Brooks is the COO and co-founder of Yik Yak, which he founded in 2013 with Tyler Droll. After graduating from Furman University, Brooks passed up a career in finance in favor of app development, which he was drawn to because of the power and reach that apps have in a world where nearly everyone has smartphones. Brooks and Tyler created Yik Yak because they wanted to let people instantly be connected with the community around them. Today, Yik Yak is popular on over 1,600 college and university campuses. Brooks is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.