Danielle Lomax (she/her)

Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Danielle is an MBA candidate at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. This summer, she is interning at Google on the Emerging Markets Users and Products team. Prior to business school, she founded a digital marketing startup in Washington, D.C. Even though she didn’t know exactly what she was doing in the beginning, she’s now proud of herself for taking the risk and is grateful for the friends she was able to lean on. Always seeking out the next adventure, she first pivoted to management consulting as a member of Deloitte’s strategy practice before becoming an early member of CapTech’s product innovation team in Atlanta. On campus, she’s now actively involved in amplifying Michigan’s technology ecosystem. She works alongside a team of 5 amazing ladies who are empowering women to launch their own ventures and become investors through Women Who Launch (WWL), providing a voice for black students and alumni.

Source of Inspiration: Yoga has transformed Danielle’s life. To her, there’s nothing more humbling, yet encouraging, than contorting your body in a heated yoga class.

Book Recommendation: Simple’s Uncle Sam by Langston Hughes.

“During my junior year of college I decided to start my own business. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I asked a few friends to help me get started, leveraged the marketing and PR classes I had taken to find customers, and relied on Google for the rest. In the beginning, I targeted customers in the sports industry but quickly realized I didn’t have the network, so I pivoted to hospitality.

Looking back, I did everything wrong. But I’m proud of myself for taking the risk. I didn’t hesitate; I just did it. The business lasted about two years, yielding a small customer base that took a chance on a college kid. It also yielded a repository of success stories and a newfound passion for being entrepreneurial.

Although I decided to pursue consulting after that, I’ve maintained that passion for being contrarian and taking risks. I think that’s one of the underlying reasons why I ultimately ended in up tech. There’s a culture of failure and iteration. You just do it.”