Rentah Inc

COO of Elevatr and Entrepreneur and Advisor specializing in operations and strategy for small to mid-size growth companies. Passions: Classic cars, travel, bonsai trees, cooking, and anything outdoors

I’ve always had a passion for design and artistic expression but growing up in a blue-collar area of Georgia, it always seemed like an impossible dream. There just weren’t jobs in that field available in such a rural area, so when NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering reached out to me, I jumped at the opportunity to pursue something that would actually make me feel accomplished and happy, so I packed up my essential belongings and moved to a city hundreds of miles from anyone I have ever known, completely alone, and it was the best choice I’ve ever made. After 2 and a half years at NYU, I made the difficult choice to leave school and begin working, rather than finish school there and drown myself in debt at the start of my life. After that I found Rentah, and for the last 2 and a half years I have poured myself into this site to make it the best it can be. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott" - Alyssa Smith

I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island. I have wonderful immigrant parents that have worked for the City of New York for over 30 years. How do I portray myself as someone that is confident and capable enough to turn a start-up into a billion dollar company and not come off like a pretentious douche bag? I have lived in a number of places (US -NYC and San Diego, Mexico, India) and worked in many industries (government, retail, hospitality, academia). I am a cross between Michael Scott and Tupac, with better hair. In all seriousness, I believe it is my varied experiences that allow me to understand the Sharing Economy and think of it from the perspective of our future users. There is a hole in the market and Rentah can fill it. Rentah can change the world - by reducing waste, building communities, and helping us pay the rent. October 15, 2013 - Present CEO of Rentah President and Director since March 4, 2014. August 2010 - Present - Adjunct Professor of Geography and Political Science for City University of New York. February 2018 - April 2018 - Temporary Project - Senior Administrative Analyst for The City of New York at the Department of Homelessness

From an early age I was introduced to computer science and started programming at the age of 12. My dad thought it was a mistake giving me a computer to use. I’m pretty sure every parent thinks that all their child will do is play games excessively but instead I was honing my programming skills. I mean I did hack into Grand Theft Auto a bunch of times...your welcome, but I was also growing as a person. Getting into programming was a way for me to learn how the world works. In a way, you have the power to create and control certain aspects of the economy through technology and that encouraged me to get a deeper understanding of modern technology. "With programming you can find yourself navigating through problem-solving algorithms. If you're self-taught, you'll find that while the root of programming is logic, it's the space for creativity and style that makes it so exciting."

I have always had a deep interest in art and aesthetics. I chose to be a designer because I believe that it’s not just about creating something beautiful or artsy, but also about enjoying the creative process behind it, from the first blueprint to the finished product that people will find useful and remember.

Hailing from China, via a stop in Canada for his Masters, Wayne brings a specialty of php and python to the Rentah team. With a deep interest in popular technology like Block-Chain and AI and a personal motto of "never stop learning" Wayne has been and intellectual and loyal addition to the Rentah team over the last year.