Are you ready to build cool things?

Matt Bowman, Founder

Matt began his career as a 6th grade classroom teacher where he discovered a passion for addressing the unique needs of middle school students. He was instrumental in bringing early technology into the classroom, managing a grant-funded pilot program in Washington State in 1995 that enabled students to interact in a worldwide classroom setting using brand new Internet capabilities.

As a result of his success with technology in the classroom, Matt was recruited by Novell, Inc. to run their online training program where he spent 13 years, progressing to the position of Director of Training and Global Marketing. Combining his corporate skills with his first love of teaching children, Matt created My Tech High for public school students in the state of Utah. My Tech High was the precursor to Tech Trep Academy, offering students the opportunity to take part in technology and financial literacy classes as part of their overall public school education. After experiencing incredible success with My Tech High, Matt was persuaded to expand the offering to students all over the world, and Tech Trep Academy was born.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Brigham Young University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Central Washington University, and is an alumnus of Stanford University’s Executive Business Management Program.

Derek Miner, Co-Founder

Derek began his career as an entrepreneur before he even graduated college – during his senior year he was part of the leadership team behind ah-ha.com, eventually overseeing the company’s successful acquisition and subsequent public offering in 2004. Derek then went on to co-found Orangesoda.com, helping the company to achieve one of the highest growth rates in the state of Utah and overseeing another successful acquisition by the Deluxe Corporation, a Fortune 1000 company. Derek then moved to Contour, an action camera company, and helped lead them to a successful merger/acquisition in the summer of 2015.

Derek has been recognized by Utah Valley Business Magazine as a “Top 40 Under 40” executive, and has been named to the Signal Peak Capital Top 100 Venture Entrepreneurs four years in a row. He is a frequent community speaker, an active angel investor, and an enthusiastic business mentor. Derek serves on several company advisory boards including the UVU Gift Planning Advisory Board and the Associate Entrepreneur Founders Organization at Brigham Young University.

Derek received his bachelor’s degree from the School of Technology at BYU, with a focus on industrial design and product development.

Marlon is an entrepreneur and writer who is committed to helping people reach their full potential. He believes that the stewardship of our young is a biological imperative and thus our ultimate priority. He pursues this priority daily with his own six children and the work that he does with Tech Trep.

Born in Jamaica, Marlon immigrated to the United States at the formative age of thirteen. He grew up in Connecticut where he earned his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Connecticut–Go Huskies! Marlon served as the president and CEO of a financial services company before leaving to write his first book, Reminder to Self. Since then he has promoted literacy and social studies through executive and consulting roles at companies such as Imagine Learning and Studies Weekly. He has worked with school superintendents, legislators, and lobbyists across the country to influence legislation for statewide initiatives to serve the most students at the lowest cost.

In his current role, Marlon works with educators and legislators across the world to create STEM opportunities for students in the early grades to capitalize on the 21st Century STEM economy through public/private partnerships in education. He is motivated to influence a world where his children can play, create, collaborate, and reach their full potential. Marlon is noted for saying, “The best way I know to make sure my kids reach their full potential is to ensure that all kids reach their full potential—adults are just big kids.”