Marcus Bullock

Marcus Bullock is the epitome of resilience. As a fifteen-year-old-kid, he wound up in adult maximum security prison for auto theft—for eight years. His mother sent him a letter every day, a gesture akin to winning the lottery in a world where you’re otherwise totally isolated, without even internet access. When he got out, he was determined to create positive social change; coming up with the idea for Flikshop, a tech company that connects families with their incarcerated loved ones.

Bullock is no stranger to the pain and challenges of life in prison—and life once getting out brings its own as well: when there’s a lack of support and resources, recidivism is common and circumstances bleak. But he found not only the strength to overcome his adverse circumstances, but the entrepreneurial spirit to help others with theirs, by creating an app that not only connects those behind bars to the outside world, but that can assist with their education, skill-building and getting a head start on the challenges of life after release like housing and job applications.

Bullock’s dramatic, inspiring story takes audiences on his incredible journey from behind bars to venture-backed; a man who made good and is doing good.

What does it take to build a business that has a positive impact on society, and is successful? And how does an ex-prisoner penetrate Silicon Valley?

Marcus Bullock knows the answer to both, and with good cause—he’s done them all. After leaving prison as a young adult (incarcerated for eight years for stealing a car), he saw a lot of challenges—but he also saw unique solutions. With a brilliant idea—the app Flikshop—he was able to get into the startup market even with a lack of resources, criminal record and a knowledge gap in the complex world of tech.

One of the rare, truly feel-good apps of the last five years, Bullock shares how solutions like Flikshop are waiting for the world—but they’re all too often hiding in underserved communities.

How can you reshape the narrative of tech entrepreneurship to not just be for the privileged, but for everyone—especially any marginalized group that can benefit from enhanced connectivity the most? Building technology and harnessing entrepreneurial ventures for social good is the way of the future, and Bullock and many other Black entrepreneurs are leading the way.