About

Reneé Rock teaches entrepreneurship and innovation and business communication at California Lutheran University. An award-winning entrepreneur and educator, Reneé was the 2014 winner of the MIT Global Entrepreneurship Competition at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has founded four companies and continues to serve in advisory, investor and interim executive roles at several technology start-ups.

An accomplished innovation strategist, Reneé is well-known for her work developing both early and growth-stage start-up companies in her role as the managing director of business development for Summit Venture Strategies. Her students have gone on to start new companies, innovate in existing companies, and create new products and services that harness the power of technology to enhance competitive advantage. Reneé is dedicated to teaching students a disciplined approach to entrepreneurship because she believes that purpose-driven innovation makes for a better world. Her interests include disruptive technology innovation, big data analytics and behavioral science, design thinking, investor pitch development, early-stage startups, and strategic corporate communications.

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management Executive Education, Mastering Design Thinking, 2022

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Global Entrepreneurship Educators Program Certification, 2015

VentureWell, Lean Launchpad Educators Series Certification, 2014

M.A. California State University, Northridge

B.A.  California Lutheran University, magna cum laude

Expertise

UX Design

Agile Product Development

Product Ideation and Product Development

Enterprise Design Thinking and Systems Thinking

Building Strategic Innovation Teams