Technical talent is scarce. Startups, albeit a driver of economic growth, are being held back by the glaring deficit. Area entrepreneurs Evan Charles and Dan Pickett understood the dilemma all too well, and first promised a little over a year ago they could deliver a formal four-year computer science education in just 10 weeks.
Four cohorts of students later and Launch Academy is thriving here in the Hub. The Ruby on Rails developer bootcamp has connected more than 120 Boston-based companies with employees, and plans to facilitate more connections Tuesday, April 29, and Wednesday, April 30.
At the end of each program, Launch Academy hosts a Career Day, which gives students the chance to pitch to dozens of hiring partners — and vice versa. Companies in need of a developer are able to share their message with the room. Backupify, dunwello, Fiksu, HubSpot and AdHarmonics are among those expected to be presenting over the next two days.
Given how much the students have been able to accomplish in 10 weeks, any tech-enabled company should be in the room.
"We were extremely impressed by not only how quickly and thoroughly this cohort learned the material we taught, but also their raw curiosity and motivation," said Charles in an email to BostInno. "They produced some of the most advanced projects we could have imagined."
Launch Academy is focused on providing hands-on experience, tasking students with building and demoing "Breakable Toys," the individual Web apps each pitched upon admission to the program.
Over the last 10 weeks, a movie recommendation engine has surfaced, which required its builder to develop a complex database and algorithm, according to Charles, who warned, "Watch out, Netflix." Another project is a mood analyzer that studies users' social media streams similar to how marketing technology companies monitor how people talk about brands online.
"That these projects came from a 10-week course says a lot about the students," Charles added.
Although tuition for Launch Academy rings in at $12,500, the response has been "overwhelmingly positive" from both sides. Companies have been impressed by the talent coming out the program, and the program has been able to unleash "untapped human potential" through its "advanced teaching techniques."
After students graduate, Launch Academy offers up to six months of technical and career guidance. Alumni are also granted the opportunity to be mentored by the bootcamp's partner organizations, such as Girl Develop It, Boston RB and Railsbridge Boston.
Career Day will span from roughly 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Launch Academy's space at 33 Harrison Ave., and allow for ample networking opportunities. To better understand the value of the program, hear what hiring partner AdHarmonics has to say below.
