20Fathoms is pleased to announce that Eric Roberts has joined the organization as Executive Director, bringing 25 years of business operations and tech experience to the Traverse City-based tech startup incubator and coworking space.
Eric most recently served as Vice President of Revenue Operations at Saba Software. Previous positions included executive roles at BlackBerry, Good Technology, and Motorola Mobility. He is a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and graduated from Michigan Technological University with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering. After years spent in Chicago and Silicon Valley, Eric and his family returned to Michigan and made Traverse City their home. He is passionate about community involvement and is currently a member investor with Northern Michigan Angels.
“I’m really excited to be back home in Michigan and especially to join 20Fathoms where I’ve been impressed by the resiliency, talent, and energy of the community,” said Eric. “If you’re in startup or tech in the Grand Traverse Region, 20Fathoms is the place to be and I can’t wait to continue to build the momentum of this incubator and remove barriers for founders and tech professionals.”
“This is an exciting time at 20Fathoms,” said Kristin Rockwood, Chair of the 20Fathoms Board of Directors. “We’re coming out of the pandemic strong with an upgraded office, growing membership, and successful programs including tccodes and HealthSpark. We’re thrilled to welcome Eric to the team and I’m confident that he’s the right person to lead the continued growth of our tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in Traverse City.”
Eric replaces Lauren Bigelow as Executive Director. During her tenure, Lauren led 20Fathoms through an important period of growth that included the addition of new programs (tccyber and the HealthSpark Accelerator), increased membership (currently 75 members), a larger office space (at 10850 E. Traverse Hwy), and additional team members (Head of Talent Acquisition and Director of Marketing).
“We are grateful to Lauren’s leadership and tenacity as she successfully steered 20Fathoms through the challenges of the pandemic and positioned the organization for a new phase of success,” said Kristin.