David Bridges is vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. EI² is the largest, oldest, and most successful university-based economic development organization in the country. It is home to more than a dozen economic development programs which (1) build and scale startups, (2) grow existing small and medium-sized enterprises, including manufacturing firms, and (3) energize ecosystem builders (communities, governments, universities, and non-profits). These programs serve the State of Georgia, the Southeast, the United States, and globally.

Prior to his appointment as vice president, Bridges was director of EI²’s Economic Development Lab. That group works with communities in Georgia and globally on projects including workforce development, fiscal and economic impact analyses.

Since joining Georgia Tech in 1994, Bridges has worked in various practice areas. He has been a Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on $20M+ in grants and authored, co-authored, or significantly contributed to $40M+ in winning proposals. Bridges has won 100+ proposals from U.S. federal agencies, plus universities, governments, and non-profits from around the world. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker in China, South Africa, and across Latin America on nascent, innovation ecosystem building.

Prior to joining EI², he was a management consultant and a brand manager at three consumer package goods companies. Bridges earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University and Master of Science in Marketing from Georgia State University.