Traverse City tech incubator and coworking space 20Fathoms announced the hiring of Eric Roberts as the company's new executive director Thursday. Roberts, who most recently served as vice president of revenue operations at Saba Software, brings 25 years of business operations and tech experience to the company.
 
Roberts' 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, Roberts 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, according to a 20Fathoms release.
 
"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," Roberts said in a statement. "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."

Roberts replaces Lauren Bigelow as executive director at 20Fathoms. During her tenure, Bigelow added new programs (tccyber and the HealthSpark Accelerator), increased membership (currently 75 members), moved to a larger office space (at 10850 East Traverse Hwy), and added new team positions (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," says 20Fathoms Board Chair Kristin Rockwood.