Fullstack Academy Acquires Chicago-based Coding School, The Starter League

CHICAGO and NEW YORK, March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fullstack Academy [fullstackacademy.com], an industry leader in immersive coding education, has acquired Chicago-based coding school, The Starter League [starterleague.com]. This is the first acquisition for New York City-based Fullstack Academy, and a significant step in its goal to empower more people to pursue their dream careers in software development.

"We knew the time was right when we met Neal (Sales-Griffin, CEO & co-founder) and Mike (McGee, co-founder)," said David Yang, CEO of Fullstack Academy. "We have long been inspired by The Starter League, the original coding bootcamp, and its dedication to creating this space. The opportunity to build on the work of this pioneer was too good to pass up. We knew that combining the brand, reach, and curricula of Fullstack Academy and The Starter League, would allow us to make a bigger difference to more people."

"With Fullstack Academy, we have the opportunity to scale our dream of teaching the world to code," said Neal Sales-Griffin. "I have been watching Fullstack Academy since they launched at Y Combinator's demo day in 2012. Their mission always resonated with Mike and me. It soon became clear that they are the right partner to help us teach more people to solve meaningful problems with software. We're excited to partner with Fullstack Academy to change the lives and careers of technologists in the most amazing city in the world."

The coding bootcamp space is seeing explosive growth. Course Report, in its 2015 market size report, forecasted 16,056 students to graduate from coding schools in 2015, a 138% increase from 6,740 students in 2014. Coding bootcamps were expected to generate $172MM in tuition revenue in 2015, up 231% from $52MM in 2014. With nearly 100 full-time coding schools, many are expecting a consolidation in the space.

The Starter League pioneered the field of intensive and immersive coding education. Backed by Basecamp [basecamp.com] (birthplace of Ruby on Rails), The Starter League graduated students with a strong entrepreneurial streak. Alumni went on to found scores of companies, including WeDeliver (acquired), ReliefWatch, BallotReady, Launchpad Lab, Know Your Company, as well as future coding bootcamps, such as MakerSquare (acquired), Bitmaker, and DevPoint Labs.

Fullstack Academy has a reputation for high-quality graduates and boasts excellent employment outcomes - its graduates work at a wide range of organizations from startups to tech pioneers, including Google, Dropbox, and Venmo (more on hiring outcomes here). Employers such as Priceline, Goldman Sachs, and American Express, have returned for more graduates. The founders of Fullstack Academy are personally excited to bring similar results to Chicago and expect the move to make a material contribution to Chicago'stop-tier of tech talent.

"David and I have had a personal connection to the state of Illinois from our college days, and have been looking for a way to give back to the community," said Nimit Maru, CTO of Fullstack Academy. "Launching Fullstack Academy in Chicago is the crystallization of that dream. The city has impressed us repeatedly with its bold commitments to education and technology, including its recent decision to make computer science a graduation requirement for public schools."

Fullstack Academy will launch in Chicago with its flagship, the Full-time Software Engineering Immersive, and Summer of Code, an immersive program for college students. It expects to launch its part-time version of the immersive, Flex Immersive, as well as its entry-level programs, JavaScript Jumpstart and Introduction to Front-End Development, later in the year. 

It is also of note that Fullstack Academy will launch at 1871 [1871.com], the premier hub in Chicago for digital, technology, and entrepreneurship.

"1871 is constantly expanding its educational resources to provide meaningful learning opportunities to the Chicago tech and entrepreneurial communities," said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. "Fullstack Academy prepares its students to enter the tech economy by providing an advanced, relevant curriculum that is constantly updated based on current tech trends. This program is a significant addition to 1871's educational opportunities, and we are thrilled to welcome them to Chicago and to 1871."

Fullstack Academy is currently accepting applications to its Full-time Software Engineering Immersive. The remote component of this program, Foundations, will start in May, while on-premise classes will start in June. Interested students can apply at fullstackacademy.com/apply.

To learn more about Fullstack Academy's acquisition of The Starter League, visit fullstackacademy.com/starter-league for press assets visit fullstackacademy.com/press

About The Starter League Neal Sales-Griffin and Mike McGee founded The Starter League [starterleague.com] in 2011 with the vision to build a type of hands-on coding school previously unheard of. Over the last five years, Mike and Neal have succeeded in creating a unique curriculum that has helped launch startups and businesses in more than 40 states and 15 countries, and over 1,500 tech careers worldwide. The Starter League was the original "coding bootcamp" and helped define the space - there are now close to 100 bootcamps around the globe.

About Fullstack Academy Fullstack Academy [fullstackacademy.com] is an award-winning, immersive coding school based in New York City. Backed by Y Combinator, co-founders David Yang and Nimit Maru leveraged their experience at Yahoo, Gilt Groupe, and Bloomspot (acquired by JP Morgan Chase in 2011) to create an elite program centered on fullstack JavaScript and emerging technologies. Fullstack Academy graduates enjoy excellent outcomes, with alumni working at startups as well as technology leaders, including Google, Dropbox, and Venmo. In January 2016, Fullstack Academy launched Grace Hopper Academy [gracehopper.com], the first all-women coding bootcamp in New York City, and the first in the country to offer a deferred tuition model.

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CHAIRMAN HOWARD TULLMAN TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE STARTER LEAGUE NEW PROGRAM

Starter League, Chicago's academy for aspiring coders and techies, is stepping up its game.

Beginning in September, it will offer a nine-month program that incorporates entrepreneurship and software product design into the web development and design skills now taught in its three-month program.The broader program is aimed at giving someone the tools to launch their own tech company. (Its three-month program teaches the basic technical skills, either web design or development.)

Founders Neal Sales-Griffin and Mike McGee have enlisted a roster of some of the city's best-known entrepreneurs and technologists to help teach including Jason Fried, founder of 37 Signals, who invested in Starter League last fall. Among others: Jim Dugan, CEO of venture firm OCA Ventures; Troy Henikoff, managing director of TechStars Chicago; Everyblock founder Adrian Holovaty; Harper Reed, former chief technology officer for Obama for America and Threadless; John Tolva, the city's chief technology officer; and Howard Tullman, founder of Tribeca Flashpoint Academy.

Their expertise won't come cheap. The nine-month program lists at $36,000, though the first class will get $3,000 discount. That's a leap from Starter League's basic technology classes, which costs full-time students $8,000 and part-timers at night classes $2,000.

“The nine-month version was the original idea for the program: We wanted to cover business design and programming together,” says Neal Sales-Griffin, who launched Starter League two years ago as Code Academy with fellow Northwestern University alum Mike McGee. “We knew starting out that we wouldn't have the experience or credibility to do a nine-month program, so we launched a three-month program instead.”

The idea took off quickly, with a mix of newbies who just wanted to learn how to code and some people who wanted to start companies. It's currently offering a half-dozen classes with about 26 students each per quarter in classrooms at 1871. Mr. Sales-Griffin says he's hoping to sign up two classes of 26 students each for the full-time, nine-month program.

The new classes bring Starter League into a new arena, potentially competing with for-profit education companies such as ITT Technical Institute and DeVry University but with a much higher price tag of $36,000.

“Most other career schools are closer to $15,000 per year,” says Corey Greendale, an analyst at Chicago-based First Analysis Securities Corp. “The value depends on the outcome. If it gets you all the skills you need in nine months, rather than two or four years, then it could be a bargain.”

Mr. Sales-Griffin says Starter League likely will have to offer loans and financial aid in the future, probably through a partnership with an outside provider.

The company also will look for additional space outside the classrooms it has at 1871.

StarterLeague also teaches courses at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago's master's in computer science program. Next month it will begin training City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools so they can teach web design and development to their students. Mr. Sales-Griffin says it's also building training software which it will start selling to others the next year or so.

CONGRATS TO TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY GRADUATE JOSH HERNANDEZ - CEO OF WALK.BY - ON APPOINTMENT BY MAYOR EMANUEL

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday announced the formation of a Technology Industry Diversity Council to focus on creating more opportunities for minorities in the tech sector.

The council will be asked to find ways to increase the percentage of minority employees at tech firms, to increase the number of minority-owned and operated tech firms and to help Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago prepare students for tech jobs.

The council will have four months to come up with a first set of recommendations.

The members of the council are Josh Hernandez, of Walk.by; Eddie Lou, of Shiftgig; David Zapata, of Zapwater Communications; Roger Martinez, of Quantum Crossings; Ian Hood, of CGN Blackwell Global Consulting; Neal Sales-Griffin, of Starter League; Emile Cambry, of Cibola; Talia Mashiach, of Eved; Darrell Higueros, of Next Generation; Seyi Fabode, of Power2Switch; Nancy Joseph-Ridge, of Takeda; and Daniel Salcedo, of Mobcart.

OUR CONGRATS AND BEST OF LUCK TO THE ENTIRE GROUP....

BUILT IN CHICAGO - TOP 12 POSTS OF 2012

 

Blogs

The Top 12 Posts of 2012

posted by Adam Calica

 

 

	Hire Passionate People and Get Out of Their Way By: Howard Tullman
	Pitching at Excelerate’s Demo Day By: Guillaume Martin
	1871 - Let's Build Something By: Matt Moog
	Code Academy Evolves into The Starter League and Partners with 37signals By: Amina Elahi
	The Top 100 Digital Companies in Chicago [INFOGRAPHIC] By: Maria Katris
	Why Would Anyone Abandon the White Hot Subscription-Based Business Model? By: Sharon Schneider
	3 (correct) Predictions Saved By the Bell Made About the 2012 Startup Scene By: JC Garret
	Top 10 Tactics To Marketing Your Product Launch With $0 By: David Albert
	Videos of The Moxie Award Winners! via NBC 5
	Why I Sold My Startup Instead Of Taking VC Money By: Ross Gordon
	How to Do Everything Wrong & Win Startup Weekend By: Jennifer Thomas
	The Women Driving Chicago's Digital Renaissance By: Amina Elahi

Top 5 Takeaways from the CEC’s Startup Forecast 2013

 

Adam Lupu, December 12, 2012

  

Last week, I attended the 2013 Startup Forecast. Hosted by the CEC, this was a great opportunity to connect with the Chicago entrepreneurial community, hear from local luminaries, and do a little predictive analytics on what the next 12 months has to offer aspiring business builders. As I described in last week’s post, I took notes, reflected on what I heard, and distilled my learnings down to the perspectives I need to apply and the actions I’m going to take. Now it’s time to tell others what takeaways I will be using while continuing to build my company. So here are the top five takeaways that will help guide our efforts, and hopefully, our success.

Takeaway #1

Perspective: Every business is now a service business.

Howard Tullman offered this perspective during his humorous and fast-paced talk about the trends he’s noticed amongst tech startups. He offered several others (the fast will eat the slow, the social graph is giving way to the interest graph, there’s a website that will tell you when to pee in the middle of a movie, etc.). But this one stood out. For the last two decades, startups have been trying to come up with a product that will solve a problem and make the founders rich. And some have. However, the most successful products are part of a larger service. Google gives us a search product, but makes its money on the adwords service; Apple gives us iThings and MacStuff, but profits most on its App Store, iTunes, and telecom services. Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook, and many more survive and thrive based on their service ratings (or the “service” ratings of their users). And companies like Groupon and Zynga struggle based on mostly anecdotal evidence of poor service, even as their products get consumed like crazy. So what’s a startup to do? I’m going to do the following…

Action: Start with a service solution to a problem and make the product promote the service rather than the other way around.

Takeaway #2

Perspective: Real change requires an alchemy of skills.
A shout out to my colleague Neal Sales-Griffin, Co-Founder of Starter League, who made everyone powerfully aware of this perspective. He told a great story about how he realized his business skills alone were quickly becoming “irrelevant” and that he needed to augment them with a strong technical education. Building a company around silos of skills, where teams are divided by departments, doesn’t help startups one bit. In fact, the very reason I like working with education-inspired companies like The Starter League and Mobile Makers Academy is because they embrace this concept of skill-based cross-pollination. So I’m going to take a page out of Neal’s book and the network science I learned in school.

Action: Create teams with a diversity of skills (marketing, sales, design, development, etc.), rather than departments where these skills remain isolated.

Takeaway #3

Perspective: Bureaucracy destroys value, but a virtuous relationship with legacy businesses will add significant value to all involved.

This was perhaps the most surprising perspective I heard at the event. Delivered powerfully and eloquently by Glenn Tilton of JP Morgan Chase, this perspective requires an understanding that not all disruption is good disruption. It’s often better to work with existing businesses rather than tell them you’re coming after their lunch money. Revolutions may be exciting, but they are never sustainable. If we want lasting change, Glenn proposed we spur existing businesses to open their minds to startups and prompt startups to work on sustainable solutions that offer a convergence with existing businesses. He suggested that we ask a simple question: how can we promote the combining of brainpower between the businesses that already exist and those that have yet to arise?

Action: Cooperate with and learn from existing businesses, don’t just compete with them. Strive for evolution, not just revolution.

Takeaway #4

Perspective: Big Data’s big day is still on the horizon.

As college kids, aspiring job changers, and current software craftsman race to fill the design and development needs of today’s companies, Brett Goldstein, the Chief Data Officer of Chicago, reminds us that data is the next “big D” job market waiting for talent. Having explored machine learning, social network analysis, education research, and many other forms of data-intensive study, I totally agree. Thanks to Brett, the availability of data in Chicago is at an all time high (see: data.cityofchicago.org), and the city is quickly becoming a center for business and academic research. But just collecting data is not enough; analysis comes next, and we are only beginning to understand the nuances and skillets needed as the field itself grows faster than the bytes it collects.

Action: Know data, know data analysis, and most importantly, know data pros. 

Takeaway #5

Perspective: Tough times mean good things for rational decision makers.

Not all thoughts about the startup future in Chicago were rosy. Lon Chow (of APEX Ventures) pointed out that while the money coming out of venture capital in Illinois is growing quickly, the money going into Venture capital is actually decreasing. This means we will see companies get funded in the near term, but unless things change, we’ll see far more demand on venture money then there will be supply as the year progresses. What this means for Chicago is that the venture marketplace will evolve. We’ll continue to see successful Chicago exits, and we’ll continue to see capital find good companies with savvy founders. But the quality of businesses will go up as they compete for scarcer resources. Lon’s betting his money on this evolving ecosystem. I’m going to bet my brains, skills, and talent.

Action: Buck trendiness, avoid “sexy” sectors, and focus on smart business.


Five Takeaways, five new perspectives, and five concrete actions – and that was just the first 90 minutes of the event. Thanks to the @chicagolandec for putting this on. Now it’s up to you and me to make the most of 2013.

* Adam’s column, Mission Control, is about launching a startup and tracking its rise. From overcoming setbacks to ultimately (fingers crossed) fulfilling his mission, Adam Lupu offers his inner thoughts and outer workings while building a company. Read more of Adam’s “Mission Control” column here. *

 

About the author

 

Adam Lupu

 

Adam Lupu is a Learning Architect designing and building new structures in education and technology. While starting his own EdTech company, Adam continues to work with Mobile Makers, The Starter League, and Global Playground. A ten year vet of teaching and learning, Adam has a Masters in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and can be found blogging at AdamLupu.com, tweeting @HowWeLearn, or proudly shouting "Maybe next year!" outside Wrigley Field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD TULLMAN JOINS IVCA PANEL ON DISRUPTIVE EDUCATION MODELS

                        Association News

IVCA Preview: Lon Chow, Partner at Apex Venture, to moderate IVCA Luncheon 'How Entrepreneurs are Addressing Gaps in Education'

November 7, 2012 11:59 PM -

CHICAGO – November 13th, 2012, is the date for the next IVCA Luncheon, with the timely topic of “How Entrepreneurs are Addressing Gaps in Education”.   Lon Chow, General Partner at Apex Venture Partners, will moderate the panel of entrepreneurs who have approached both primary and secondary education with a different and unique approach – Neal Sales-Griffith of The Starter League, Howard Tullman of Flashpoint Academy and Shegan Campbell of Kids Science Labs.

The IVCA spoke with Lon Chow last week, to get a preview of the Luncheon, and to discuss the issues surrounding this creative education movement.

IVCA: What was the origin of this subject for an IVCA luncheon? Why do you think it's a vital issue to talk about today?

Lon Chow: This subject originated from both professional and personal perspectives. On the professional side, I see a lot of entrepreneurs doing very interesting things in the education space. Some of the more interesting ventures are around the topic of this luncheon - how entrepreneurs are disrupting the education industry from the ‘outside-in,’ versus improving education from the ‘inside-out,’ such as selling technologies and services to school districts and universities to improve existing processes.

On the personal side, I am interested in what makes a successful young entrepreneur. I believe the professional careers of my children’s generation will be more entrepreneurial in nature than prior generations. When I look at all the talented young entrepreneurs I have met in my career, I see a group with very diverse background and educational paths. It started me thinking about  ‘what is the purpose of education?’ in the context of what it means for my children’s future.

IVCA: How did that context lead you to a different perspective on education?

Chow: I see a blurring of line between ‘higher education’ and ‘vocational training.’  I have a daughter who is a high school freshman.  The pressure of the college process will start soon enough for her, and the process will not be pleasant.  I think there’s too much misguided emphasis placed on getting into the ‘right schools’ versus what is the right education or professional training for a teenager or young adult. I don’t think I have the answers figured out, but examining this topic has led me to be more ‘open-minded’ about what the purpose of an education should be for high school and college students.

IVCA: Who will be on the panel, what are their backgrounds and what expertise will they bring to the discussion?

Chow: We have Neal Sales-Griffin, co-founder of Starter League [previously Code Academy].  It’s a for-profit school that teaches non-technical people software programming. Software drives a huge part of the global economy. People are studying programming for different reasons, some are looking to make a career change, others believe understanding how software works will help them be more effective at their jobs, and there are also people who want to start their own business and create the product themselves.

Next is Howard Tullman, a serial entrepreneur who is behind Flashpoint Academy and Kendall College. He fills a void in the trade-professional education.  The purpose and definition of ‘trade school’ has evolved over the past decades. Today, people go to a college level school to specifically study to be a chef, filmmaker or video game developer.  These ‘trades and vocations’ are highly creative, and require specialized training and education, which Howard is providing.

The final panelist is Shegan Campbell, who was frustrated with the quality and quantity of science education for kids, especially before they get to middle school. So he co-founded a business called Kids Science Labs, a location-based business where kids up to 12-years-old can take classes on science in a more accessible and non-academic way. This is to cultivate a kid’s interest in science and how the world works.

IVCA: What do these three different types of approaches to education have in common?

Chow: All three models are looking at the ‘opportunities of education’ not from a political or ideological perspective, they simply saw a problem or opportunity and solved it from the viewpoint of an entrepreneur.

IVCA: The topic of the luncheon is how these entrepreneurs are addressing the gaps in U.S. education. To look at the situation without a gray area, what are the main gaps that can be identified and what is the quickest fix to address those gaps now?

Chow: When you break education down into dimensions of quality, availability/accessibility, cost and relevance, the entrepreneurs I mentioned above are addressing the deficiencies in one or more of these dimensions.  For example, Howard and Neal are filling gaps in relevance, accessibility and quality, and potentially costs – in terms of ROI and value. Shegan’s business focuses on quality, accessibility and relevance.

IVCA: Is there discussion in the entrepreneurial circles about the future of American workers, given what is not working in education presently?

Chow: Let’s put this question in the context of Chicago.  Many people – myself included – believe Chicago is emerging as a digital technology hub for the middle part of the U.S..   For Chicago to achieve and maintain a leadership position in the digital economy, the quality of the local work force will be crucial. Many Chicago entrepreneurs are very involved in supporting and improving education through their businesses or through involvement with non-profit organizations that address issues in education.

IVCA: What do you want attendees to take away from the education topics you will discuss at the luncheon?

Chow: My hope is to not have a ‘how do we change the world?’ type discussion.  It’s just not practical.  I hope the attendees will walk away from the discussion with new ways of looking at education and how it can be improved at all levels from the ‘outside-in.’

To register for the November 13th IVCA Luncheon “How Entrepreneurs are Addressing Gaps in Education,” click here.

IVCA Members: Free
Non-Members: $35