This podcast originated as a video that you can find on the Founders and Startups YouTube Channel along with two highlight videos:
Creating Flikshop’s Minimum Viable Product
Focus on What Gives You Energy
+++++
Marcus Bullock is Founder and CEO of Flikshop. Marcus radiates optimism and a sense of purpose that is reflected in the Flikshop mission, to keep families and communities connected and to ultimately reduce recidivism.
After being convicted of carjacking when he was 15 years old, Marcus spent the next 8 years of his life in a maximum security prison. During that time, Marcus says that getting a flik, or a picture, was like winning the lottery. While incarcerated, Marcus educated himself and planned for a productive future, thanks to the persistence of his mother, his extended family, and friends.
After his release, Marcus created a construction company that employed returning citizens. He then launched Flikshop, an app that allows individuals to send a note and a picture to anyone at any prison in the United States. Marcus and his colleagues then created The Flikshop School of Business to help give men and women who are incarcerated a blueprint for success.
Marcus was named to The Root’s Top 100 most influential African Americans for 2019. He is an inaugural cohort member of Techstars Anywhere 2018 and John Legend’s Unlocked Futures business accelerators. He is a member of the Justice Policy Institute's board of directors and serves as an advisor to the Aspen Institute’s Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund.
Check out Flikshop and download the app.
Help keep a child and an incarcerated parent connected by becoming a Flikshop Angel.
For investment inquiries, connect with Marcus on LinkedIn.
More from Marcus: