Monica Selby - 3/16 - Serious Startups

St. Louis-based PenPath Brings Data Directly to Writers

“When does an artist or a dancer ever perform with the curtain closed?” Alex Cruz asks.

Never!

So, why–he wants to know–are writers’ analytics and social sharing data controlled by the publications they write for? Or, if you’re a blogger, why is it so hard to keep track of things like Google Analytics?

Cruz and his team in St. Louis are solving that problem with PenPath.

PenPath is a comprehensive dashboard that tracks all the relevant data for a given piece of content, regardless of platform or medium. It works just as well for YouTube as it does for Medium.

Rather than needing passwords and code, writers can just paste the url of their article into PenPath and quickly see all their social shares, traffic, and other important data. The site tracks each article by the hour, but you can adjust the settings to see how your shares track over time. You can also see who is sharing the content and engage with them over social media.

Analytics, of course, is a big market, and everyone’s trying to figure out how to get more metrics. There’s already great tools out there like Google Analytics, Chartbeat, Muckrack, and more. PenPath is entering a crowded field, but they think they’re offering something unique that will be valuable to content creators.

And, as a former freelancer myself, I think they’re right. It’s possible to hack together all the different features PenPath offers, but it’s not easy. You have to span multiple platforms, websites, and spreadsheets. PenPath’s solution is simple, and it provides a way to watch the competition as well as yourself.

This week is a big week for the PenPath team. Yesterday they kicked off their crowdfunding campaign over at new software crowdfunding site Ramen. Only backers through Ramen will have first access to the platform, essentially creating a beta pool for the startup.

Cruz and team will also be exhibiting at the Collision Conference in Las Vegas this week, after having attended Everywhere Else Tennessee just last week. (And we thought we were busy!)

Check out PenPath over on their website, but if you want early access to the Platform, don’t forget to support them on Ramen.

Missed Everywhere Else Tennessee? Check Out Some Highlights

There’s nothing quite as exhausting as a conference. Adrenaline, people, music, advice…everything goes by in a blur and suddenly it’s over. It can kinda leave you wondering what exactly happened.

(Psst: it’s that way for the organizers, times a million.)

Everywhere Else Tennessee is in the books, and it was a great one. Nick and I want to thank all of our sponsors, speakers, startups, volunteers, and attendees. You all made it an awesome show, and the two of us were really just along for the ride.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, you missed an awesome conference. From the opening party through the closing happy hour, the speakers kept dishing great advice on starting up everywhere else.

Little tidbits like:

It turns out size doesn’t matter. (Who knew?!)

Joel Andren’s talk on startup PR had every reporter nodding along. We want to talk to founders, y’all!

Jim McKelvey lied to the audience (repeatedly), and Paul Singh suggested we stop calling ourselves “startups.” And while we’re at it, we’ve got to figure out how to communicate our worth to people, because for every tech job created come 4.6 jobs in other industries. That’s powerful job growth.

Techstars Patriot Boot Camp hosted a panel consisting of 4 veterans, all who founded companies after they came home.

“Veterans are generally overeducated and underemployed,” Taylor McLemore, founder of the Patriot Boot Camp, told the crowd.

Nicole Glaros popped onstage with a beer, after a long flight in from Boulder.

“It’s 5:00 somewhere, right,” she quipped to the crowd.

Glaros then spent 40 minutes giving 12 practical tips on starting up.

A common theme throughout the show was handling failure. We all have failures big and small that are paving our way to success, and the #EETN speakers were no different. But, turning your failure into your strategy can help you push through anyway.

Nait Jones and Chris Lyons finished things off with a great fireside chat on the realities of starting up and the trends they’re both seeing in startup world.

Throughout the conference, our 10 startups in the Startup Avenue competed for votes from the attendees. The top 3 presented onstage to the crowd and a panel of 3 judges.

Wannado, Wedding Worthy, and Overdog all pitched their startups, giving impressive stats, plans, and growth.

In the end, Nashville-based Overdog walked away as the Heavyweight Champion of Everywhere Else.

Oh, but there was so much more! You can catch some of the talks over on Ustream, and Ryan Hoover has an awesome podcast with fellow speakers Josh Miller and Ben Yoskovitz you should definitely check out.

Join Us for The Everywhere Else Tennessee Opening Party!

Silky O'Sullivan's

We’re Beale Street Bar Hoppin’ tonight, starting at Silky O’Sullivan’s at 8PM. Then we’re hitting a few more Beale Street hot spots before the night’s over. Find out more here.

The Bar Hop is open to the public, no badge required. But, if you still want to join us for the whole conference, we’ve released just a few more tickets. Register now and don’t miss out on our awesome lineup of speakers and 2 more killer parties.

Check out the 3 awesome parties happening at Everywhere Else TN

The Everywhere Else conference series is about inspiration, education, and connection. We especially love getting you connected with each other and with our speakers.

And, with that in mind, we’ve got some awesome parties planned next week.

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Beale Street Pub Crawl with Centresource & Grasshopper–April 30th, 8 PM

A trip to Memphis wouldn’t be complete without spending some time on the historic Beale Street. And great news! You don’t have to have a badge to attend the bar hop.

We’re starting the party at Silky O’Sullivan’s. Join us on the patio for drinks and soak up the Memphis atmosphere. Later, we’ll take over the top floor of Club 152 for a glos stick-lit dance party.

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Dance Party at the Rumba Room, presented by Baker Donelson

The Grizzlies will be battling it out in the playoffs, and royalty will be heading into town, but the best party in town will always be Everywhere Else TN.

Thursday night we’re heading to the Rumba Room on South Main Street. The party is closed to the public, but conference badge holders will dance the night away with an awesome DJ and Baker Donelson.

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Last Call Happy Hour

Nothing closes out a conference like a happy hour.

After the conference, badge holders can mingle at 409 South Main. We’ll provide wine and local craft beer, and you’ll provide the great conversations and connections.

Bonus: Beale Street Music Festival

Everywhere Else TN may wind down, but the annual Beale Street Music Festival will just be kicking off Friday night. Join conference organizers and speakers as we unwind and check out some awesome bands. You can find more details and get tickets here.

Don’t miss out on these great parties and all the other great things happening at Everywhere Else TN. Grab a ticket before they’re gone.

Dallas-Based VentureSpur Launches Spinoff Accelerator in Oklahoma

Earlier this week Dallas-based VentureSpur accelerator annouced LaunchOklahoma, as a dedicated Oklahoma accelerator. VentureSpur accelerator has launched 11 high-tech startups in the last two years, all of which are continuing to grow and 4 of which have raised more than $1.7M on multi-million dollar valuations.

LaunchOklahoma retains VentureSpur’s Managing Director, Kraettli L. Epperson, who is joined by prior VentureSpur board members Gabe Bass and Mike Whitaker on the LaunchOklahoma board of directors.

The VentureSpur accelerator will continue in Dallas as VentureSpur Texas, and will be operated by VC fund Trailblazer Capital, with a focus on mobility and technology for restaurants, retail and hospitality.

Dallas is a major hub for national restaurant, retail and hospitality headquarters and more than half of Trailblazer Capital’s portfolio is in these areas, creating great opportunity for an industry-focused accelerator. As a spinoff, LaunchOklahoma will be focused on recruiting tech startups in Oklahoma.

“In a very short period of time and on a very lean budget, we have been able to create a national profile and to launch multiple thriving startups that are attracting clients, hiring staff and raising money,” said Epperson, “We will be carrying that effort forward, with a distinctly Oklahoma flavor.”

LaunchOklahoma is currently reviewing all startup applications not related to VentureSpur Texas’ focus area and will be making program admissions on the announced 2014 schedule. The program will include a Pitch Day in October, at which participating startups will have an opportunity to pitch their company to potential investors and clients. The accelerator is targeting 3 to 4 companies for 2014, in line with prior years’ programs in Oklahoma.

“Our mentors, sponsors and investor network are happy to see a new effort dedicated to Oklahoma. There is a smaller local capital market in Oklahoma, but we have great entrepreneurs and startups. A lot of our focus will be on supporting the innovators here with outreach to our national capital networks while also developing crowdfunding strategies. Startup investment is rapidly democratizing and crowdfunding is quickly becoming the most accessible source of early-stage seed funding. Our acceleration strategy will be geared towards those new opportunities,” said Epperson.

LaunchOklahoma Board Member Gabe Bass, managing partner of Bass Law and president of the Entrepreneur’s Organization of Oklahoma, said, “Successful tech startups, especially ones that raise significant early stage capital, rarely emerge from a vacuum. They require an ecosystem of experienced entrepreneurs, advisors, and capital sources willing to engage and mentor them. This was the reason that VentureSpur was launched, to help create that ecosystem in Oklahoma. LaunchOklahoma will build on that effort and momentum.”

LaunchOklahoma will also serve as a testing ground for new technologies including a mobile app dedicated to managing the intensive coordination, networking, scheduling and especially the accountability required for acceleration success.

The accelerator also plans a future presence in other cities in the state.

LaunchOklahoma Board Member Mike Whitaker, a successful Oklahoma entrepreneur and investor, said, “We’re very interested in working more closely with the great startup efforts in Tulsa, Norman and Stillwater. The development of a robust entrepreneurial community must be a state-wide effort. Bringing Oklahoma startups investment capital from outside Oklahoma is what puts us on the entrepreneurial map.”

For more information visit www.LaunchOklahoma.com or follow www.Twitter.com/LaunchOklahoma on Twitter.

Nebraska Accelerator NMotion Announces 7 Startups Chosen for Summer 2014 Cohort

NMotion announced the seven startups accepted into the 2014 Summer program last week.

Four of the teams are from Lincoln, where the accelerator is based. The other 3 will be moving to Lincoln to participate in the program.

“We’re excited about working with this group of strong and diverse founders. Applications were up 80% from the previous year and included applications from all over the world, so it was tough making the final cut.” said Brian Ardinger, managing director of NMotion.

Because of Lincoln’s growing list of sports-related startups and mentors, including Hudl, opendorse, Lockr, EliteForm, Hail Varsity, Bulu Box, Powderhook and others, NMotion actively targeted sports-focused startups to bring into the program.

“We think density is important in a growing startup community since it allows for greater collaboration and connections. At NMotion we wanted to actively look for ways to capitalize on our community’s strengths and build on them,” Ardinger said.

Co-founder of Turnstile Cards, Zach Sanderson, “We’re excited to come from one supportive Silicon Prairie community (Iowa City/Cedar Rapids) to another, especially one with a sports startup legacy.”

NMotion’s 2014 cohort also includes startups in agriculture, music, and digital marketing.

Like other accelerators, NMotion startups receive seed capital, coworking space, and access to a pool of resources including over 100 mentors, training, and developer and designer talent. This year’s program starts on June 2, and each startup will use the 100 days of the program to work with teams and mentors to test and validate the market, build and prototype their solutions, and prepare for a demo day showcase to be held on September 9th at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln.

Companies also receive $15,000 of seed capital in exchange for a six percent equity stake. This funding was provided by Invest Nebraska Corporation along with members of the Nebraska Angels organization and individual accredited investors. Program sponsors include the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, Union Bank and Trust, NUtech Ventures, Nebraska Innovation Campus, and the University of Nebraska along with many other companies and organizations.

NMotion’s 2014 Summer cohort includes:

Adolade – Location-based mobile rewards platform: Ryan Cooper, founder of Golf Status, is creating a location-based rewards company that helps app and device makers monetize their users’ moments of achievement, loyalty, and influence.

Athletepreneur – Online network & marketplace for athletes: Co-founder Mike Fingado is coming from Seattle and his co-founder Brian Dzingai, who is a former Olympian from Zimbabwe, will be coming from Chicago. They are building a professional network and lifestyle brand for collegiate and professional athletes.

Commissioner.io – Sports league management platform: Kunwar Gill and Richard Bansal are coming from Toronto, Canada and are working on a sports league management platform for recreational leagues and their players.

DigiWidgets – Plug-in graphic editing engine for websites: Fresh from their win at the JumpStart Challenge, Lincoln entrepreneurs Stacy Carlson (Gotta Pixel) and Carl Steffen (Stone Fin Development) formed DigiWidgets as a plug-in graphic editing engine for websites that empowers users to create, manipulate and sell digital media.

MusicSpoke – Music publishing platform & marketplace for composers: The Lincoln startup MusicSpoke founded by Jennifer Rosenblatt and Kurt Knecht is a cloud-based platform where composers, conductors, and performers can connect and share new sheet music and performances.

PixoBot – Software platform for robotics in agriculture: Vishal Singh heads up Pixobot, a software platform utilizing drones and data to improve agricultural efficiency.

Turnstile Cards – Mobile fan loyalty platform: Zach Sanderson and Jason Kristufek represent Turnstile Cards. Turnstile Cards won a recent Startup Weekend competition and are coming to NMotion from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Turnstile Cards is recreating the nostalgia of the baseball card in a mobile marketing platform for sports teams to connect with fans outside the stadium

Startup Grind Memphis Features Local Entrepreneurial Hero

Taylorpic Next week Startup Grind Memphis will host Taylor Berger for their monthly meetup. It will be held at the newly opened Cowork Memphis space on Tuesday, May 15. This is the 4th edition of Startup Grind Memphis.

If you’ve ever spent time in Memphis, you’ve probably encountered Taylor Berger. You may not have met him personally, but the businesses he’s started span across the city and have been a part of changing the dining landscape.

In 2010 Berger opened Yolo, Memphis’s first self-serve frozen yogurt store. (The Yolo stands for “yogurt local,” not “you only live once.”) Yolo became an instant hit in town, expanding into gelato and baked goods as well as opening stores around the city.

In 2013 he expanded into full restaurants with Chiwawa, a taco and hot dog place with the best patio and margaritas in Memphis. Later that year, Tamp and Tap–a coffee/craft beer bar–opened up downtown.

Along with the restaurants Berger has already been a part of, he is actively developing more new concepts to open in the coming years.

If you’re in the area, Berger’s talk is a must attend. He may “scale” a business the way we in tech think about it, but he’s no stranger to the hard work of entrepreneurship and community revitalization.

And, 3+ restaurants in as many years sounds like “scaling” to me.

Grab your tickets for Startup Grind Memphis here.

Plated’s Josh Hix Talks About the Shark Tank Effect

plated

When Josh Hix answered my call yesterday, it was easy to feel the fatigue through the phone.

“How are you,” I asked, smiling because I already knew the answer.

“Um,” he answered with a little laugh. “Tired.”

Entrepreneurs around the world know that feeling. It’s that crazy, intense, things-are-going-great-but-oh-my-god kind of fatigue. Plated’s Hix and his cofounder Nick Taranto know that feeling after their episode of Shark Tank aired. The segment ended with Mark Cuban offering the pair $500,000 in exchange for almsot 6% plus advisor shares.

After their episode of Shark Tank aired on Friday night, Hix and Taranto watched the traffic soar. According to Josh, they saw several months worth of traffic come in over the weekend. They also have several thousands of emails unanswered. (So, be patient with them, if you’ve emailed!)

As if the insane growth wasn’t enough, Taranto and his wife are also expecting their first child. They had a baby shower on Saturday, of all days!

Plated already covers about 80% of the country, an impressive feat considering it’s been less than a year since they graduated from Techstars NY. In the couple of days since the show aired, they sold out inventory around the country. Every market saw off the charts growth in both traffic to the site and sales.

The two cofounders filmed the Shark Tank episode in July of 2013, just a month after graduating from Techstars NY. Even before this weekend, they were already experiencing crazy growth.

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“Our metrics are already 10x what they were on the show,” Hix told me.

And, the growth continues.

The Shark Tank effect has been discussed in various places. Earlier this year, Cycloramic saw 100,000 downloads in the hour after the episode aired.

It’s not just companies that get funded, though. Eyebloc, the protective cover for your webcam, saw a huge bump in sales and funding on his Indiegogo campaign.

Before the episode aired, Hix, Taranto, and the team were gearing up for bump in traffic.

“You know it’s going to be big,” he said. “You just don’t realize how big until it actually happens.”

Apply to Southland & You Could Win a $100,000 Investment

Registration is now open to apply for Southland 2014 and the chance to win $100,000 investment. 10 teams will be selected to pitch to a rock star panel of judges that includes: Kirsten Green (Forerunner Ventures), Josh Kopelman (First Round Capital), Shervin Pishevar (Sherpa Capital) just to name a few.

We talked about the new version of Southland last October, when PandoDaily’s Sarah Lacy announced that Pando would be a co-producer of the event. At that time, Lacy told me excitedly about wanting to showcase startups that were unique and special in the South.

“There are some companies that can only be built in the South,” she said.

In addition to the 10 companies chosen to pitch, up to 50 will also present in the Southland Village. A team of judges picked by PandoDaily will judge the applications and make the selections

Startups applying to Southland must be currently raising money and can not have raised more than $1.5 million.

After the Pitch Competition on June 10th, the winner will be offered a $100,000 investment opportunity. The catch is that on June 11, they will have to negotiate the terms of that investment, live on stage in front of the audience.

Now, much like Shark Tank, the terms will be subject to follow up and due diligence, but the pressure will be on to negotiate will in front of the crowd.

You can apply to the Southland Pitch Competition here.

In the mean time, there are another 10 startups vying for your vote and a chance to pitch at the Everywhere Else Tennessee Startup Avenue. Go check them out and vote for your favorite!

Wanted: A Few Good Volunteers for Everywhere Else Tennessee

Have you been watching all the coverage of the upcoming Everywhere Else Tennessee?

Then you’ve probably seen all the killer speakers, started hearing buzz about the parties, and–of course–gotten excited about the BBQ. Memphis is a special place, and Everywhere Else Tennessee is set to be a one-of-a-kind event.

I’d love for you to be a part of it!

The Everywhere Else team needs help with registration, taking care of our startups, setting up, breaking down, and so much more!

As a volunteer, you’ll get an all-access pass to the premier national conference focused entirely on startups outside Silicon Valley. You’ll also have entry to all 3 parties and plenty of time to do some networking of your own.

Wanna help? There are only 10 spots left, so don’t wait to let me know!

Give me a shout at monica@nibletz.com.

Everywhere Else TN Startup Avenue–Who’s Your Favorite?

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Polling closed. Thanks so much for all your support! We’ll announce the Everywhere Else Fan Favorite soon!

There are some great companies populating the Startup Avenue this year. They’re coming from all over the country, from awesome startup cities like Boulder and Dallas and Charlotte. (And across Tennessee, of course!)

They also span all kinds of industries, healthcare to publishing to video games.

During Everywhere Else Tennessee, these 10 startups will show off their products to attendees and investors. They will be competing for a chance to pitch onstage in front founders and investors–as well as an angel & VC-stocked judging panel. The winner will be crowned the Heavyweight Champion of Everywhere Else.

But first…

They’re competing to win YOUR vote.

Check out the companies below, then let us know your favorite. The winner of the Fan Favorite Poll will get one of the spots in the live pitch contest.

So, let us know, who’s your favorite?

Bourbon and Boots–We are a great, new resource for finding stylish and unique handmade gifts to make you just a little bit cooler than all your friends. You won’t find any commercialized, big box store products on our site — we only offer the best, high-quality “small batch” creations from small business owners and artisans.
Brandfolder–Brandfolder is your convenient source to visually organize, quickly find and easily share all your final brand assets.
Cariloop–Cariloop helps people answer the questions they didn’t know to ask and connects them with the best senior care and service providers for their loved ones.
Kindful–Kindful’s simplistic yet powerful nature isn’t typical. Kindful has taken the pressure off of the nonprofit and allowed that effort to flow through to their relationships. We’ve made donor management fun again, and we have created the tools that allow you to engage your donors and further your cause.
MentorMe–MentorMe has taken the process of online dating and applied it to mentoring. We’re the only available technology solution that not only helps mentoring programs better manage day-to-day operations, but also helps them to better engage mentors and mentees.
OverDog–OverDog is a mobile app that enables athletes to challenge their fans to play video games on Xbox and Playstation. Launched in August 2013, OverDog has signed on hundreds of athletes across all of the major sports – football, baseball, soccer, even a few Olympians! – and has helped forge thousands of dream connections between its roster of athletes and OverDog fans. Looking ahead in 2014, the company is excited to launch the next version of its app with an expanded vision that connects gamers of all profiles and personas based on their shared passion for sports.
Screwpulp–Screwpulp is an eBook market that helps you discover new books you’ll love according to your tastes. Our mission is to make it easy for authors and readers to find each other in meaningful way. We promote a community of sharing and honest feedback between readers and authors.
The SoGood–The SoGood helps you discover the best local businesses through recommendations from friends and SoGood tastemakers. We’ve found that word-of-mouth recommendations drive local discovery, but access to these trusted recommendations is fairly limited. Our new iPhone app allows you to easily see which fitness studio a friend loves or which floral designer a top event planner recommends.
Wannado–From concerts to causes to cultural events, every day is packed with opportunities. Wannado® lets you find the events you want, and tune out the ones you don’t.
WeddingWorthy—WeddingWorthy.com is a group shopping platform that lets brides and their bridesmaids shop together from anywhere. We’ve partnered with top wedding photographers to create a curated catalog of beautiful wedding photos that are merchandised with products from top wedding designers. On WeddingWorthy.com, brides can finally tap into wedding inspiration that is shoppable. No more endless searches through dead-end photo sites.

Everywhere Else Tennessee Speaker Josh Hix Debuts on Shark Tank Tonight

Everywhere Else Tennessee is coming up fast! 26 days and counting…

We already have an awesome speaker line up, and after tonight, we can add “TV star” to the list.

Speaker Josh Hix and his cofounder Nick Taranto will pitch their company Plated on ABC’s Shark Tank tonight at 9 PM EST. Go ahead and get ready for all the “will they bite?” comments.

Plated is a gourmet food delivery startup that graduated from Techstars New York last year. The company delivers fresh ingredients for chef-designed meals right to your door. They cover 80% of the US, sourcing local ingredients in each city. You can sign up for a subscription and get a slight discount on each meal shipped, or you can order whenever you want to.

And the meals are truly gourmet, too. Currently, in Nashville, you can order Lemongrass Pork with Vermicelli Noodles, Coffee-Rubbed Steak With Roasted Pepper Panzanella, or Poached Salmon with Red Quinoa, Kale, and Dill Yogurt Sauce.

The ingredients come ready to cook, with spices already measured out and everything.

In January, Plated announced a $5 million Series A led by ffVentures.

So, will the sharks “bite”? (See what I did there?)

With the graduation from Techstars and the recent series A, Plated is obviously a company to watch. Hix and Taranto are Harvard MBA graduates, and with such rapid expansion, they’re doing something right.

But, Shark Tank investors rarely go for typical startups. The sharks seem more interested in what we would consider “lifestyle” businesses. Of course, the show was filmed last year, before the Series A was announced. Plated could’ve looked like a different company at that point.

Regardless of how they walk away from the shark tank, Plated will almost certainly get the same boost in traffic other Shark Tank companies see during their episode.

And, hey, they raised $5 million.

After you watch Josh on TV, make sure you see him speak at Everywhere Else Tennessee, where he’ll talk about the number one thing every entrepreneur must have.

Shark Tank Shark Barbara Corcoran Brings Her Expertise to Skillshare

Yesterday Shark Tank‘s Barbara Corcoran launched a new class on Skillshare called Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship: Pitching Your Business and Yourself. The 8 session class walks students through the basics of entrepreneurship, including a discussion of what makes an entrepreneur great.

The class costs $19, and once you’ve purchased it, you have access to the materials forever.

“Throughout my many years of running businesses, I have been fortunate to experience success both as an entrepreneur and investor. I’ve learned that some people are well suited to be entrepreneurs, and others aren’t. Unfortunately, in most cases, it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to find out which side of that coin you fall,” Corcoran writes on the course’s landing page.

The class is billed for aspiring entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs who have gotten started and aren’t sure what to do next.

“I created this class on Skillshare to help you determine your worth as an entrepreneur and to help you position your business and concept for success.,” the website continues.

In addition to the materials and discussions, students also complete a final project, a 1 minute pitch video. They submit the video online and receive feedback and votes from other students working through the material. Of the top 20 most upvoted pitches submitted before May 14, Corcoran and her team will pick their favorite.

That entrepreneur will receive a 30 minute mentoring session with Corcoran, as well as her support through social media.

Not too shabby for $19.

Corcoran is, of course, a well-known entrepreneur and investor. Through Shark Tank, she’s invested in 22 companies, including Wild Squirrel Nut Butter.

Recently, Skillshare announced a subscription model for its online learning platform. Students can pay $10/month for access to hundreds of courses. Classes include fields like design, technology, and business. They all incorporate a project at the end, and many involve a prize from the teacher Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship.

Corcoran’s class doesn’t fall under that umbrella, but members do receive a 20% discount. You can enroll here.

Durham–And The Research Triangle–Open The Next Code School

This June The Iron Yard Academy powered by Smashing Boxes will host its first class in Durham, NC. The Iron Yard Academy is already a proven code school with locations across the southeast. Smashing Boxes is a local development shop in Durham.

The school will be the first in Durham and only the second in the Research Triangle.

The partnership is special because it combines the coding school experience of The Iron Yard with Smashing Boxes’ understanding of the local tech scene. That combination could propel ecosystems like the Research Triangle into a whole new sphere.

“The need for technical talent is even more concentrated in high-tech regions such as the Triangle. We’re hoping the school will solidify Durham as a training ground for skilled programmers and continue to attract high-growth businesses,” Smashing Boxes CEO Nick Jordan said. “Creating opportunity in the market for up-and-coming technologists is an essential part of continuing to build our thriving economy.

The Iron Yard Academy is an immersive program–12 weeks of teaching, mentoring, collaboration, and real development work. Regular lab time allows students to leave the academy with a portfolio of projects to shop around to potential employers.

The Iron Yard Academy even guarantees graduates a job–or their money back.

“The Academy is unique among code schools. Students will rub shoulders with real businesses and programming teams from day one,” said Eric Dodds of The Iron Yard.

Find out more at The Iron Yard’s website.

Beale Street Pub Crawl with Centresource & Grasshopper–April 30th, 8 PM

Dance Party at the Rumba Room, presented by Baker Donelson

Last Call Happy Hour

Bonus: Beale Street Music Festival

*Polling closed. Thanks so much for all your support! We’ll announce the Everywhere Else Fan Favorite soon!*

Polling closed. Thanks so much for all your support! We’ll announce the Everywhere Else Fan Favorite soon!