Marc Eckō
Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Marc Eckō is an entrepreneur, fashion/media mogul, venture capitalist and education reformer. He is the CEO and a founder of ARTISTS & INSTIGATORS. Marc is also the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Marc Eckō Enterprises, a billion-dollar global fashion and lifestyle company and is a Partner of Artists & Instigators’ seed and early stage venture capital fund. 

Marc’s entrepreneurial journey began in the mid-80s while he was still a high school student working from a makeshift design studio located in the garage of his parents New Jersey home. After following a brief pursuit of a “traditional career” at Rutgers College of Pharmacy, he soon returned to his true passion. In 1993, at the age of 20, armed only with an airbrush and his custom graphic designs, he founded *Eckō Unltd. Today the company has grown to over $1.5 Billion in revenues and includes: *Eckō Unltd, the leading global young men’s brand; Eckōred, it’s female counterpart; Marc Eckō Cut & Sew, a contemporary menswear line; Zoo York, the first and largest east coast action sport lifestyle brand; Complex Media Holdings, inclusive of Complex Magazine (circulation of 340,000) and Ecko|Code; a social gaming company. Ecko|Code game releases include “Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure” in conjunction with Atari in 2005 and “Dexter the Game” based on the hit Showtime series (available on the iPhone and iPod Touch) in 2009.

In recognition of his achievements, Marc was honored with a 2006 MTV Video Music Award for “Best Videogame Soundtrack,” and has been included on lists such as Details magazine’s “Most Powerful Men under 38,” Stuff Magazine’s “Style Icons” list, and New York Magazine’s list of the City’s “Influential.” Marc received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Rutgers University in 2009.

Marc dedicates himself to a number of socially conscious initiatives, including significant work with youth both domestically and internationally, as well as serving a dedicated role in reversing the plight of the world’s rhino shrinking population. He has assisted in the founding of 3 charities: Tikva Children’s Home, Sweat Equity Education and Stoked Mentoring.

Marc Eckō’s life experiences and philanthropy efforts have led him to become a dynamic public speaker at fashion, art and education reform events across the world. Some include: SXSW 2011, the 2009 DLD World Conference in Germany, Harvard University 2009, 2009 Rutgers University Commencement, 2010 Business Forward Conference, 2010 Business Evangelism Conference in Singapore, 2010 Moderated Education Innovation Panel at the Summit Series Conference in Washington D.C. and 2010 World Entrepreneurship Day at the United Nations.

Marc serves on the board of The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), BPL (Big Picture Learning), SEE (Sweat Equity Education), Everloop and Tikva Children’s Home.