Jake Hylton (he/him) is no newcomer to the startup, small business sphere. He made his first introduction to the small business world at 10 years old, when both his mothers started their own business running and consulting restaurants. For the next seven years, Jake would assume the role of apprentice to his mothers, learning everything from customer service, bookkeeping, business development, and leadership.
After pursuing an arts degree and spending his early twenties working in, managing, and founding arts organizations, Jake decided to trade his love of arts for the world of startups. He worked for multiple startups, then quickly realized that he was best-suited to run a business of his own. For the last five years, Jake has worked in residential housing, leading The Jake Hylton Team with Retro Real Estate. Armed with an array of small business knowledge, a love for his home-state’s LGBTQIA+ community, and a love for his partner Joseph’s passion for accountability reporting, Jake signed on to be the Founding Executive Director of LOOKOUT.