Jewel Burks Solomon has been hired as the first Head of Google for Startups in the U.S. and will be based in the Atlanta office, the company recently announced. In her new role, Burks Solomon will be responsible for driving how the organization engages with existing Google for Startups partners across the U.S. as it continues to expand in 2020.
Google for Startup’s mission is to level the playing field for startup founders and communities to succeed, connecting them with the best of Google’s products, connections, and best practices.
Burks Solomon will be based out of Google’s Atlanta office — a city Google has called home for 18 years. Just last year, the tech company broke ground on its new office in Midtown, an extension of its commitment to growing in Georgia and its vision for Atlanta as a thriving tech ecosystem.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to do work I’m deeply passionate about and to help level the playing field in the startup ecosystem,” said Burks Solomon. “Great ideas and startups can come from anywhere and anyone — you don’t have to be based in Silicon Valley to be successful in this industry. In this position, I have a great opportunity to highlight the work of incredible startups in Atlanta and other markets that have historically been under-resourced.”
Burks Solomon’s journey from Google intern, to successful founder, to insightful advisor uniquely positions her as the ideal leader to navigate Google for Startups’ future in the U.S., as the team continues to partner with enterprising and diverse startups across the country.
“Jewel’s background as an entrepreneur and investor gives her a deep amount of empathy for the founder journey and insight into what founders need to build successful businesses,” said Agnieszka Hryniewicz-Bieniek, Global Director of Google for Startups. “Her experience allows the team to ensure our work is meaningful to startups and that the metrics of success are closely aligned with the startups we work with.”
In addition to online resources and hosted events, Google for Startups has 9 partner “hubs” across the country that bring people together, connect them with others, and help launch great startups in the United States.
Today, Google for Startups partners with over 60 startup organizations to grow diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and help startups succeed in over 150 countries.
