Meet Muriel Foster | Director gBETA Houston

We had the good fortune of connecting with Muriel Foster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Muriel, what do you attribute your success to?
I think showing up as my full authentic self is something that has really helped me be successful within my career and brand. I told myself at a young age of my career that I didn’t feel like it was important for me to change who I was. I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to succeed the way that I wanted to without being my full authentic self. And being that person and being open to others has allowed me to not only succeed in my current role gBETA, but has opened so many doors for me and other avenues of my career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I run a nationally ranked seven-week early-stage tech accelerator called gBETA Houston. gBETA is focused on scaling and growing early-stage tech companies with local roots in Houston. We do this by providing network-driven programming for the founders who come through our doors. What gets me most excited is talking to founders. I love hearing about what founders are working on, what made them start on this journey of being a founder, and finding ways that I can provide guidance.

I feel like it was fate that stumbled me into the startup ecosystem doing what I do now. I was working with someone that wanted to start a startup, but I didn’t know even where to begin in that process, so I decided to intern for an accelerator in Houston that opened the doors for me to be immersed in the startup ecosystem in Houston. So, from that pivotal point, I wanted to be in the startup realm in some capacity, whether it was running programs for founders or something in between. Thankfully, I got the opportunity to work with gener8tor to run the gBETA Houston program. And as that’s grown I’ve also seen multiple opportunities in which I could help other small business owners and founders throughout the city.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I’m a sucker for a good happy hour menu. You could catch me at Hando in the Heights with their $7.00 house cocktails and $5 bites or or even Deans on Main Street with their $5 old fashions. There are so many to name I can’t pinpoint one specific place.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people. LaGina Harris of The Us Space, The entire team at Impact Hub Houston, Grace, Michelle, and Akeel. Robert Pieroni. My friends of 10+ years like Kalian, Jordan, and Bren. All of these people have come into my life at specific times when I needed them the most. These are people who have helped me grow tremendously, not only as a person but as someone who is just starting their career. These people and so many more have helped me lay a foundation for my career and further on, and I cannot express enough how much they mean to me and deserve a shoutout.

Website: https://www.gener8tor.com/gbeta/houston

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curlynonprofitconnect/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cnc-murielfoster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurielFoster_

Image Credits
The first photo upload with the HCC backdrop was taken by – Don Elliott with Splash Productions.