Tech Startup Founders: Here’s Your Chance to Win $150K at the 11th Annual CodeLaunch DFW!
By CA Staff Blogger September 7, 2023
Since it’s first event in 2013, CodeLaunchhas provided at least $1.5 million in professional software development and services to startup founders, but it has not seen any active venture capitalists make cash investments on our stages. On Nov 15th that will change.
Cyrannus $150K Investment Challenge
Cyrannus founder Lee Mosbacker announces Cyrannus.IO in dramatic style at CodeLaunch Ohio 2022.
All startup founders who advanced to the semifinal round between CodeLaunch Ohio 2022 and DFW 2023 will be in the running for the Cyrannus $150K investment challenge. Cyrannus founder Lee Mosbacker will announce two winners on Nov 15th, the best Cyrannus score “Commercial” startup will receive $100K and the best “Impact” startup will receive $50K! The Cyrannus platform launches in October and will be debuted at our DFW event.
Cyrannus Founder Lee Mosbacker wants to reward CodeLaunch participants with the opportunity to get real cash into their business. A Cyrannus spokesperson says there could be two separate winners, but if one winner scored the highest for both challenges, they can receive a total of $150K in investments. Cyrannus is back as presenting sponsor of CodeLaunch for it’s 6th consecutive event.
“Not only will they get the cash investment, but the founders will also be introduced to a network that will help them refine their idea and prepare them for a follow on raise.”
– Lee Mosbacker, Founder of Cyrannus
You can learn more about the $150K challenge here.
CodeLaunch Returns to DFW
CodeLaunch, produced by Improving and presented by Cyrannus, is making its way back to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area for its 11th consecutive annual competition in the Metroplex on November 15th, helping early-stage tech startups accelerate using our unique spin on the seed accelerator model. For entrepreneurs who want to change the trajectory of their startups by competing in CodeLaunch, the application portal will be open from August 23rd through September 24th!
Champions Celebrate at CodeLaunch ATL May 10th, 2023 at the Buckhead Theatre.
CodeLaunch stands as the DFW region’s longest-running annual startup event, merging elements of a seed accelerator startup competition, a professional developer product building competition, a tech tradeshow, a startup conference, and a dynamic networking platform. Over the past decade, this touring competition has provided more than $1.5 million in software development and invaluable services to its finalists and overall champions.
CodeLaunch has helped launch noteworthy startups since its inception in North Texas in 2013. Companies like CharaChorder, ProsRent, StyleRow, KidStrong, Autix, and more were launched and accelerated through the competition. ProsRent’s exit in January of this year proved the CodeLaunch model is for real and sustainable.
CodeLaunch DFW 2023 will be held at the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s. Improving and Contollo have already signed on to be professional hackathon sponsors, which means these leading consulting brands will provide teams to work with finalists, ensuring their technical products are accelerated and founders can close a seed round of funding.
“We are excited to have CodeLaunch back in DFW for the 11th year and it’s going to be bigger than ever. We are proud to be supporting the startup ecosystem in this way as it aligns with our commitment to Conscious Capitalism, but even more importantly, it’s making a real difference for the folks in the community.“
– David O’Hara, Improving Dallas President
Contollo, one of our professional hackathon sponsors, has partnered with CodeLaunch at every competition since dipping their toes into CodeLaunch in Nov 2022 and plans to continue their fantastic work in the “Professional Coder League” – the moniker given to professional dev teams that enter the competition.
“As a nearshore software development company with a mission to elevate technology professionals in Central America, we found an ideal partner in CodeLaunch, a platform that shares our values of innovation and conscientious capitalism. From Dallas and Houston to Atlanta, and finally to Mexico, every event we’ve attended has been an enriching experience for our team, both professionally and personally. These gatherings haven’t just met our expectations; they’ve exceeded them, enriching us economically, expanding our network, and most importantly, developing our team members into leaders and technical virtuosos.“
– Isaac Carter, Contollo Founder and Chief Technologist
Important Informationfor Applying Startup Founders
CodeLaunch is a free amenity for startups. It costs nothing to apply, and it does not take equity. All you need is a pitch deck, code-ready mockups, and a bucket of passion. It’s important to note that CodeLaunch competitions are open to founders from any geography or market, not just the host market.
Champions celebrate at CodeLaunch Houston 2022 at the Bayou Music Center.
Startups drafted by a PCL team become “finalists”, so the mockups uploaded when you apply should be what you plan to build in your 2-day professional hackathon. This is an example of how CodeLaunch is one-of-a-kind. Each PCL team races to accelerate their drafted startup’s product development hoping to win the PCL team prize money ($2,500 in DFW) for themselves and the coveted Hackathon Championship Belt trophy for their brand. During the pitch competition and showcase event on November 15th, each startup product is demonstrated live for the first time in front of an audience of tech innovators and investors, who then interactively vote to determine winners.
DFW 2022 Winners Jeremy Cate (DamnThatsCheap.com) and Isaac Carter (Contollo) Celebrate Mutual Victories with their Championship Belts.
If all this isn’t enough, CodeLaunch is a loud, flashy and notoriously raucous business party.
“CodeLaunch is a startups and rock-n-roll show like nothing you’ve ever seen before! It’s not like the ‘Pitch Events’ we’ve all been to. Its the greatest startup show on earth!”
Brands who want to support and align with our Conscious Capitalism-inspired mission by Exhibiting, Partnering, or sponsoring CodeLaunch can find out more by emailing our President and Founder, Jason W. Taylor.
Who Crushed It At CodeLaunch Mexico 2023
By CA Staff Blogger September 1, 2023
CodeLaunch, produced byImproving and presented by Cyrannus, had an incredible impact on the Mexican startup community after the first-ever international CodeLaunch competition in Guadalajara!
Audience members enjoying the show!
Congratulations to Norman Cognitive Agriculturefor winning the event! They worked with their professional hackathon sponsor, Contollo, throughout the week to claim the title of “Best Startup in Mexico”.
“I do not have words to express how thankful we are for all your support. CodeLaunch was not only a launching platform but also a huge learning experience for me and all Norman Team. I never thought that after the event we would not only improve our entrepreneurship but also we grow a lot as a human beings!”
– Norman Cognitive Agriculture Founder Ramon Diaz
Contollo’s Founder and Chief Technologist Isaac Carter says his company has found an ideal partner in CodeLaunch after being a part of every competition within the past year.
“As a nearshore software development company with a mission to elevate technology professionals in Central America, we found an ideal partner in CodeLaunch, a platform that shares our values of innovation and conscientious capitalism. From Dallas and Houston to Atlanta, and finally to Mexico, every event we’ve attended has been an enriching experience for our team, both professionally and personally. These gatherings haven’t just met our expectations; they’ve exceeded them, enriching us economically, expanding our network, and most importantly, developing our team members into leaders and technical virtuosos.”
– Contollo Founder and Chief Technologist Isaac Carter
The BizBat team receiving Judge’s Choice Award
BizBat also went home as a winner after receiving the Judges Choice award.
The judges for CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 were Cyrannus Founder Lee Mosbacker, Science and Technology Minister of Innovation Alfonso Pompa Padilla, Buscabot CEO Melissa Mendivil, and Bosch Mexico Innovation Manager Maria Fernanda Reyes Flores.
CodeLaunch attendees were also able to enjoy the event’s various exhibitors before and after the competition. This brought an extensive amount of networking to the Tec De Monterey Campus.
We want to give a major thank you to our presenting sponsor, Cyrannus for their support during CodeLaunch Mexico 2023. The show would not have been such a spectacular success without you!
Also, thank you to our Professional Hackathon Sponsors who worked tirelessly with our finalists to ensure their technical products were accelerated and that they could close a seed round of funding.
And a shoutout to all of the CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 finalists whose digital product platforms have been accelerated by our PCL hackathon sponsors and now have a much greater chance to raise and close investments.
Lastly, we want to thank the Guadalajara community for embracing CodeLaunch! We could not have put together this event without our community sponsors, partners, and supporters.
About CodeLaunch
CodeLaunch is a traveling seed accelerator and startup expo that connects early-stage startups with invaluable seed services critical to stimulating their business. Unlike many startup accelerators, CodeLaunch is completely free to apply, and no equity is surrendered.
The professional hackathon is one way that CodeLaunch is truly unique. Each finalist is paired with a professional development team that accelerates product development and builds out as much of their MVP as possible in a 2-day time frame. During the pitch competition, the product is demoed live and for the first time in front of a live audience, who then votes for the overall winner.
CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 went above and beyond our expectations! We are thankful for everyone who came out to support the event and the Mexico startup community.
CodeLaunch DFW 2023 Is Right Around the Corner!
CodeLaunch heads home to Dallas on November 15th! Our application portal is open now until September 24th for startup founders and teams to apply at no cost. Apply now!
The Rising Stars of Innovation: Meet the Finalists of CodeLaunch Mexico 2023!
By Shelby Sansone August 3, 2023
CodeLaunch, the famously energetic startup conference from the U.S. produced by Improving and presented by Cyrannus, is coming to Guadalajara, Mexico on August 30th for its first international event! We are thrilled to be amplifying the voices of six Mexico-based startups through the competition who will compete on stage LIVE at the Tec De Monterey Campus Guadalajara. You can get your tickets NOW!
CodeLaunch is a combination of a seed accelerator competition, a tech tradeshow, a startup conference, and a raucous networking event. The touring competition has given more than $1.4 Million USD in services to its finalists and overall winners since it started over a decade ago. CodeLaunch has helped launch noteworthy startups like CharaChorder, ProsRent, StyleRow, KidStrong, Autix,Evva Health, and more since its inception in North Texas in 2013.
“We are very excited to be the first international host for CodeLaunch. All the Improvers, the tech ecosystem in the city, and even people in other cities are very excited to be part of this amazing event! We are looking forward to showing the amazing talent that Mexico has to the world.”
Ready to meet your finalists who will compete for the CodeLaunch trophies? The following six startups have advanced as Finalists to CodeLaunch Mexico 2023!
Let’s dive in and learn how each finalist describes their startup’s mission.
Norman Cognitive Agriculture: “To feed the world population by 2050 food production must grow 70%. The only way to increase productivity will be with new technologies in the crop fields. In difference to the competition who only focuses on providing measuring stations, we at Norman offer a Decision Support System analyzing correlations between variables that allow us to show the farmer an action to reaction relationship pointing information to the main cost centers in the farm.”
Romio: “Romio is pushing to do something no one has been able to accomplish in Mexico: Create a scalable car-sharing marketplace. Learning from the hardships of founders and companies such as Turo who’ve attempted in the past, Romio brings a solution completely custom to the Mexican market.”
VEX: “VEX is the marketplace of in-person courses, workshops and experiences made for and by the locals. The name is short for Value Experiences and it’s exactly what we provide both to B2C and B2B markets, generating a total revenue of over $25K this past year. We aim to revolutionize the education and entertainment industries in Mexico and Latam while spreading the philosophy behind the brand: generate a positive impact in our communities and having fun in the process.”
Gabu: “For parents that want their kids to have a safe and fun online gaming/social experience, but don’t know how, we provide a platform where they have all the information and tools to keep their kids safe and to help them become good digital citizens.”
Hoko! SalesMatch: “Our mission is to shake things up and make companies more efficient and cost-effective in how they approach sales prospecting. Picture this – tapping into the power of good old-fashioned word-of-mouth, supercharged by the technology of a dedicated social network. That’s exactly what HOKO! aims to do – tackling the everyday challenges faced by millions of salespeople worldwide!”
BizBat: “Musicians spend about 30% of their time and income in developing their career with little results, mainly due to the lack of connectivity: access to the right people and visibility to job opportunities. 9/10 musicians and industry professionals quit their careers. BizBat is a digital community that enhances professional interactions between every occupation within the music spectrum (B2B2C), providing tools for an organized and self-manageable career. Our end game is to become the much-needed LinkedIn for the music industry for millions of unattended professionals and businesses!”
CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 PCL Hackathon Teams
The six professional hackathon teams will be provided by these leading software consulting brands:
These six startups will be provided 24 hours of professional software development work on their product by their hackathon team, then they’ll go on stage to present their product to a live audience who will vote for who they believe should be named “Best Startup in Mexico”!
Cyrannus 150K Investment Challenge
All startup founders who advance to the semifinal round of CodeLaunch will be in the running for the Cyrannus $100K investment challenge, as well as the $50K challenge for Impact Startups!
Cyrannus Founder Lee Mosbacker wants to reward CodeLaunch participants with the opportunity to get real cash into their business. A Cyrannus spokesperson says there could be two separate winners, but if one winner scored the highest for both challenges, they can receive $150K in investments in total.
“Not only will they get the cash, but also be introduced to a network that will help them refine their idea and get ready for their first big fundraiser.”– Lee Mosbacker, Cyrannus Founder
The unwavering support of these incredible groups has played a pivotal role in spreading the word about CodeLaunch. Each will be supporting our efforts through Conscious Capitalism to foster the growth of Mexico’s startup community during CodeLaunch on August 30th. They have helped amplify our message far and wide, helping us reach a broader audience and empowering aspiring entrepreneurs across Mexico.
“CodeLaunch is exactly what our startup had been missing, it represents combining our vision with the technical ability necessary to build something rock solid. We’ve been leading this movement for 2 years now and it’s time to take the next step, and CodeLaunch gives us the chance to do so.”
– Laura G. Furber, Co-Founder, VEX Experience
Join Us at CodeLaunch Mexico 2023!
CodeLaunch Mexico 2023 will be held at Tec De Monterey Campus Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico on August 30th! Get your tickets now!
Media, Exhibit, and Sponsorship Inquiries
You and your brand are invited to CodeLaunch. There is still time for your brand to align with CodeLaunch and Conscious Capitalism. Parties interested in exhibit space, media, and sponsorship may contactJason W. Taylor.
CodeLaunch is on Tour!
What you missed at CodeLaunch HOU 2023
By Shelby Sansone March 9, 2023
CodeLaunch, produced byImproving and presented by Cyrannus, made a tremendous mark on the Houston startup community.
Congratulations to E 360 for winning CodeLaunch HOU 2023! E 360 worked with their hackathon sponsor Honeycomb Software throughout the week to claim the title of “Best Startup in Houston”. They also went home with the Judge’s Choice award.
“CodeLaunch is such an amazing event. The production quality was just out of this world. The stage, the lights, the music, it was all just so professional, I felt like a rock star. We are so honored to have been both the judge’s and voter’s choice winners. I would highly recommend any startup or early-stage business to apply for CodeLaunch.” – E 360 Founder Matt Bonasera
Our judges were The ION Senior Director of Ecosystems, Joey Sanches, Continuum Solutions Founding Partner Allison Hardy, GCC/HOME DEPOT VP of Software Development Tim Coonfield, and Cyrannus.IO CEO Michael Camp.
CodeLaunch Founder Jason W. Taylor and Host Raheel Malik with E 360 Founder Matt Bonasera
This CodeLaunch was unique because it was the final event for Houston Tech Rodeo, which is a series of events organized by Houston Exponential. The Rodeo corrals the greatest minds in the global and local tech community. Because of this, a mayoral debate took place before our competition.
Audience members enjoyed being entertained by comedian Josh Stramiello before the competition began as the show opener. This was Josh’s third time opening for a CodeLaunch competition.
There were 47 exhibitors at CodeLaunch. They were a blend between startups and CodeLaunch community partners and sponsors. So, there was an extensive amount of networking before and after the main competition.
A major thank you to our presenting sponsor, Cyrannus for their support during this CodeLaunch HOU 2023. The show would not have been such a spectacular success without you!
Also, thank you to our Professional Hackathon Sponsors who worked tirelessly with our finalists to ensure their technical products were accelerated and that they can close a seed round of funding.
CodeLaunch is a traveling seed accelerator and startup expo that connects early-stage startups with invaluable seed services critical to stimulating their business. Unlike many startup accelerators, CodeLaunch is completely free to apply, and there is no equity surrendered.
The professional hackathon is one way that CodeLaunch is truly unique. Each finalist is paired with a professional development team that accelerates product development and builds out as much of their MVP as possible in a 2-day time frame. During the pitch competition, the product is demoed live and for the first time in front of a live audience, who then votes for the overall winner.
CodeLaunch HOU 2023 went above and beyond our expectations! We are thankful for everyone who came out to support the event and the Houston startup community.
CodeLaunch ATL 2023 is Around the Corner
CodeLaunch is heading back to Atlanta for its second competition there. Our application portal is open now through Friday, March 10th at Midnight! Click this link to learn more and then apply here if you are a founder who wants to change the trajectory of your startup.
After Atlanta, we are going international! Guadalajara, Mexico will be our third stop of the year. Learn more here.
CodeLaunch is going on tour!
In Case You Missed CodeLaunch Ohio Presented By Cyrannus
By Shelby Sansone August 26, 2022
CodeLaunch Ohio 2022 presented by Cyrannus was a spectacular success! This was the first CodeLaunch to happen in Ohio and we can certainly say it made a mark on the MidWest startup hub.
Congratulations to Columbus’ own Mastery Portfolio for winning the entire competition! Not only did they win the popular vote from the audience, but they also received the Judges’ Choice award. Mastery Portfolio worked with their hackathon sponsor Enzee throughout the week to claim the title of “Best Startup in Ohio”!
Congratulations to our finalists, who will compete in our main event on August 25th at the Davidson Theatre at the Riffe Center in Columbus.
Shoutout to all of our other finalists who will now go on to launch viable startup companies!
A major thank you to our Hackathon Sponsors who worked tirelessly with our finalists to ensure their technical products were accelerated and that they can close a seed round of funding.
Another Thank You to Our Presenting Sponsor Cyrannus!
We are THRILLED to announce that Cyrannus will be our presenting sponsor throughout the rest of 2022 and all of 2023! Cyrannus is a network of experts trying to add rational insight into a growing venture capital market. We are developing tools to connect founders with experts and create bullet-proof strategies. Founders can confidentially submit areas of their business plan, pitch deck, technology, or product. Experts anonymously interact with founders in an iterative process to generate answers to questions and get quantitative scoring.
“You can have the best idea in the world, but the biggest challenge would be finding the right technical team to build the product or just MVP,” Founder Lee Mosbacker said. “What I love about CodeLaunch is that it kind of decouples that challenge. You’re seeing ideas and possibly connecting those ideas to capital. And if you make it to the finals, you get access to a professional team of coders who care about the outcome.”
Lee served as one of our judges and we are truly grateful for his support! You can learn more about Cyrannus here.
All About CodeLaunch
CodeLaunch is a traveling seed accelerator and startup expo that connects early-stage startups with invaluable seed services critical to stimulating their business. Unlike many startup accelerators, CodeLaunch is completely free to apply, and there is no equity surrendered.
The professional hackathon is one way that CodeLaunch is truly unique. Each finalist is paired with a professional development team that accelerates product development and builds out as much of their MVP as possible in a 2-day time frame. During the pitch competition, the product is demoed live and for the first time in front of a live audience, who then votes for the overall winner.
CodeLaunch Ohio went above and beyond our expectations! We are thankful for everyone who came out to support the event and Columbus’s startup community.
CodeLaunch DFW 2022 is Around the Corner
CodeLaunch heads back home in November! We will be in Dallas on November 16th. Click this link to learn more and apply here if you are a founder who wants to change the trajectory of your startup!
Meet the CodeLaunch Ohio presented by Cyrannus Finalists!
By CA Staff Blogger August 12, 2022
Learn about each final startup before the final competition on August 25th!
ServUS – Columbus, OH
Tell us about ServUS:
Our mission at ServUS is to empower the world’s service-minded students to solve the world’s biggest problems. We are creating a website that matches people to local non-profits based on their interests.
Why is this idea important to you?
I hope that our platform will make it easier for nonprofits to carry out their day-to-day activities. I am personally looking forward to a world where students lead the way towards a sustainable 2050.
Is there anything else you want readers to know?
Our platform is currently enrolling nonprofits into our first cohort. If there is an organization out there that needs more volunteers or is interested in our mission, please reach out to the ServUS team at Servus.cbus@gmail.com.
ParaWave – Columbus, OH
Tell us about ParaWave:
Our mission is to equip public safety with drone technology to gather and communicate critical information from the air.
During emergencies, it is critical for first responders to view the live video feed from Parwave’s drones. We needed to develop a platform to stream video feed in an efficient manner that first responders could quickly and easily interact with. Once we heard about CodeLaunch, we applied and are excited to have been selected as finalists. We are thrilled to work with Centric Consulting to bring this app to fruition.
Why is this idea important to you?
We value protecting our community members and supporting our first responders’ safety.
Is there anything else you want readers to know?
We are passionate about drones, and we wanted to develop drone technology that was meaningful to the community. Both of us are upcoming senior undergraduate aerospace engineering students at Ohio State graduating in May 2023.
Metatopia Network – Cleveland, OH
Tell us about Metatopia Network: Metatopia is decentralized cloud computing for Web3 applications. Cloud3 for Web3. We provide users with the tools they need to build decentralized applications, metaverses, and NFT projects.
Why is this idea important to you?
After college, I tried to start a career in animation and game development. As a freelancer, I was always limited to a less-than-capable device that I could afford. Now I’m providing solutions that help people like myself, excel no matter what device you are about to afford. All of the resource-intensive features are executed in the cloud.
Is there anything else you want readers to know?
I like to call myself the “Creative Engineer”. I am a musician, film director, and visual artist. But I am a software engineer that teaches computer science and physics.
Mastery Portfolio – Columbus, OH
Tell us about Mastery Portfolio:
If I asked you to describe an “A” student, you probably could, but if I asked five different people to describe the characteristics of a B student, I would get five different responses. Why? Because traditional grading is broken- it’s a points and averages game and doesn’t motivate students to achieve. Mastery Portfolio helps schools and districts redesign how they do grading and assessment to increase equity and celebrate actual progress on skills with clear data visualizations and a thoughtful roadmap to implementation that keeps all community members in mind.
Why is this idea important to you?
In education, the bottom line is student achievement. We must be able to accurately measure that at the classroom level, teaching students to assess themselves, set goals, and reflect. Once we do, we can roll that information all the way up so school systems can make strategic decisions to increase student achievement across the district.
Is there anything else you want readers to know?
We are actively adding new schools to our portfolio. Contact us today for support with your assessment and skills-tracking needs. MasteryPortfolio.com
AlignAI – Columbus, Ohio
Tell us about AlignAI:
AlignAI is an ed-tech company built by AI professionals for AI professionals. Our mission is to help data & AI practitioners go from learning to doing faster. We focus on process-based, hands-on training to help organizations design, build, deploy, and manage AI more effectively. We have seen our customers increase the impact and adoption of AI solutions they are building after cross-skilling their employees through AlignAI.
Why is this idea important to you?
The global talent gap is real. People aren’t learning critical concepts around AI fast enough to fill the openings. As practitioners, we saw this gap consistently across industries. Companies were attempting to unlock AI capabilities in order to compete but did not have the in-house talent or pipeline of individuals who could get them there.
The AI educational content today is falling short for the working professional focused on what we refer to as ‘operationalizing AI’ – building and maintaining AI models at scale within a company. Universities are not keeping up with relevant practices, and general content massively available today does not drive direct application within organizations. This one is personal for us, as we’ve all sat through hours of slides, videos, and generic examples only to step back and ask “What did I just learn?” and more importantly, “How do I take this information and use it in my day-to-day?”
Is there anything else you want readers to know?
Curiosity is at the core of our culture. We are all working to solve hard problems every day by running experiments and seeing what works. We are hyper-focused on providing a hands-on AI learning experience, with a curriculum designed around direct application.
We accomplish this by:
Partnering with vetted experts across the globe to constantly update our curriculum and match what real teams are doing today. The industry knowledge & best practices are ever-evolving, and our learning content should too.
Developing the simulations and exercises first. With every course, we start with the end goal of direct application in our customer’s environment. We then build in only the content that is needed.
Constantly testing our curriculum to make sure it’s effective and interesting with our active network of partner companies. If they don’t think it’s valuable, we don’t publish it.
Highlighting MotoClerk, CodeLaunch 8 Finalist
By CA Staff Blogger October 20, 2020
CodeLaunch 8 features some of the brightest and most innovative startup concepts in the world. MotoClerk is a tech startup focused on elevating the automotive industry through streamlined software solutions. This blog details MotoClerk’s background, goals, and their CodeLaunch experience so far.
What is MotoClerk?
Founded by Sean Anderson and Christopher Lay, the inspiration behind MotoClerk was a problem they noticed impacting the efficiency of the automotive repair industry. The available software was often dated and businesses were forced into utilizing subscription-based services. Sean saw the antiquated software his brother used in his shop and decided that a more modern solution would greatly improve day-to-day and big picture processes.
What is great about MotoClerk is they found a way to make profit without charging a pesky subscription fee. One of the ways they plan to do this is by applying a transaction fee to all cards processed through Stripe in the application. The shop owner will have the option of charging this to the customer or paying the fee themselves. The great part is the fee can be avoided by simply using a own card processor of choice.
MotoClerk provides free management software to automotive repair shops. With this software, MotoClerk’s users can manage their inventory, track their customers and jobs, and process transactions all in one application. Unlike the options that currently exist, MotoClerk provides their software to businesses for free without a subscription.
Founder Background & Goals
Sean Anderson is a software developer with experience scaling applications. Personally, he is a self-proclaimed caffeine addict, an adventurous kayaker, and a manual automobile enthusiast (as Sean says, “Is it really a muscle car without a stick shift?”).
Christopher Lay is an Air Force veteran turned coder with experience working on enterprise grade software. He’s a Texas native, a Linux advocate, and breakfast taco lover. With their backgrounds, it is clear to say they make the picture-perfect duo to launch a successful startup.
Sean’s goal has always been to work for himself rather than for someone else. It keeps him motivated. He says that starting his own company has always been his goal since attending college. That entrepreneurial spirit makes him perfect for a competition like CodeLaunch. Aside from earning his black belt in karate, starting MotoClerk and finding Christopher as a co-founder has been his biggest accomplishment so far.
Their short-term goals are receiving a great round of seed funding, getting their first 100 users, and partnering with aftermarket parts resellers. Their long-term goal is using the automotive data they collect to branch out to other parts of the automotive industry.
Getting Ready for CodeLaunch 8
With their goal-oriented attitude and their passion for startups, it was clear they were destined for CodeLaunch 8. Sean found CodeLaunch while looking for other startup competitions. He read more and more about other founders’ experiences with the event and thought MotoClerk would be a great fit. So far, they have not been disappointed!
Sean says, “[CodeLaunch 8] has been an awesome experience so far that really pushed us to bring our A game, and we’ve come really far since the start of CodeLaunch. Jason and Josh have provided invaluable feedback and advice, which has helped shape the future of MotoClerk.”
Both Sean and Christopher are excited for what CodeLaunch 8 holds! They want to see how they stack up against the competition and how much they can accomplish during the hackathon.
Their next steps would be to procure seed funding and to finally launch their product—whether they win CodeLaunch or not. They are excited and determined to get MotoClerk up and running.
Learn More About MotoClerk at CodeLaunch 8
You will learn more about MotoClerk and the other finalists at CodeLaunch 8. We know we will be seeing a lot more from Sean and Christopher. You can too if you attend this year’s event! Save your spot as an attendee and register for a ticket today!
Out of 140+ CodeLaunch 8 applicants, including 35 international applicants, Coconut Silo was chosen as an International Finalist. Coming all the way from Seoul, South Korea, their startup focuses on improving the efficiency of mobility and logistics in the commercial shipping industry. This blog details Coconut Silo, their accomplishments, and their CodeLaunch experience so far.
What is Coconut Silo?
Vietnam is a leading country in global commercial vehicle revenue, which is why Coconut Silo decided to start their business there (along with the fact that they like the country). Stakeholders still use conventional ways to communicate with each other—especially in Vietnam. They found that the vague pricing is a big problem in the industry, and oftentimes, cargo owners end up paying more than they should. This is a problem that Coconut Silo aims to solve.
Coconut Silo began as an in-house startup of the Hyundai Motor Group and evolved into their own entity in June of 2020. They are a mobility startup that streamlines logistics. One of the problems cargo owners have is with placing orders, which requires numerous calls and manual fetching and distribution. Coconut Silo solves this problem by having their users upload orders to their solution. Drivers then make bids to logistically fulfill them. Essentially, Coconut Silo enables manufacturers to move their cargo even if they don’t have trucks. Both logistics companies and drivers can manage resources using the Coconut Silo application.
About the Founders
Coconut Silo was founded by Seungyong Kim (CEO), Kangyeop Ahn (CMO), and Tony Taewon Han (CTO). Kim and Ahn have been friends since 2010, are fellow graduates of Hanyang University, Republic of Korea and former Hyundai Motor Company employees. While employed at Hyundai, they gained insights into both the commercial vehicle field and logistics market, which is what inspired Coconut Silo.
Kim and Han met each other at the Samsung SDS sGen Club, an internship, in 2014. They worked on several projects together, and realizing they made a good fit, Kim scouted Han for Coconut Silo.
Kim has been inspired by startups since he was young. It all started with Naver, a Korean search engine, which made a huge impact on Korean internet history. This shocked Kim and made him dream about launching a startup since he was 10 years old. As he grew older, he began to truly appreciate and love Vietnamese culture. When he first visited Vietnam in 2014, he was surprised by all of the Korean companies there. It inspired him to launch Coconut Silo in Vietnam.
Coconut Silo Accomplishments & Goals
Being the youngest global startup from Hyundai’s in-house startup alumni, Coconut Silo has a lot to be proud of. Their biggest accomplishments include:
Launching from the Hyundai Motor Group
First Asian Finalist in CodeLaunch
6 Patents (All in Korea)
20+ Korean Government Subsidiaries
Establishing Corporate Locations in Vietnam and India (In Progress)
Hired 4 Employees
With an upward trajectory, Coconut Silo has many goals. Some of their short-term goals include:
Launching their Platform in Target Countries
Expand Business Areas to Cold Chains, etc.
Reach Series A
Expand their Company to 20+ Employees
Their long-term goals include:
Launching their Platform in Laos, Cambodia
Become a Cross-Border Logistics Platform
Reach Further Series
Expand their Market to Latin America and Africa
They want to continue to pursue ideas that bring them joy and pave the way for other Korean startups to join the global market.
The CodeLaunch Experience
A government organization, Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (GCCEI) recommended CodeLaunch to Coconut Silo as they’ve been so successful as an early stage startup in Korea. They have enjoyed the selection process so far.
Kim says, “CodeLaunch is one of the biggest startup events in the world that has an individual track for international startups. We knew that becoming a CodeLaunch Finalist would boost and develop our business even further. The most important thing is CodeLaunch has become an enormous opportunity for us since we could check our probability among global startup ecosystems.”
Coconut Silo is also looking forward to the hackathon! Once they get the platform, they are heading directly to their target markets in Vietnam and India and will try their best to make Coconut Silo succeed.
Kim also says, “It is insane to become the first finalist from Asia. We’ve enjoyed the whole selection process and have been so excited to meet such nice guys like Josh and Jason. We received fancy comments from experts like them, which made us review our business overall.”
Join us at CodeLaunch 8!
CodeLaunch 8 features Finalists with so much promise, just like Coconut Silo. Join us on November 5th at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas! Save your spot as an attendee and register for CodeLaunch 8 now!
CodeLaunch began in 2012 as a small, local product pitch competition and has since evolved into a traveling startup competition and networking expo that aims to reach 3 additional markets in the United States in 2021. Despite the recent global pandemic, CodeLaunch received over 140 total applications this year, 35 of which came from countries outside of the U.S. The 8th annual CodeLaunch is going to be better than ever as we are introducing more Finalists, more hackathon teams, and more services than ever before.
Despite COVID, we are still proceeding with the event but will be enforcing strict safety precautions and guidelines outlined later in this blog.
Even if you didn’t apply for CodeLaunch, you can still benefit by attending the event. Here are 8 reasons why you should attend CodeLaunch 8.
1. Networking
With 95% of professionals considering face-to-face communication as vital for long-term business, attending CodeLaunch is the perfect way to network with aligned businesses, sponsors, and investors that you could potentially collaborate with. It’s a networking event unlike any other where startups, entrepreneurs, and investors collide.
2. Pitch Competition
After much deliberation from our CodeLaunch selection committee, 7 Finalists and 1 Alternate were selected out of the 140+ applicants. These finalists are competing for invaluable seed services, such as a professional product development hackathon team, our continued startup development program (Afterburner), digital marketing campaigns, legal services, and much, much more!
Each Finalist has only 5 minutes to go over not only their background and goals but also how their concept or product works. In this brief period, they will explain how their product is unique and marketable and why they should win CodeLaunch.
3. Startup Expo
Take to the CodeLaunch expo floor and learn all about our CodeLaunch sponsors and startups in this is a one-of-a-kind networking opportunity. After the Pitch Competition, the Finalists, some Semi-Finalists, and 50+ local businesses and sponsors crowd the Expo floor to network.
4. Vote for Winner
As an attendee, you have a huge part in the outcome of CodeLaunch because you get to vote for the Overall Winner! After listening to the pitches, you get to decide which startup you think has the most potential to succeed.
After the last Finalist pitch, the audience is prompted to vote for their overall winner using ProTexting’s SMS voting platform. Each Finalist will have a unique code for you to cast your vote. On top of winning CodeLaunch, the Overall Winner will receive additional seed services.
5. Support Startup Ecosystem
Starting in Q1 of 2021, CodeLaunch will be expanding into new markets. Each quarter, CodeLaunch will be visiting an Improving market: Atlanta, Columbus, Minneapolis, and North Texas. Attending demonstrates your support for the growing entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem, as well as our core ideals of conscious capitalism.
6. Tech Demonstration
A select number of Finalists will receive a professional development hackathon team that will build out an MVP solution for their startup. The four current hackathon teams are provided by Code Authority, Improving, UNT at Frisco, and iTexico. Each hackathon recipient will receive a 3 to 5-person team of developers, designers, and quality assurance engineers to build out an MVP-level product within 72 hours.
This product from the hackathon team is then demoed during the Pitch Competition live, on stage, and for the first time in front of an audience. You’ll get to see cutting-edge technology created by the hackathon teams.
7. Safe Event
CodeLaunch and its sponsors have made many efforts to make the event safe for everyone to attend. Some of our health and safety initiatives include:
Limiting the event to 500 attendees
Maintain social distancing
Distribution of masks
Sanitizing stations
Individually wrapped hors d’oeuvres
Temperature reading at check in
One-way exhibit hall traffic
8. Re-Open America!
We are doing everything we can be conscientious of COVID. Our health and safety measures were put into place to make sure CodeLaunch is as safe as possible. With that being said, we are ready to bring some normalcy back into our lives. CodeLaunch will do just that!
Join us at CodeLaunch 8!
CodeLaunch 8 is going to be better than ever! The event takes place on November 5th at the Comerica Center in Frisco, TX. Save your spot as an attendee and register today!
Highlighting UNT at Frisco: CodeLaunch 8 Presenting Sponsor
By CA Staff Blogger August 31, 2020
Back for a third consecutive year, UNT at Frisco reclaims the title of CodeLaunch Presenting Sponsor. UNT at Frisco is a prestigious university located in the heart of North Texas. As their enrollment numbers continue to defy national trends, UNT’s ultimate goal of graduating more students, faster, with degrees that work came to fruition by opening a new campus in Frisco, Texas The new location first opened in 2016 and offers more than 24 full degree plans to over 5,000 students. Find out what else UNT at Frisco has in store for CodeLaunch, the city of Frisco, and their expanding Frisco location.
UNT at Frisco’s CodeLaunch Sponsorship
CodeLaunch and UNT at Frisco have a history for a good reason. The ideals of CodeLaunch mirror UNT at Frisco and their students. Dean Wesley Randall Ph.D. says, “What makes a successful CodeLaunch is a confluence of ideas, tech, digital, business acumen, co-creation and creativity, connection, and community. This is at the core of what we are developing as the foundation of our UNT at Frisco curricular identity.”
Randall continues, “When UNT was founded in 1890, it was because a group of business leaders came to together to train teachers to prepare their sons and daughters for the coming Industrial Revolution by instantiating new literacies—reading, writing and arithmetic. We know that the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution will require new literacies around the concepts of digital, creative, quantitative, connection and co-creation, communication, and commerce acumen.”
“We know that successful graduates of our programs require similar literacies. It is imperative that we ensure our students know how to create value working collaboratively and respectfully with those whose gifts may lay in other areas. Each student must master some literacies deeply, but all students must have a fundamental working knowledge and respect for all. Our partnership with CodeLaunch helps us find the best elements in this fusion and work together to keep this dynamism going,” says Randall.
The Impact of CodeLaunch
CodeLaunch is the national seed accelerator competition between individuals and groups who have software technology startup ideas. CodeLaunch is not only a competition—it is a startup expo that connects startups, entrepreneurs, and investors. The event was founded by Code Authority in Frisco, TX in 2012. Since its inception, CodeLaunch has received over 1,000 applicants from across the United States and worldwide. The goal of CodeLaunch is to elevate startups by providing them with invaluable seed services to get their business of the ground and flourish.
At a local level, CodeLaunch has pivoted startups from across the North Texas region. Code Authority and UNT at Frisco both have one goal in mind: expanding the business and technology ecosystem in Frisco.
Regarding CodeLaunch’s impact on Frisco, Randall says, “Frisco is well known as Sports City, USA. At the same time, major industry leaders also recognize Frisco’s continued ascendency as one of America’s new entrepreneurial, tech, creative, quantitative, and digital corridors. CodeLaunch has grown right alongside Frisco. Sports provide a focus. At two and three degrees of separation from sports, we see the growth of technology, analytics, wearables, embeddables, biomechanics, robotics, data science, health, and the augmentation of human capability. CodeLaunch helps focus the entrepreneurial efforts in these areas and both enables and is enabled by the diverse ideas, culture, and technologies that are grown organically through the CodeLaunch ecosystem.”
Code Authority (and CodeLaunch) merged with Improving in 2019. Improving strongly aligns itself with Conscious Capitalism, a growing movement in American business. As such, it turns out the CodeLaunch model of altruistically providing startups with critical pre-seed services is also highly aligned with Conscious Capitalism and Improving’s cultural identity and core values. To further impact, CodeLaunch will go on a nationwide tour in Spring 2021, visiting at least four Improving markets per year including DFW.
About UNT at Frisco (and Their Upcoming Changes!)
The future is bright for UNT at Frisco. The faculty, staff, and students embrace a career-ready form of education. Within the next few weeks, they will open another 20,000 square feet of space at Hall Park.
“This space will help us meet the demand we have for career-ready degrees in business and digital areas. We were recently awarded branch campus status by THECB for our new campus at the corner of Preston and Panther Creek. The master planning for that campus is complete. We are well under way planning building one, which will be focused on career-ready and project-based education at the undergraduate and graduate level. We also are launching our first Ph.D. cohort in Information Science in partnership with the College of Information, this fall,” says Randall.
Apart from the physical space, UNT at Frisco is further growing in its degree offerings! In 2016, they did not offer any full degrees in the Frisco location. However, now UNT at Frisco offers more than 24 full degree plan programs that include transfer completion options, graduate degrees, and certificates. They will also have their own student services team and career services on campus to provide their “career ready” services to their students.
Learn More About UNT at Frisco and Attend CodeLaunch
More information about UNT at Frisco can be found at their website, https://frisco.unt.edu. Be sure to give their social media a follow to stay updated on their new changes and more!
CodeLaunch 8 has been pushed back to November 5th but we have received an official blessing from the City of Frisco to hold an in-person event. With that being said, we have a number of planned health & safety measures, including limiting attendance to only 500 guests. Learn more about the announcement and don’t forget to reserve your ticket to CodeLaunch today
will be better than ever! Due to our new health and safety measures, only 500 guests can attend. Don’t wait to reserve your spot and purchase your ticket today!
Let’s Go North Texas – CodeLaunch is ON!
By CA Staff Blogger August 17, 2020
UPDATE 8/17/2020:
We’ve had to push our event to Nov 5 from it’s original date of Sept 10. However our COVID-19 Safety and Mitigation plan has received an “official blessing from the City of Frisco”, the finalists have booked travel, and this event WILL OCCUR IN PERSON on NOV 5, The only thing that will stop it now is a court order or legal authority. Come help us re-open the North Texas startup ecosystem by attending this CodeLaunch event and we promise we’ll be doing all the right things to mitigate any COVID-19 risk. See you at CodeLaunch! – Jason W. Taylor
Wow, what a wild ride we have all been on in 2020. Nearly everyone on earth has been facing the pandemic and all its related challenges. Here in the U.S. we also have had to face some tough questions about our policing practices and social upheaval. If that weren’t enough us Texans have fought off an oil sector crash too. It hasn’t been easy on us—we’ve had some serious headwinds in business and had to make terrible decisions we never expected to. I know the same is true for many of you.
Here at CodeLaunch HQ in Frisco, Texas, when the Pandemic hit, we tabled all focus on CodeLaunch until June 1st and kept our fingers crossed. We were hoping public sentiment and scientific reality would begin to swing in favor of a re-opening so we could have a real face-to-face CodeLaunch in September. It was blind faith at the time, but by June 1st, it seemed to me both of those variables were heading in the right direction. I began to circle back with our presenting sponsor, UNT at Frisco, as well as our other key partners and especially our host Comerica Center Arena. I expressed our intent and gathered feedback and concerns from all the parties, including our great 2020 CodeLaunch evangelist Josh Stramiello.
After a couple of weeks working out the details, I am proud to announce today that the 8th annual CodeLaunch event, presented by UNT at Frisco, is ON! Not in some virtual format either. I’m talking about attendees, judges, networking, the finalists’ competition, professional hackathon teams, and everything else that goes with CodeLaunch will be in person.
It hasn’t been lost on us or our key sponsors that some public safety mitigation is going to be necessary. We have identified a set of measures that we will take to assure the public that we are sensitive to COVID-19 concerns. We are seeking a “health safety sponsor” to help cover the costs of those measures and will be going public with all those changes soon. Our goal is to make sure everyone feels like CodeLaunch is a healthy space to be in.
Today I have a special message for those of you in our North Texas startup community. We have always been laser focused on continuing to produce this event, elevating its impact, and growing participation in CodeLaunch. This year we will prove that like no other. I hope you will join us on September 10th at the Comerica Center Arena in Frisco, TX. If it’s your first CodeLaunch, I bet you will wonder how in the world you missed the first seven! I can make you this promise: despite the challenges this event WILL BE THE BIGGEST AND BEST SO FAR!
If you want to find out more about CodeLaunch (guiding principles, why we do it, our past, present, and future), you can watch this Virtual Lunch and Learn I produced in early June before we knew for sure we would really have the event (yes, I had a good feeling we would). Please follow us on social media or sign up for our email blasts to keep up with us. We will be making some very exciting hackathon and sponsor announcements soon.
I hope to see you at CodeLaunch this year! Thank you, Wesley Randall and everyone else at UNT!
