Serial entrepreneur Drew Honeycutt will serve as chief executive officer for Innovation Depot beginning May 1. Honeycutt has successfully started, operated and sold multiple businesses in various industries, including software, real estate, construction and facilities management.
“Drew’s drive to help others succeed in launching their businesses aligns with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Innovation Depot’s partnership to provide an epicenter for technology, startups and entrepreneurs in the Birmingham region,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts, who served as the search committee chair. “We appreciate the time the search committee took to find the ideal candidate who will take our startup community and entrepreneurs to the next level. I am confident that Drew will lead Innovation Depot through the uncertainty associated with COVID-19 and continue to elevate the depot in the national innovation ecosystem. The continued success of Birmingham’s technology startups is more important now than ever.”
Honeycutt helped launch three successful startups, where he raised funding to develop technology, worked with engineers to develop the product and built sales pipelines to convert paying customers. His most recent success, Funnelfly, was launched through Innovation Depot. The marketing app helps software companies and startups use marketing campaigns to convert users.
“I’m humbled and excited to work alongside the incredible entrepreneurs of our region to help them incubate and accelerate their businesses from concept to scale,” Honeycutt said. “The Innovation Depot is a beacon of entrepreneurship for our region, and I look forward to carrying on the rich tradition of success.”
The national search consisted of candidates who represented a great deal of talent and diversity. Honeycutt, a Birmingham native, was selected to lead Innovation Depot because of his leadership and years of experience as a startup founder and his deep knowledge of the Birmingham innovation ecosystem.
“After extolling virtues of candidates, the search committee chose Honeycutt because of his dedication to Birmingham and his entrepreneurial spirit that has launched several successful startups,” said John McDonald, chairman of the board for Innovation Depot. “In his new role, he will be able to provide insight to potential startups based on his working knowledge as an entrepreneur.”
One of the four pillars of UAB’s strategic plan, Forging the Future, focuses on research, innovation and economic impact, ultimately supporting the work done at Innovation Depot.
This story originally appeared on the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s UAB News website.
