Gina Lujan

Gina Alatorre Lujan is a Sacramento-based social entrepreneur and technology-and-business leader who describes herself as having roughly three decades of entrepreneurial experience. In 2012 she co-founded Hacker Lab, Sacramento's first maker space, and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership the organization grew from a 10,500-square-foot midtown Sacramento space (with a second site in Rocklin) into one of the region's most recognized entrepreneurial, educational, and workforce-development organizations, reported to serve more than 1,100 community members annually and to support 300+ micro-businesses.

Her work centers on the belief that "economic development starts with entrepreneurship." At Hacker Lab she built programs bridging makers, coders, welders, woodworkers, jewelers, and other creators, and intentionally partnered with the Arts and Business Council to increase female participation. She helped launch pilot makerspace and entrepreneurship programs with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, Sierra College, and the City of Rocklin (the "StartUp Hustle" program), positioning college partnerships as an expansion model across California.

Beyond Hacker Lab, Lujan co-founded Code For Hood (hackathons and coding/entrepreneurship workshops in urban neighborhoods, which reported 26% female participation among youth ages 12–17) and the nonprofit Operation Innovate (focused on a K–12 STEM pipeline). She has served as a City Commissioner on Sacramento's Measure U Community Advisory/Oversight Committee (2019–2022) and as a board member of Valley Vision, and has consulted on workforce and innovation strategy for the cities of Sonora, Brentwood, and Sacramento, and Tuolumne County. Hacker Lab has since evolved into MADE Here CDC, a community development corporation running MADE Studio, Sac Made Market, and MakeHers, where she continues to lead work on sustainable systems, workforce pathways, and access for under-resourced entrepreneurs.

• Invests and mentors at the seed / pre-seed stage, with an ecosystem-builder's lens rather than a traditional VC's — she is listed on AngelList as Investor, Incubator, Advisor, Board Member, and Mentor, and as a member of Hack Fund II and Hackers/Founders.
• Backs founders and micro-businesses in technology, hardware/maker and creative manufacturing, STEM education, and social enterprise — reflecting her conviction that "economic development starts with entrepreneurship."
• Strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and access — deliberately increasing female and underrepresented participation (Arts and Business Council partnership; Code For Hood's youth STEM outreach).
• Values community and problem-solving over pedigree — she frames "hacker" as someone who finds "a creative solution to a problem… using minimalist methods," and repeatedly stresses "cultivating community in all of [her] endeavors."
• Serves as an Ambassador for AngelHack, a Startup Weekend organizer, Hackers & Founders Sacramento chapter leader, and Startup Genome curator — channels through which she engages and evaluates early-stage founders.