Innovation Center’s new CEO: ‘Let’s collaborate’

The ARK Invest-backed Tampa Bay Innovation Center has selected Rebecca Brown, a former Goldman Sachs executive, serial entrepreneur and Ivy League graduate, as its new CEO. 

Brown will lead the organization and its $15.87 million ARK Innovation Center through a strategic transformation. She is “incredibly excited to embark on this journey” following founding CEO Tonya Elmore’s exit earlier this year. 

Brown co-founded Solemates, a foot-care solutions brand featured on TV’s Shark Tank, and has over two decades of entrepreneurship, finance and innovation leadership experience. She moved to the area from New York City in late 2020 and has a succinct message for the local tech ecosystem and surrounding community: “Let’s collaborate.” 

“Obviously, this area is not New York, it’s not San Fran. But I think if we collaborate, we have an opportunity to have a tremendous impact on the world,” Brown told the Catalyst. “I think it’s all about collaboration.” 

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s (TBIC) announcement states that Brown’s appointment “marks an ambitious new chapter” in the nonprofit tech incubator and accelerator’s 25-year history. Leadership, including board chairperson Cathie Wood, founder and CEO of ARK Invest, believes a “full rebrand” will “position St. Petersburg as a national leader in venture capital, technology and innovation.” 

Brown’s resume suggests that the TBIC and its new headquarters, which opened in January 2024, are in good hands. She graduated from Harvard University and earned her MBA from Columbia Business School.

Leadership roles at investment banking behemoth Goldman Sachs followed. Brown launched her first company, Solemates, in 2009. 

She founded Core Satellite Partners, a consultancy firm for entrepreneurs and growth-stage companies, in 2017. An extensive list of advisory roles increased when Brown moved to the area and began mentoring tech founders through Tampa Bay Wave’s startup accelerator. 

Brown called her latest position a “personal milestone.” She eagerly anticipates fostering “innovation and economic growth in our vibrant community.” 

“I was so excited when I first got here, just to appreciate how much is happening,” Brown said of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Even in the past five years, I’ve seen it grow and grow and grow. So, this really is an exciting new chapter.” 

Rebecca Brown, CEO of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Photo provided.

The ARK Innovation Center was Pinellas County’s first facility purposely built to support entrepreneurship and disruptive startups. It sits on 2.5 acres of city-owned land at 1101 4th St. S. in St. Petersburg’s Innovation District.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration committed $11.26 million to the nearly $16 million project. Wood bought the center’s naming rights for $2 million in November 2021 after moving her prominent investment firm to St. Petersburg. 

The TBIC’s website once stated that the facility would generate over 1,200 jobs and $127 million in economic impact in its first four years. Brown said her focus is on the future rather than the past. 

“I’ve only been here for four weeks, and I’m definitely still in the information gathering and building the foundation mode,” she added. “If I thought there wasn’t a big opportunity, I would not have come here. 

“So, I think that probably speaks to what I think the future holds.” 

Brown’s local supporters echoed that sentiment. Alison Barlow, executive director of the Innovation District, said she is “thrilled” to have her at the helm. 

“She’s (Brown) fantastic and will be an amazing resource and leader for this organization,” Barlow said. “We’ve already sought out lots of ways that the ARK Innovation Center, the Innovation District and the (Maritime and Defense Technology) Hub are all going to work together moving forward.” 

Wood also had glowing praise for the new CEO. She believes Brown’s “entrepreneurial spirit, operational expertise and passion for fostering innovation make her the ideal leader to drive our mission forward.” 

“Together, we are working to make St. Petersburg a global destination for venture capital, breakthrough technology and visionary builders,” Wood said in a prepared statement. 

Brown called Wood a catalyst that has propelled the local tech ecosystem’s momentum. She said Wood’s involvement was “certainly a big factor” in her decision to take the role. 

Supporting founders and growth-stage companies is Brown’s “north star,” a foundation she believes will garner support from corporate investors, community leaders and government stakeholders. “I love problem solving, and that’s fundamentally what entrepreneurship is all about,” she said.

“The thing that I’m most excited about is creating opportunities for these companies here, whether that’s for investments, business development and customer building, or really just being part of an amazing community that supports them.”