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Jay Norris

Visionary entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in real estate and technology.

Jay Norris, Co-Chair at Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

Jay Norris is a visionary entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in the real estate industry and various other fields. He currently serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of Guesst, an innovative platform that connects online retailers with physical retail spaces for pop-up shops and shared leasing opportunities.12

Some of Jay Norris' key roles and accomplishments include:

  • Co-Founder and CEO of Guesst since 2018, a performance-based leasing software that allows property owners to track tenant sales and merchants to secure flexible lease terms1
  • Board Member of the Westport Weston Family YMCA since 20231
  • Co-Founder of Startup Westport since 2023, a group aiming to inspire diverse entrepreneurship13
  • Startup Mentor at Techstars Detroit powered by J.P. Morgan since 20221
  • Chief Executive Officer of BlackLight, the world's first search engine for Black-owned businesses1
  • Member of the Board of Trustees at The Westport Library since 20221
  • Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Lifestyle Equities, a management consultancy specializing in solutions for small to medium businesses1

Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Jay Norris held positions such as:

  • Strategic Marketing Executive at Arista Records from 1994-1997, developing marketing strategies for artists like Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, and TLC2
  • Promotions Director at Sony Music Entertainment from 1993-19942

Jay Norris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Howard University.12 He is known for his innovative marketing skills, strong relationships, and deep understanding of the retail landscape, which he leverages to curate partnerships and experiential activations between retailers, landlords, media partners, and brands across various sectors.2

Highlights

Apr 18 · linkedin

Join us for an exciting event at The Westport Library on Tuesday, April 30 at 6:30 pm.

Startup Westport is partnering with The Westport Library to present ESPN Chairman James Pitaro with Startup Westport’s 2024 Innovator of the Year Award.

With ESPN Mike Greenberg as the host of the evening, this is a great opportunity to connect with local Westporters like Foti Koskinas, Cliff Sirlin, Peter Propp, Stefano Pacifico, Matt G., Jennifer Tooker and others.

Plus, we’ll be serving cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres as Mike interviews James.

It’ll be a night to remember, and I’d love to see you there.

Click here to register:

https://lnkd.in/eQW5m6ra

Apr 12 · linkedin

This week, I had the honor of co-chairing the "Innovation Roundtable" at Amazon, focusing on the future of NYC's tech industry. A big thank you to my co-chair Jason E. Dodier and to our great speakers Andy Ellwood, Murat Aktihanoglu and Julie Samuels.

We all share a deep love for NYC and are using tech to reshape and rebuild the city across the retail, real estate, finance and media industries. It’s incredible to connect with other passionate people who want to improve how we all live, work and play and this is just the beginning.

Thank you to everyone who joined us. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve in this great city! Special thank you to the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce for having us. Looking forward to the next one!

Related Questions

What inspired Jay Norris to start Guesst?
How has Jay Norris' experience in the music industry influenced his work in real estate?
What are some notable achievements of Jay Norris at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce?
How does the "Pop-Share" approach work in practice?
What other companies has Jay Norris co-founded?
Jay Norris
Jay Norris, photo 1
Jay Norris, photo 2
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Experience

CEO | Co-Founder at Guesst; CEO at BlackLight™
Strategic Marketing Executive at Arista Recordings (1994-1997), Promotions Director at Sony Music Entertainment (1993-1994)

Education

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from Howard University (1986-1991)

Location

New York, New York, United States