Phil Brooks, an entrepreneur and business consultant with 30-plus years of experience across multiple sectors — from manufacturing, mining, and information technology, to life sciences and entertainment — has joined the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute as a full time executive in residence.
In this role Brooks will mentor faculty and students seeking to commercialize their innovations by assisting with strategic planning, grant writing support, competitive analysis, market research, finance and more.
"I have actively worked with startup companies in Pittsburgh since 1996. The opportunity to transition from a part-time executive in residence with the Innovation Institute to a full-time role is incredibly exciting and offers me the chance to broaden these commercialization efforts," Brooks said.
Brooks has served in a variety of roles with university-based spinouts at Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University and Lehigh University, including serving as CEO and COO of two stem cell companies. At Pitt he has mentored NSF I-Corps learning teams, participants in the Coulter Translational Research Partners II program, in addition to assisting innovators in the Pitt Ventures Gear Program.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Phil’s caliber join our team,” said Evan Facher, director of enterprise development at the Innovation Institute. “He brings such a wide range of expertise that our faculty and students will be able to access in order to develop real-world applications for their discoveries, either through licensing or starting their own companies.”
For the past 17 years Brooks has served as co-owner of Brooks Consulting LLC, a management consulting firm. Prior to this, he owned a public relations firm focused on the high tech sector and also served as a director of a large accounting firm. He received BS in biology and MS in pharmacotherapeutics, as well as an MBA.
Brooks currently serves as chairman of the Growth and Transaction Committee and member of the Screening Committee for BlueTree Allied Angels, a Pittsburgh-based early-stage investment firm.
About the Innovation Institute: To better serve the University of Pittsburgh’s expanding innovation ecosystem, the university launched the Innovation Institute as a one-stop destination for both Pitt innovators interested in moving their discoveries from the lab to the marketplace, and for external industry and investment partners who can facilitate this process. The Innovation Institute provides a comprehensive suite of services, from patenting intellectual property to the commercialization of new discoveries through licensing and/or new enterprise development. The Institute also provides a wealth of educational programming, mentoring and networking for Pitt faculty, students and partners, as well as a range of services to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Western Pennsylvania in starting, growing or transitioning their businesses. Learn more at www.innovation.pitt.edu.