748: How Collab Co-Founder Jewel Burks Solomon Helps Black Tech Founders Gain Access to Capital, Connections and Resources

In this episode of Support is Sexy, learn about what it’s like to sell your company to a huge company, like Amazon, from Founder of Partpic Jewel Burks Solomon. Now Head of Google for Startups in the US and Manager Partner at Collab Capital, Jewel shares her story from counting dollar bills from her family’s business to developing her own product and business to now providing capital and support to other entrepreneurs in this episode of Support is Sexy. 

 

Elayne Fluker

Elayne Fluker is author of the new book, “Get Over ‘I Got It’: How to Stop Playing Superwoman, Get Support and Remember that Having It All Doesn’t Mean Doing It All Alone.” As host of the SUPPORT IS SEXY podcast, she interviews more than 500 successful women entrepreneurs around the world, who share inspiring, true stories of the ups and the downs of their entrepreneurial journeys. Elayne is also founder of SiS.Academy, an online learning platform for women entrepreneurs. For more information about Elayne Fluker, please visit elaynefluker.com. Thank you for listening!

About our Guest:

Jewel Burks Solomon is Head of Google for Startups in the US, where she works with underrepresented startup founders, and Manager Partner at Collab Capital, an alternative investment fund focused on closing the funding gap for Black entrepreneurs and innovators. Jewel was Founder of Partpic, a startup that was acquired by Amazon in 2016, the same year she was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30. 

 

Insight from this episode:

• Insights into the emotional journey of selling your company and questions you must ask yourself before you do it. 
• Insider look into the first steps in launching a tech company.  
• How to tell if you are the answer to the problem you’re trying to solve. 
• How to find the people with the right skill sets to help you in your business. 

 

 

Quotes from the show:

• On how she knew to take action: “It would not go away. I kept thinking about it, kept thinking about it. I had so much energy around it. I was really excited about it.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748
• “There is a risk of [people “stealing your ideas”], but it’s a very low risk as compared to the risk involved if you just keep it to yourself, and no one ever helps you, and you never get it off the ground.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748
• “Ideas are a dime a dozen, everybody has ideas… but the execution is what matters.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748
• “When things don’t feel right, they’re not right, and you should always go with your gut.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748
• “We can’t wait on other people to wake up to the fact that there’s all this opportunity in our communities. It’s really on us to make the investments that we think are the right investments to make.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748
• “The best way to grow your company is through customers.” – Jewel Burks Solomon Support is Sexy Ep. #748

 

 

Stay Connected:

Elayne Fluker

Website: elaynefluker.com

Twitter: @elaynefluker 

Facebook: Elayne Fluker

Instagram: @elaynefluker

LinkedIn: Elayne Fluker

Youtube: Elayne Fluker

 

Jewel Burks Solomon

Website: JewelBruks.com

Twitter: @JewelMelanie

Instagram: @JewelMelanie

Collab Capital

Website: collab.capital

Twitter: @Collab_capital

Instagram: @Collab.capital

Google First Startups

Website: startup.google.com

Twitter: @GoogleStartups

Facebook: @GoogleForStartups

Instagram: @GoogleForStartups

Youtube: Google For Startups

Support is Sexy

Website: Support is Sexy Podcast

Facebook: Support is Sexy

Instagram: @supportissexy

Youtube: Support is Sexy Podcast Playlist 

 

Post-production for this episode was provided by Podcast Laundry.

[Music: “Stomp and Clap” by Scott Holmes from Free Music Archive]

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