Jewel Burks Solomon

Jewel Melanie Burks Solomon is an American tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist working as the first head of Google for Startups in the U.S. She is managing partner of the investment firm, Collab Capital, focusing on Black entrepreneurship. Burks Solomon was previously the Google entrepreneur in residence for diversity markets from January 2014 to October 2016.

Early life Jewel Burks Solomon is from Nashville, Tennessee. Her mother, Valinda Burks, ran an insurance agency for 25 years. Jewel Burks Solomon's father, William Burks, owned and managed real estate properties, convenience stores, and a laundromat. In the 1960s, her grandfather, Bill McDaniel, founded businesses in Mobile, Alabama. Burks Solomon began working at a young age for the family businesses.

She studied business at Howard University, graduating in 2010. The startup allowed people to use smartphones to search for parts using computer vision technology. The technology became Amazon PartFinder.

In January 2020, Burks Solomon became the first head of Google for Startups in the U.S.

Burks Solomon is managing partner of the investment firm, Collab Capital. The firm focuses on Black entrepreneurs.