LEADERSHIP
Zachary Sims (CEO) co-founded Codacademy when he was 20, having just dropped out of Columbia University to pursue this venture full time. Sims knew that there was a big skills gap between graduates and the job market. Universities were creating boot camp programs to train people how to code, but it wasn’t enough to meet the demand, and it wasn’t being offered fast enough. Such programs were also very expensive, which put underprivileged students at a disadvantage. One of the first things Sims did when he started this venture was hire people that he could learn from. He didn’t know much about anything when he started, so he prioritized educating himself.
Sims knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur ever since he was a little kid. He wanted to be his own boss and also knew that whatever he created, it would be related to the internet. At a very young age, he understood that to make something impact a lot of people, the internet would have to be involved in some way. His first entrepreneurial experience was when he was 13; he received an iPod as an gift and immediately thought about designing a case. He eventually made a waterproof iPod case. Before co-founding Codacademy, Sims worked for a few tech companies. He saw companies fail when they tried to build upon an idea instead of on customer feedback. He learned the importance of spending time with customers and trying to see everything from their perspective. To this end, he takes almost all of the courses that his website offers! It’s not surprising that this hardworking entrepreneur is on Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list. Some of Sim’s advice:
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Zachary Sims Co-founder & CEO of Codecademy Venture Partner at Bowery Capital Columbia University B.A., Political Science Larry Illg
Member of the Board Naspers Ventures |
Ryan Bubinski Co-founder of Codecademy Advisor at several start-ups Columbia University Biophysics and Computer Science Jeff Bussgang
Member of the Board Flybridge Capital Partners |