Here are 16 recent hires and promotions we noticed in the technology and startup space.
• Quinn Jackson-Elliott on Dec. 16 was named vice president of government relations at Austin-based Olea Edge Analytics, which makes an edge computing platform for water utilities. She started with the company in March 2020 as senior director of business development. Prior to that, she was deputy commissioner of Atlanta's watershed management department. The company, which operates legally as Olea Networks Inc., said her experience was key in the company's $3.9 million deal with Atlanta in February.
• Lorraine Vargas Townsend has been hired as chief people officer of ESO Solutions, which makes software for emergency service agencies. She previously held the same title at A Cloud Guru, an Austin-based cloud skills development platform that was acquired in June. ESO announced her hire Dec. 16.
• Austin supply chain software startup SourceDay Inc. on Dec. 16 named Sarah Scudder as its new chief marketing officer. She was previously president and chief revenue officer at Real Sourcing Network. SourceDay, founded in 2013, raised a $12.5 million funding round in 2020. That brought its total raised to $23.3 million. It had around 60 employees back in 2020. It said it plans to nearly double its team in 2022.
• The University of Texas has appointed Craig Watkins as the new director of the IC2 Institute at UT, a division that focuses on regional economies across Texas. He replaces Art Markman, who was at the helm since 2018 and was named UT's vice provost for continuing education earlier this year. Watkins was the founding director of UT's Institute for Media Innovation and leads the AI and the Future of Racial Justice research team.
• Austin pet health product maker PetHonesty LLC said Dec. 8 it added Daniel Horner as vice president of sales. He was previously a founding member and vice president of the pet channel at Freshpet. He's also worked at The Meow Mix Company and Ralston Purina. PetHonesty, led by CEO Ben Arneberg, was founded in 2018 and is backed by private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners.
• Jungle Scout, which helps businesses sell on Amazon, has appointed Stephen Curial as its first chief technology officer. He'll lead a remote-first engineering team. Curial was previously a director of software development at Amazon, where he had worked for 10 years. He has also worked in software roles at IBM. Jungle Scout, founded by CEO Greg Mercer in 2015, currently has over 300 employees across 17 countries and it has raised $110 million in capital. It is owned by JS Operating Company LP.
• Coinciding with news of a $30 million funding round, FileCloud said Ray Downes is the new CEO of the content collaboration software startup. Found CEO Madhan Kanagavel is moving to president and chief technology officer. FileCloud, which is the cornerstone software developed by CodeLathe Technologies Inc., has a platform that helps enterprise teams share files and other data across public and private clouds.
• It's not a startup, but it interacts with them on the regular. The Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute, which represents the bioscience industry on public policy matters, said Dec. 7 it has appointed Victoria Ford as its new president and CEO. She will take over Jan. 1, 2022. She replaces Thomas Kowalski, who is retiring after leading the organization since its founding 25 years ago. Ford was most recently the chief policy and regulatory officer at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
• Spruce Services Inc., an Austin startup providing housekeeping and chore services at apartment developments, said Dec. 7 it has hired Jack Cartwright as vice president of finance. He was previously director of finance and operations at Austin-based Workrise and director of finance at at 9Gauge Partners' transaction advisory service. Spruce, led by founder and CEO Ben Johnson, has raised about $14 million, including an $8 million round last year. In August, the startup acquired The Minte, a Chicago startup that brings hotel-style cleanings to apartment buildings. It now operates in 16 U.S. markets.
• Austin edge networking startup Vapor IO Inc. announced Dec. 2 that it added Jason Bourg as senior director of revenue and alliances. He was most recently vice president of revenue and strategy at EdgeMicro. He's also worked at CenturyLink, Terremark and AT&T. Vapor IO, led by founder and CEO Cole Crawford, last year closed a $90 million series C funding round led by Boston-based private equity titan Berkshire Partners LLC and Houston-based cell phone tower and wireless communications giant Crown Castle International Corp.
• Austin software maker Bloomfire Inc. said Dec. 2 that it has appointed Ryan Manougian as global senior vice president of sales. He was most recently VP of sales at Unanet, and he previously worked in sales at Austin companies WP Engine and Tenfold. The company also promoted Samantha Schneider to chief operating officer and Jordan Slabaugh to chief marketing officer. Schneider was previously VP of customer success and operations. Slabaugh was previously VP of marketing.
• Austin IT management company SolarWinds Corp. said Dec. 1 it has hired Jeff McCullough as VP of worldwide partner sales. It's a new role at the company. McCullough was most recently a VP at Park Place Technologies. Before that, he was a VP of partner sales at NetApp and Quest Software.
• Austin fintech and digital banking company Q2 Holdings Inc. said Dec. 1 it appointed Kirk Coleman as chief banking officer. He was previously founder of Centerline Advisors, a firm that works with mid-size financial organizations. Prior to that, he was a senior executive with Texas Capital Bank and a managing director at Accenture. Q2 (NYSE: QTWO), which is headquartered in Austin, went public in 2014.
• Austin-based at-home health screening company Imaware said Dec. 1 it added Paul Owen as its new president. He was most recently chief business officer and COO at Kailos Genetics. Prior to that, he was CEO of OneOme. Imaware, led by CEO Jani Tuomi, has a patient-facing platform and home-based tests for things such as allergies, coronavirus and autoimmune diseases. It was founded in 2018.
