Marcus Phillips

Marcus is an adventurer and strategist widely recognized for his insatiable curiosity and passionate mentorship. In 2012, he co-founded the immersive software engineering school Hack Reactor, drawing on his extensive experience as a software engineer for Bay Area startups such as Twitter. Under Marcus's guidance, Hack Reactor has flourished, attracting and educating thousands of students annually. Personally guiding numerous talented individuals towards prosperous and fulfilling new careers has brought Marcus immense pride and honor.

With a deep-rooted interest in the philosophy and technology behind cryptographic systems like blockchain, Marcus has been studying and exploring their potential since the early 2000s. He firmly believes society has significant opportunities to implement robust, sustainable coordination and exchange mechanisms.

Marcus offers advisory services to early-stage startups and entrepreneurs, providing invaluable insights and guidance. He also specializes in career and achievement coaching for high-impact clients, empowering them to reach their full potential. Additionally, Marcus engages in systems design consulting for distributed ledger projects prioritizing pro-social values above all else.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Marcus dedicates his time to overseeing The Erstwhere Institute—an innovative online/offline space that serves as a hub for passionate artists, optimists, and engineers who aspire to construct a more compassionate and collaborative world.

Before starting his career as a technology entrepreneur, Marcus spent several years hitchhiking and performing on the streets of the United States and Europe, without formal employment or a fixed address. Raised in his family's expansive video store, he was instilled with an unconventional, self-determined, and story-rich upbringing. Marcus cherishes the opportunity to learn from others as much as he relishes sharing his own knowledge. He envisions a lifelong pursuit of studying incentive mechanism design, complex adaptive systems, mathematics, philosophy, design, martial arts, and urban dance.