In this episode of Outsider Inc., host Ian Hathaway interviews Jewel Burke Solomon, a founder, investor, and community leader based in Atlanta. Jewel shares her experiences of co-founding PartPic, a startup designed to identify and replace industrial parts through visual search technology, which was later acquired by Amazon. She discusses her challenges in raising capital as a black female founder and how those experiences inspired her to become an investor. Jewel highlights her work at Google for Startups, where she helped launch the Black Founders Fund and Latino Founders Fund. She also talks about co-founding Collab Capital, a venture fund focused on building long-term wealth and trust in underserved communities. This is a story of turning hard-earned lessons into purposeful action and reimagining who gets backed in venture.

Show Notes:

(01:17) Jewel’s Journey with PartPic

(06:27) Navigating Identity and Overcoming Bias

(10:16) Early Influences and Entrepreneurial Roots

(15:00) From Google to McMaster Car

(20:25) The Birth of PartPic

(27:28) The Decision to Sell to Amazon

(30:26) Handling Post-Sale Depression

(36:55) Founding Collab Capital

(38:37) The Atlanta Startup Ecosystem

(40:23) Mental Health Initiatives at Collab

(42:10) Reflections on DEI and Future Goals

(48:15) Beyond the Bio with Jewel Burks Solomon

✅ Host: Ian Hathway - Co-Founder & Managing Partner, FOVC

✅ Guest: Jewel Burks Solomon, Co-Founder of Partpic & Managing Partner, Collab Capital

Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or at outsiderinc.substack.com.

From Visual Search Founder to Visionary VC w/ Jewel Burks Solomon, Co-Founder of Partpic & Managing Partner, Collab Capital