Dave Girouard, Google Apps pioneer, leaves Google to form startup fund

Dave Girouard, Google’s VP of apps, is leaving the company to form Upstart, a new startup fund. He joined the search giant eight years ago and was integral in the development of the Google Apps suite. The decision was posted on Girouard’s Google+ page:

”I’m Feeling Lucky!
It’s true. After eight wonderful and life-altering years, I’ve decided to leave Google to pursue my own adventure. I owe a lifetime of gratitude to +Larry Page +Sergey Brin and +Eric Schmidt and so many others at Google for giving me such an incredible opportunity. I don’t know if I’ll ever match the learning experience I’ve had here, but I’m going to give it one hell of a try!”

Despite his proclamation that it’s his “own adventure,” Girouard hasn’t completely cut the cord from his former employee — Upstart is funded in part by Google Ventures. How exactly the new site will function is unclear, but we’ll be watching its progress carefully in the months to come.