Memphis, Tenn. (April 22, 2014) – Start Co. today announced that Mara Lewis has been appointed to managing director for the organization where she will be responsible for building business and investment relationships around the U.S. and expanding the national brand presence of Start Co. She will also participate in startup creation through the four accelerators Seed Hatchery, UpStart, SparkGap and SkyHigh during the “Summer of Acceleration,” which kicks off May 1st. Previously, Lewis was an entrepreneur-in-residence for Start Co., splitting her time between Memphis and San Francisco.
“Our commitment to Memphis has always been to strategically invest in people, such as Mara, to add bench strength to our team. Few venture creation organizations have the opportunity to build a national presence and engage talent from San Francisco to support the growth of a ‘fly-over’ ecosystem,” said Eric Mathews, founder and CEO of Start Co. “Mara will act as an important bridge between the Memphis and San Francisco startup communities and will continue to represent Memphis on the West Coast to connect Start Co. startups with investors and other resources.”
During the summer Lewis will spend most of her time in Memphis to support the growth of the accelerator programs and the startup teams. Year round, Lewis will make regular trips between San Francisco and Memphis to grow the organization’s West Coast presence and build a bridge between the two startup ecosystems. She will also serve as the national voice of Start Co. as brand ambassador, speaker, and business development lead.
Lewis was originally brought on board to lead the Upstart accelerator, the company’s women-led technology startup program, and will continue to play a large role in the accelerator.
“I’ve enjoyed my role as entrepreneur-in-residence with Start Co. and saw the impact of their programming, specifically the process and technical assistance that is unique and truly gaming changing for startups. The rest of the country needs to know it,” said Lewis. “It’s an exciting time to be in Memphis and to be a part of the next point of growth for Start Co. and their startups.”
Lewis was previously a serial entrepreneur with a successful exit from SpeedFeed where she was founder and CEO.
Read more about our new Managing Director at Memphis Business Journal
About Start Co.
Start Co. is a nationally recognized nonprofit (501c3) serving as the nexus of public-private efforts to accelerate the success of diverse entrepreneurs and their high growth companies while enhancing the Memphis’ startup ecosystem that supports them. Start Co. partners include archer>malmo, Baker Donelson, The Marston Group and Mosaik Solutions. More information can be found at www.neverstop.co.