was promoted to President in 2019, and became a Partner in 2024. She is an exceptional leader who has played a central role in translating Luminary Labs’ visions and ambitions into the company it is today. 

This leadership transition reflects our long-term strategy and a natural next step for Luminary Labs. Going forward, Janna will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the company across all functions, focus areas, and capabilities. She is an exceptional leader – and I could not have asked for a better successor.

Janna and I will continue to serve as Partners on our respective client engagements, and remain equity owners of our (proudly!) independent firm. 

What’s next for me? After taking some time off, I will focus on expanding our executive advisory services to help leaders make confident decisions in the face of change and uncertainty.  (Stay tuned for more details!)

Please join me in congratulating Janna and Luminary Labs on this next chapter!

Founding Partner and Executive Advisory | Board member | Investor

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