Birmingham’s Innovation Depot names new CEO
- ByStartupStory | December 8, 2022
Brooke Gillis is the new CEO of Birmingham’s Innovation Depot. The Homewood resident will take charge of the startup incubator Monday, Dec. 12. She succeeds Drew Honeycutt, who left in August to pursue a business venture.
A graduate of the University of Alabama, Gillis has been program manager for the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator since 2020. Gillis came through a search process facilitated by Apt, a local, woman-owned staffing firm specializing in IT-related talent. Interim CEO Bebe Goodrich, the depot’s board chairperson, called Gillis “a seasoned leader in Birmingham’s startup ecosystem.”
“Brooke brings the right skill set to the table to propel The Depot into a new era of growth and success,” Goodrich said.
Gillis previously served as the director of sales and event planning at Virginia College/Culinard Cafe, one of the Depot’s earliest member companies. She was also director of sales and marketing at Instagift, where she worked to oversee the creation and launch of Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator program—the first accelerator in Alabama.
Gillis designed and coordinated the creation of the multi-use Velocity Accelerator space inside of The Depot. “Innovation Depot has been the foundation of entrepreneurship in our region for many years,” Gillis said. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to help enhance Birmingham’s future while working with such passionate entrepreneurs. I want to thank The Depot’s board for trusting me to continue building on the success of our great startup ecosystem.”
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