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Office of Economic Development names Rebecca Lovell as Startup Liaison for the City of Seattle

Rebecca LovellThe city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) announced today that Rebecca Lovell has been selected as the City of Seattle’s first Startup Liaison for the Startup Seattle initiative.

Startup Seattle is a collaborative effort between the City of Seattle and leaders of Seattle’s technology startup community to develop a strategy to support early-stage technology companies, expand the number of startups, and firmly establish Seattle as an internationally recognized home for emerging technology companies. The Startup Liaison position was crafted based on recommendations of a technology industry task force that first convened in 2012. As a result, OED acquired the Startup Seattle website from its founder Red Russak, who was a part of the initial strategy sessions along with Lovell and over 20 representatives of the technology community.

The Mayor said of the initiative, “A key part of supporting Seattle’s growing economy is to make strategic investments in our competitive industry sectors, from technology to manufacturing. Nurturing our startups and helping innovative entrepreneurs expand in our city will allow our technology sector to continue to grow and support more jobs.”

Lovell has recently served as the interim CEO for Vittana, following her tenure as Chief Business Officer for GeekWire, Executive Director of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, and Program Director for the Alliance of Angels. She has been an instructor at the University of Washington’s Foster MBA program for six years (teaching classes on venture capital investing), and is a mentor for Techstars, 9Mile Labs, and the Founder Institute.

“I love Seattle and the startup community, and couldn’t be more excited to be an advocate for our city. We have so many key ingredients for success, and I look forward to working with community organizations, schools and universities, and future and current startuppers to ensure Seattle is on the international map of innovation where it belongs,” said Lovell. “I’m excited to carry on the great work began by Red Russak, supported by the community.”

In the coming months, Lovell will work with OED and the Startup Seattle advisory committee to measure and promote the impact of tech startups on our economy, foster startup communities through strategic partnerships, and increase access to the technology and startup sector, particularly with under-served students.

The Puget Sound Business Journal sat down with Lovell last year to talk about her career background and leadership role in the local startup community. It’s a great read for those interested in learning more about her perspectives.

Welcome to the team, Rebecca!