Dr. Marlo Rencher is an entrepreneur, anthropologist and educator with over two decades of experience in startup and small business development. Currently, she is TechTown Detroit’s director of technology-based programs. She is a co-founder at Commune Angels, an inclusive network of angel investors. She is the founder of Tech Founders Academy, which helps Black and Brown women reinvent themselves as Tech Founders. She has also founded or co-founded three other tech startups.

Dr. Rencher was the co-author of digitalundivided’s 2016 #ProjectDiane report, which provided groundbreaking insight into the funding gap for Black women tech founders. She is currently engaged in research on developing inclusive tech accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces and entrepreneurial hubs.

Dr. Rencher previously served as vice president of innovation, entrepreneurship and diversity at Cleary University. She also served as the faculty chair of the entrepreneurship department at the business-focused university.

Dr. Rencher earned an undergraduate degree in marketing from Michigan State University, an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and a PhD in business and organizational anthropology from Wayne State University. She frequently speaks on technology entrepreneurship and inclusion and has been a presenter at TedxDetroit, Princeton University, and SXSW. She is the co-author of the forthcoming book Hard Reset: Framing Inclusion as the New Normal.