Since it’s first event in 2013, CodeLaunch has 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 

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!

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 Information for 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. 

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.

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!”

– Jason W. Taylor, Founder of CodeLaunch

Ready to apply? Start Here and apply through September 24th!

Don’t miss the finale, grab your tickets here!

Media, Exhibit, and Sponsorship Inquiries 

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. 

CodeLaunch, produced by Improving and presented by Cyrannus, had an incredible impact on the Mexican startup community after the first-ever international CodeLaunch competition in Guadalajara!

Congratulations to Norman Cognitive Agriculture for 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

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. 

• Contollo 
• Softeq
• Dalton Labs 
• Blue People
• DW Software
• Improving 

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!

CodeLaunch, produced by Improving and presented by Cyrannus, made a tremendous mark on the Atlanta startup community during the second event in the Peach State.

Congratulations to CASTU for winning the event! They worked with their hackathon sponsor, Improving Atlanta, throughout the week to claim the title of “Best Startup in Atlanta”. 

CASTU Founder Taylor Ri’chard says he could not have won CodeLaunch without the help of his team’s professional hackathon sponsor, Improving.

“It felt so good. Not only were they excited about working on our project, but they believed in it.”

Taylor Ri’chard, CASTU Founder

Improving’s John Ruznick says the feeling is mutual. The team had a blast working with CASTU and saw their vision for the future.

“They are a great bunch of folks that we had a pleasure working with. It was a whirlwind 24 hours developing for them.”

John Ruzick, Professional Hackathon Team Member for Improving

FundHub also went home a winner! The startup won over the judges and was given the Judge’s Choice award.

Tim Butler, FundHub’s founder, tells us he did not make it to the finals for the previous CodeLaunch. He was determined to make the stage this time around and is honored to take home the award given by CodeLaunch judges.

“I’m so excited. It has been a 4 1/2-year journey for us, and I would not take anything from our journey now.

Tim Butler, FundHub Founder

Our judges for CodeLaunch ATL 2023 were Cyrannus Founder, Lee Mosbacker, Technology Association of Georgia Director, Dr. Loretta Daniels, Contract Sprint Chief Visionary, Jonathan Page, and THRIVE Coworking Chief Revenue Officer, Chris Smith.

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 lobby of the gorgeous Buckhead Theatre.

We want to give a major thank you to our presenting sponsor, Cyrannus for their support during CodeLaunch ATL 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. 

• Contollo + Wise Assistant 
• Build Technology Group + FundHub 
• Abel Solutions + Agrippon 
• PS-AI + Practice-Quest 
• Improving Nearshore + UnicornForms 
• Improving Atlanta + Cast-U 

Shoutout to all of the CodeLaunch ATL 2023 finalists who will now go on to launch viable startup companies! 

View the CodeLaunch ATL 2023 photo gallery 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 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 ATL 2023 went above and beyond our expectations! We are thankful for everyone who came out to support the event and the Atlanta startup community. 

CodeLaunch Mexico is Around the Corner!

CodeLaunch is going international and you can apply to be a part of the competition NOW!

We are headed to Guadalajara, Mexico on August 30th. The event is open to Mexico-Based startups who want to succeed and evolve through our unique spin on the seed accelerator model.

Our application portal is open now until June 16th for startup founders and teams to apply at no cost. This event is open to Mexico-based startups only. Learn more about what you need to apply and about this First International CodeLaunch Competition by reading this blog post.

CodeLaunch ATL 2023 Hackathon Teams

Learn about each final startup before the final competition on May 10th!

Professional Hackathon Team: Contollo 

Tell us about Wise Assistant.

Wise Assistant is disrupting local marketing and public relations with a multichannel marketing platform used by franchisors, agencies, and local businesses. For far too long, PR agencies have hijacked the local marketing game, charging increasingly costly retainers, nickel-and-diming local businesses out of their last dollars, while delivering less and less value. Wise Assistant is the only turn-key hyperlocal marketing platform cost-effectively connecting local businesses with social media influencers and media outlets for local marketing campaigns that drive awareness and sales for their business. Wise Assistant helps businesses to rapidly source local media talent to plan, launch and measure marketing campaigns at the neighborhood level. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

CodeLaunch provides a local platform for Wise Assistant to reach a diverse audience and discuss the exciting new features we’re launching. Through the CodeLaunch family, we’ve been connected to incredible engineers, entrepreneurs, founders, and business owners. We’re excited about developing these connections into mutually advantageous relationships for years to come. 

Professional Hackathon Team: Build Technology Group

Tell us about Fund Hub.

FundHub is the premier AI-powered fundraising platform and an educational social network marketplace. It connects grant seekers with grants and professionally vetted grant writers all in one place.  As a social enterprise, FundHub helps businesses and nonprofits challenged in accessing capital get high-ROI funding by focusing on Founder education.  This will shrink the wealth gap and provide access to funding for founders from historically underrepresented communities.  After nearly 20 years as a Certified Grant Writer, I’ve raised millions with as high as a 93.75% success rate.  My clients have received as much as $35 for every $1 they spent on my services.  Combining my grant writing experience with tech, FundHub is the vehicle for transitioning from a direct services lifestyle business to a scalable company.  

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch? 

At CodeLaunch Atlanta, we look forward to competing for cash and in-kind services; creating awareness of FundHub on a larger scale; building critical tech for our platform; connecting with VCs, ecosystems, founders, and networks needing our services; and recruiting beta testers for our platform.   

Professional Hackathon Team: Abel Solutions

Tell us about Agrippon.

Are you tired of the constant struggle to manage claims and ensure effective communication between clinical staff and billing departments in your dental practice? It’s time to embrace change and revolutionize the way your office operates. Introducing our groundbreaking, HIPAA-compliant app—an innovative solution designed to modernize communication, streamline the billing process, and significantly enhance both efficiency and profitability in dental practices. Get ready to experience a new era of dental billing and leave the outdated methods behind. 

Our innovative app provides a centralized, HIPAA-compliant platform that allows billing departments and clinical staff to effortlessly communicate and collaborate on claim statuses. With real-time updates, notifications, and an intuitive interface, our app eliminates the need for outdated tracking methods and cumbersome communication, empowering office staff to focus on enhancing the patient experience and improving collections for dental offices. 

The future of dental billing is here. Our groundbreaking app is set to revolutionize the way dental practices communicate and manage their billing process. By offering a centralized, secure, and user-friendly platform, our app not only streamlines communication but also boosts efficiency, profitability, and overall practice performance. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to transform your dental practice with our innovative app.

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch? 

We have come a long way and this is a chance to celebrate our progress and success.  At CodeLaunch, we can celebrate that win and invite attendees to join us as we grow.  There is more to do and an industry to disrupt.  We can do it.  Together. 

Professional Hackathon Team: PS-AI 

Tell us about Practice-Quest.

The PracticeQuest founders are experienced college STEM educators who are working to solve major problems in higher education. Every year hundreds of thousands of college students are derailed from career goals in science and medicine by poor performance in foundational introductory STEM programs. Many of these students have the potential to be successful but are unprepared for the demands of college-level chemistry and biology.

With the perfect storm of ever-increasing costs of higher education, the rise of online instruction accelerated by the COVID pandemic, and the pressure to succeed in highly competitive fields, many students resort to using online “study” sites that sell homework and test answers and AI chatbots that can solve problems for them. Educators have struggled to adjust to the resulting massive increase in academic dishonesty and express growing alarm at the future of assessment in education.

PracticeQuest addresses these issues by leveraging the skills of experienced assessment creators and algorithmic design to generate an unlimited supply of questions for learning and assessment in chemistry and biology. With unique questions created on demand, we limit the incentives and opportunities for student cheating and provide educators with a valuable time-saving tool that ensures fair and equitable assessment. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch? 

We look forward to the opportunity to present our vision to the CodeLaunch audience and connect with other entrepreneurs and developers interested in unlocking the potential in millions of young people who might otherwise never become the health and STEM professionals we need. 

Professional Hackathon Team: Improving Nearshore

Tell us about UnicornForms.

UnicornForms is the next-generation electronic signature and document management system focused on exponential efficiency gains. Bad data due to documents is a trillion-dollar problem and document data is doubling every six months. The industry can’t keep up. This problem is both manifestly mundane as it is important to solve. Our product makes the cost of regulatory compliance, security questionnaires, documentation, or contracts negligible by eliminating redundancy and making documents, forms, and PDFs interoperable. What is unique about our product is that it gracefully solves both complex industry problems as well as simple contract signatures that anyone can use. We’re super mobile-friendly and exceptionally well-designed. One of our early adopters is using our product to automate education benefits, so that when low-income children enroll they automatically enter into food or other programs that can both improve educational outcomes and alter the course of that child’s life. What previously would take days, weeks, or months to complete can now take minutes or hours. It’s remarkable to see it in action. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch? 

I can’t wait to build with the Improving Nearshore team and show the world our work. They are pumped. I am pumped. We’re going to blow away the field! We’re excited to kick off our summer marketing push with CodeLaunch and raise our seed round. 

Professional Hackathon Team: Improving Atlanta

Tell us about Cast-U.

CASTU is a mobile platform designed to connect talented professionals in the film and television industry with productions that need their skills. The platform aims to streamline the hiring and collaboration process for both employers and employees, ultimately making it easier for everyone involved to achieve their goals. The problem that CASTU solves in the film industry is the difficulty that professionals face in finding work and connecting with potential employers. The industry is highly competitive, and it can be challenging to stand out and find opportunities without a strong network. CASTU aims to bridge this gap by providing a platform that allows professionals to showcase their skills and connect with a broader range of potential employers. As filmmakers ourselves, we understand how hard this process is and continues to be. We hope that by creating CASTU we are opening the opportunity for all those people with no access to Hollywood a more direct route to getting their careers off the ground. We affectionately consider CASTU a dream-maker.

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch? 

With CodeLaunch we are looking forward to getting our message out there.  We believe that CASTU is a great opportunity for so many who need access. CodeLaunch is a great place for us to finally showcase all the exciting possibilities that await anyone who is looking for a chance to have their moment.

CodeLaunch ATL will be on May 10th at the Buckhead Theatre. Get your tickets here!

You read that right, CodeLaunch, produced by Improving and presented by Cyrannus, is going global! We are headed to Guadalajara, Mexico on August 30^th for our first international CodeLaunch competition. The event is open to Mexico-Based startups who want to succeed and evolve through our unique spin on the seed accelerator model. Our application portal will be open from May 10^th until June 16^th for startup founders and teams to apply at no cost. 

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 $1.4M in services to its finalists and overall winners since it started over a decade ago.   

We are excited to have Contollo and Improving Nearshore already on board as Professional Hackathon Sponsors, and Cyrannus as our Presenting Sponsor.

“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.”

Guillermo Ortega Simon, Improving Guadalajara President & Mexico Operations

Important Applicant Information: 

CodeLaunch is a free amenity for tech startups. It costs nothing to apply, and it does not take equity. All you need is a pitch deck, code-ready mockups, and passion. It’s important to note that this CodeLaunch competition is open to Mexico-based startups only. The competition process will be in English only, which means pitch decks and presentations need to be written in English and everyone will be speaking the English language during all meetings, and for a lucky few, on stage at our venue host Tecnologico de Monterrey GDL campus. 

If you are selected as a finalist, your mockups should be what you hope to build in your 2-day professional hackathon. This is one way that our competition stands out from the crowd. Each finalist is drafted by a professional software development team that accelerates product development and builds out as much of the product as possible. During the pitch competition and showcase event on August 30th, each startup product is demonstrated live in front of an audience of innovators, STEM students, VCs, and Angels, who then interactively vote to determine winners. 

“I was fortunate to find out about CodeLaunch way back in 2015 when CodeLaunch was a new social experiment and attended CodeLaunch in Dallas, TX. I am thrilled this innovative take on accelerating tech startups is making its way to Mexico, especially in Guadalajara Jalisco. I will bring my VC and Angel Investor networks to see the early-stage deal flow that CodeLaunch produces in person.”

Guillermo Fernandez Chavez, Co-Founder DayStore.mx

“Cyrannus is aligned with CodeLaunch because we are both changing the landscape of early stage tech startup ventures. I have seen how CodeLaunch positively impacts startup ecosystems and founders now in Ohio, Dallas, Houston and soon to be Atlanta. Mexico based startup founders and investors should take a serious look at aligning with and supporting CodeLaunch GDL.MX.”

Lee Mosbacker IV, PHD, Co-Founder Cyrannus.

Our application portal will be open from May 10th through June 16th! You can also learn more about CodeLaunch GDL.MX here! 

Align with CodeLaunch  

We are seeking companies and organizations who want to help accelerate Mexico’s startup ecosystem. Are you a Guadalajara technology mover and shaker? Or are you an American company with Mexico interest or presence? Then, email jason@codelaunch.com to start a conversation about aligning with CodeLaunch with the President and Founder of CodeLaunch, Jason W. Taylor.

In the high-stakes world of startup entrepreneurship, the narrative of CharaChorder stands out not only as an example of innovative product development, but also as a masterclass in securing startup funding. 

CharaChorder’s startup journey began in 2019 when Riley Keen strolled into the CodeLaunch office clutching a peculiar-looking device – a concept that would later revolutionize how we type. Now, in 2023, CharaChorder boasts a thriving business, multiple product lines, and a global user base.

The genesis of CharaChorder is rooted in its mission – to vastly accelerate the average human typing speed from 40 words per minute to 250 words per minute, mirroring the pace of human reading comprehension. In under four years since the product’s grand reveal at CodeLaunch 7, the company has made giant strides toward achieving this ambitious goal.

Startup Funding and CodeLaunch: A Defining Moment

So, what exactly is CharaChorder? Unlike the QWERTY-based typing method we are accustomed to, CharaChorder utilizes a state-of-the-art chorded keyboard that allows users to input the letters of a word both individually and simultaneously while the internal processor automatically arranges the letters on the screen in real time.

This hyper-fluent interface was inspired by Riley’s personal experience living at home with his non-verbal father. This groundbreaking device would now allow him to communicate at the same speed that we speak.

The first version of CharaChorder, dubbed CharaChorder One was showcased for the first time at CodeLaunch and operates via the movement of the device, replacing the need for standard typing. This innovative concept harmoniously combines traditional and novel typing methods, underpinning CharaChorder’s success.

“CodeLaunch was a significant turning point for us, marking the first public display of our product, years in the making,” reminisces Riley Keen, CharaChorder’s founder. The platform not only presented the perfect timing but also the ideal audience for unveiling the fruits of their labor.

Startup Funding and Beyond: The CharaChorder CodeLaunch Experience

Despite not securing the winning title at CodeLaunch 7, CharaChorder still emerged victorious. They gained access to free software development services through the startup competition, along with a platform to showcase their innovation. Connections established at CodeLaunch continue to be integral to Riley’s network, encompassing investors and a team member of the winning startup, 3GStrong, who currently uses CharaChorder at their workplace.

After CodeLaunch, the CharaChorder team explored other avenues of startup funding. They attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), attracting the interest of angel investors. Crowdfunding through Kickstarter was also leveraged, enabling customers to pre-order their inaugural commercial product. Their startup funding journey culminated in a profitable year in 2022.

Harnessing social media, Riley also built a following of over 150K on TikTok, which proved instrumental in promoting their product without heavy advertising expenditure.

A Unique Take on Startup Funding: Riley’s Advice to Founders

With only about half a million dollars in startup funding, CharaChorder’s financial trajectory deviates from the norm of multi-million dollar funds associated with startup success. Riley’s take on startup funding emphasizes not relying solely on investments. He believes in minimizing undue pressure on entrepreneurs and investors, which often results in premature product launches that could jeopardize the company or product’s viability.

Riley’s sage advice to startups: Utilize your investments to expand your brand and products, but don’t let them be your lifeline. CharaChorder has made strategic decisions regarding its investors, inviting contributions from lawyers who offer additional contract-related advice and technology industry insiders who help refine their products.

Future Goals: The Road Ahead

With their startup funding journey behind them, CharaChorder’s 2023 goal is straightforward. They aim to ramp up their product delivery to weekly schedules (a vast improvement from the previous 3-4 month wait time) and incorporate customer feedback to enhance their offerings.

“We owe our accomplishments to our community. Their unique insights guide us to improve every day. That’s how you elevate a company,” says Riley. This inclusive approach reflects the team’s belief that creating something for marginalized groups can have widespread benefits.

For more insights about CharaChorder, its products, and its mission, visit its website here. Hear more from Riley on our podcast We Code, You Launch, a live weekly interactive session open to our growing Discord community every Monday from 4:30-5:30 CDT. Listen to Riley’s episode now.

Finally, as we gear up for our second competition in Atlanta on May 10th, we invite you to join us and experience the exciting world of startup funding and launches. Find out all about this startup event here!

CodeLaunch, produced by Improving 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.

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. 

• Softeq + Gophr
• Honeycomb Software + E 360
• BJSS + Drinkicks
• Contollo + Inpathy
• Blue People + Drivingo
• Improving + AnyShift

Shoutout to all of the CodeLaunch HOU 2023 finalists who will now go on to launch viable startup companies! 

View the gallery from CodeLaunch HOU 2023 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 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 10^th 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!

Learn about each final startup before the final competition on March 2nd!

Professional Hackathon Team: Blue People

Tell us about Drivingo:

Drivingo is the world’s first completely automated Drive-Thru system. It uses ASL-based gestures trained by machine learning to take users’ orders without ever needing to speak with an employee. As it stands, many companies within the quick-service-restaurant industry are suffering from a multitude of lawsuits, as a direct result of their gap in accessibility and lack of sensitivity training. Companies know this is an issue, but don’t know how to solve it; that’s where Drivingo comes in. We offer much-needed sensitivity training as well as our own software that allows anyone to order quickly and easily. In addition, our software also eliminates some identified issues within this industry, such as inaccurate sensors, leading to faulty data when reviewing lead times.  

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

Codelaunch provides an amazing stage for us to present Drivingo to such a diverse audience. We’ve also been given access to incredible resources, pushing us further along our goals than we could have ever done ourselves at such an early stage in our start-up. Being a member of the Codelaunch family gives us an opportunity to make meaningful and impactful connections with potential partners and investors.  

Professional Hackathon Team: Contollo

Tell us about Inpathy:

Inpathy is a social app creating empathetic communities through transparency, normalizing moods, and recreating the social media experience to better serve people’s well-being and digital identity formation. 

Inpathy’s mission is to create a social platform that promotes emotional intelligence and mental wellness, rather than contributing to the increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction among young people. At Inpathy, we believe social media has connected us for a greater purpose beyond use as a tool for entertainment, networking, and monetization. Therefore, we believe social media is not in its final form. Inpathy will be the future of social tech that uses social media and AI to provide digital mental health solutions. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

Team Inpathy is looking forward to taking the stage and showing Houston, Texas why we set out on this bold initiative to #SpreadInpathy! We are excited to display all the hard work that Contollo and our Founding team have put into making sure that we deliver passion, entertainment, and vision to Codelaunch HOU 2023. We have no doubt that we will leave this event with the tools, direction, and resources needed to accelerate Inpathy toward our next successful milestone.

Professional Hackathon Team: BJSS

Tell us about Drinkicks:

DrinKicks is a sneaker-themed consumer packaged goods company that is focused on repurposing food waste and recycled materials into sustainable goods such as shoes, sports equipment, and clothing all while educating consumers on the power of the circular economy.  Our approach will provide exposure to an important topic through the lens of sneaker culture. Our motto is Mind-Body-Laces. The users will benefit by changing how they think about consumption (Mind). Users will learn about healthy products and habits for both themselves personally and the Earth (Body). Users will be more educated and have the threads (Laces) to tie everything together. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

We are looking forward to working with BJSS and creating amazing technology that will help shift how people think about recycling and sustainability. We are so excited and grateful to have this opportunity and we cannot wait to experience the entire CodeLaunch process. 

Professional Hackathon Team: Softeq

Tell us about Gophr:

Gophr App Inc. is a marriage between Software as a Service and Delivery. We are a delivery technology platform that provides same-day and expedited shipping, and a simple delivery solution for any business.  From pharmacies and machine shops to construction sites, to flower shops and more, we offer seamless delivery innovation. Snap a photo, instantly receive a quote and submit. Let Gophr handle all the headaches and costs of logistics for you. 

We believe Gophr is the ultimate one-two combination of local marketplace and delivery solutions. For customers, our mobile app combines convenient local shopping with same-day delivery from their favorite local retail businesses. For commercial and industrial merchants, our platform connects them with a fleet of vehicles that spans from compact cars to big rigs for affordable on-demand deliveries. Gophr is focused on helping local businesses thrive, while also having a nationwide long-term goal.  

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

We are looking forward to pitching in front of potentially thousands of people and introducing them to our services. 

Professional Hackathon Team: Improving

Tell us about AnyShift:

AnyShift is an on-demand platform connecting flexible workers with businesses in the retail, hospitality, and warehousing industries.

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

We recently moved to Houston. So, we are very excited to be presenting our product and the demo designed by Improving to an audience of 2000+ people! 

Professional Hackathon Team: Honeycomb Software

Tell us about E 360:

E 360 is a holistic building solution. We monitor both the energy efficiency and indoor air quality of commercial buildings and help customers save energy, greenhouse gas emissions and cost all while also dramatically improving the indoor air quality. We do this by monitoring vast sums of IOT data and then using Machine Learning and real-time monitoring we adjust the building to optimize its performance.  This is a revolutionary way to look at commercial buildings. The vast majority of buildings are both incredibly inefficient as well as dangerous to their occupants; due to the dangerous levels of compounds in the air. We solve both these complex problems at the same time. This is unheard of in our industry. 

What are you looking forward to when it comes to CodeLaunch?

We are looking forward to meeting industry leaders and investors who can help take the product to the next level. 

Our Global Community Partner Project 10K gives great tips for startup founders so their ideas can become thriving, successful companies.

In recent years, there’s been a boom in the number of tech startups. The US tech market is $1.6 trillion, making it the largest in the world, prompting many entrepreneurs to start tech companies. Small technology startups have developed as a result of this, which offer clients innovative solutions or build software they can use.

Starting a tech company is a fantastic way to bring your innovative vision to life and make a real impact on the world. Our Global Community Partner, Project 10K, is committed to helping transform your idea into a successful tech company. They take a hands-on approach with their entrepreneurs. They provide the experience, resources, and network necessary to turn your concept into a thriving business. 

Earlier this month, Project 10K launched the first-ever Project 10K Elite event in Brickell, Miami, and co-founded 11 companies in two days. Babson College, the number one school for entrepreneurship in the world for the past 26 years, has given us this incredible opportunity to partner with them in this historic event. The ideas have been mind-blowing, and we are more than excited to help these new tech companies build, scale, and see them through impactful exits.

But where does everything begin?

Below, Project 10K has outlined some critical steps to take when starting a tech company.

1. Develop a Compelling Idea

A compelling and unique idea is the first step in starting a tech company. Most of the time, what seems like a crazy idea turns out to be something GREAT that can change lives forever. Project 10K helps transform napkin ideas into meaningful exits and helps entrepreneurs make the perfect pitch that gets the yes for their business. 

2. Create a Minimum Viable Product

In their Validation Challenge, Project 10K goes ALL-In with an entrepreneur to validate the overall viability of a tech idea by launching a Minimal Viable Company that can and will make money and begins to scale. Your minimum viable product (MVP) is the first version of your product or service that you’ll release to the public. Creating an MVP will help you save time and money in the long run, as it’s much cheaper and faster to iterate on an existing product than creating something from scratch.

3. Find the Right Team

As they say, it takes a village to raise a child and a strong team of talented individuals to build a successful tech company. Project 10K takes ideas written on napkins, pitch decks, or minimal viable tech products and transforms them into stable, viable, and highly lucrative tech companies. By combining a world-class software development team with a top-notch go-to-market and sales division, financing, legal support, and business consulting, you can have the industry’s dream team at your disposal.

4. Secure Funding

Starting a tech company takes money—there are no two ways. You’ll need to raise capital to finance the development of your product or service, pay for marketing and advertising, and cover any other operational costs associated with running your business. There are numerous ways to raise capital, so it’s vital that you explore all of your options and choose the one that makes the most sense for your company. This can be done through venture capitalists, angel investors, or crowdfunding platforms like WeFunder. 

5. Launch Your Product or Service

After you’ve raised capital and created a business plan, it’s time to launch your product or service. This is where all of your hard work comes together. It’s essential to have a strong launch strategy that includes marketing, PR, and sales initiatives that will help you reach your target market and achieve success. This is a very exciting time! With Project 10K, your cohort will rally energy around you, your team at Project 10K will be fully immersed with you, and your family in our ecosystem will go above and beyond to ensure we validate quickly! 

Summing It Up

Starting a tech company can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Following the steps above can give you a solid foundation to build a successful business. And remember—done is better than perfect, so don’t be afraid to start today! 

When converting your napkin ideas into impactful exits, Project 10K can help you take your business to the next level.

About Project 10K

Project 10K combines the best elements of a Venture Studio, Incubator, Accelerator and Growth Hacking Agency with a Venture Capital solution to help visionary SaaS Entrepreneurs launch their ideas quicker, with less risk, while keeping more equity. As the ultimate co-founder, Project 10K provides everything an emerging SaaS company needs to build, scale, and eventually sell including product design, management, development, UI/UX, go-to-market, branding, press, business development, sales, legal, fundraising, bookkeeping, operations, customer support, exit planning and more. Project 10K plans to BUILD, SCALE, and SELL 10,000 SaaS applications over the next 10 years by transforming a napkin idea into a scalable company on the road to an exit. Project 10K democratizes software by giving anyone committed the chance to become a SaaS founder regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, educational background, etc.

We’re thrilled that Dell for Startups is sponsoring CodeLaunch DFW 2022! Dell for startups was created to guide startups in their technology journey. The program provides expertise from Dell advisors, giving founders scalable solutions to grow their startups. 

“Dell for Startups provides startup expertise from dedicated technology advisors and scalable solutions to ensure your business is always ready to grow.” – Dell for Startups Website 

The CodeLaunch team talked with Dell for Startups Lead Lucas Chaya del Pino, who you will hear from during the CodeLaunch DFW event on November 16th. He told us he is delighted to experience CodeLaunch for the first time.

“We are constantly incorporating new partners that get us in front of entrepreneurs and create relationships,” Lucas said. “CodeLaunch is exactly the type of partner we want, and I am very excited to participate in the event.” 

What makes Dell for Startups unique?

Dell for Startups focuses mostly on the technology side of the business. As experts in the tech world, they give startup founders free resources (IT consultation, seed units, etc) to help them scale up with their technology.

Dell for Startups has a robust mentor database, which means founders can get advice from people who have been in their shoes. Plus, members get perks like special pricing, exclusive discounts, and client installation services for free

The program has a year-long pitch competition championship of its own. Dell for Startups travels across the US as their members compete for over $500k worth of prizes. However, Lucas said the competition is not only about the prizes. It’s about being able to find out how to create and give a great pitch while getting exposure to the investor ecosystem.

To learn more about Dell for Startups, click here. 

Remember to grab your ticket to CodeLaunch DFW 2022 presented by Cyrannus and Confluent! Get your tickets now! 

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.

CodeLaunch Ohio presented by Cyrannus Winner:

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.

Enzee + Mastery Portfolio
Improving Ohio + AlignAI
QStartLabs + servUS
Tech Elevator + Metatopia Network

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!

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.  

CodeLaunch could not happen without our amazing hackathon sponsors. Each company puts together a team and works absolutely free of charge during our hackathon. They work tirelessly with our finalists to ensure their technical products are accelerated and that they can close a seed round of funding. 

Our next hackathon will take place the weekend before CodeLaunch Ohio 2022 Presented by Cyrannus. The Ohio hackathon sponsors will spend 24 hours with a partnered CodeLaunch startup finalist to provide key consulting services to make their product or service thrive. 

So, who are the Ohio hackathon sponsors? We are highlighting two of them in this post. 

QStart Labs 

QStart Labs is a firm dedicated to launching new tech ventures that provides startups with experienced technology development and a startup advisory team made up of entrepreneurs, designers, nerds, and investors. Their goal is simple: change the way entrepreneurs and investors launch new businesses on the web. 

A QStart Labs client company partners with Improving, and that is how Jeff was connected to CodeLaunch Founder Jason W. Taylor. After only one meeting, he knew CodeLaunch was something he and his team wanted to be a part of.  

“It sounded like a great idea,” Jeff said. “CodeLaunch is going to be great for the local startup community and will continue to make Columbus a hotspot for startups.”  

One of their core values is to be pragmatic. Being able to create a good balance between the textbook way of building something and the reality of how the building actually goes when you do not know how customers will react to it yet. I think the CodeLaunch model takes that pragmatic approach as well.  

Jeff said his team is thrilled to work together during the Hackathon. 

“Most of the time they’re working right next to each other, but working on separate projects,” Jeff told us. “So, a chance to really work together on the same project is really exciting. This will be high pressure and a lot of fun. We like each other a lot and tend to enjoy our time together so it will be interesting to see what happens.” 

Since they work with startups on a normal basis, the QStart Labs team knows how it feels to bring a startup’s project to life. Jeff says there’s nothing like seeing something be built from scratch. He’s excited to provide that experience to their CodeLaunch finalist team and make an entrepreneur’s dream a reality. 

Tech Elevator 

Tech Elevator is a coding and career prep boot camp based in Ohio. They offer intensive in-person and online education to help individuals and companies acquire in-demand technology skills for the modern workforce. 

Tech Elevator was created in 2015 when the founders saw the continual shortage of software developers. They took this as an opportunity for ambitious adults to move from unsatisfying jobs to well-paying, fulfilling careers in the tech industry. Today, Tech Elevator has helped thousands of graduates build new careers with over 700 hiring partners nationwide.  

Sandie Young, Marketing Director at Tech Elevator, told us their Columbus Campus Director, Vinny Sanfillipo, found out about CodeLaunch and brought the idea to her. She recognized how involved CodeLaunch is within local communities, and knew it would be a great opportunity. 

“We love getting involved and elevating the communities in which we have campuses,” Sandie said. “So, we are really excited to collaborate with a startup and do some coding!” 

Their team is excited to meet other like-minded professionals as they start their CodeLaunch journey. They recently added their fourth hackathon team member, and everyone is counting down the days until CodeLaunch arrives in Ohio. 

They have an open house happening in Columbus on July 18^th. Learn more about that event here.  

Cyrannus is digging into the deception that unfortunately takes place in the startup and tech worlds. The newly launched blog is working to help investors and venture capitalists learn about and avoid fraud and deception. 

“Cyrannus is a technical due diligence blog for investors and venture capitalists to assess high-tech feasibility in their investments and technologies,” Founder Lee Mosbacker said. 

Lee has had unique experiences that have provided him with rich knowledge of the inventor mindset. His background is in physics, but he has spent time as a software engineer, device physicist, and optical physicist. He got into artificial intelligence and even understands a baseline of quantum physics that goes into more of the advanced technologies that people are investing in. 

However, his biggest asset may be his keen skeptical eye for the ways that technologies are promoted, and the way that inventors can fool others and even themselves. Lee told us that a lot of times, investors see the hype that certain startups or venture capital have around them. Without fully understanding the technology that goes into creating the product or service, investors buy into the hype. This can result in significant consequences. 

For people who may not understand the need for this kind of blog, Lee told us he has personally been burned before. Fraud was taking place at a company he was working for, and it took him and his colleagues a couple of months to uncover it.  

“A university professor was manipulating data, lying to investors, fraudulently creating prototypes that did not work though they said that it worked,” Lee said. “Instead of justice happening, they left the company and received a prestigious award for the work that they did.” 

Lee’s parents were activists throughout his childhood, taking on big banks and Washington to make changes as poor Ohio farmers. From an early age, they instilled those values into him. That’s why he feels so passionate about the blog. 

CodeLaunch Connection

Lee recently moved back to Columbus, Ohio after living in the Bay Area for a decade. Many of his friends are tech leaders and capitalists in the community, but they also really care about the things they are building and putting into society. They introduced Lee to the Conscious Capitalism community (a major part of CodeLaunch’s identity) and met the CodeLaunch team there.  

Lee jumped at the opportunity for Cyrannus to become not only a CodeLaunch sponsor, but the presenting sponsor of CodeLaunch Ohio 2022! He sees that it’s difficult to find technical partners in Ohio compared to somewhere like the Bay Area, and believes CodeLaunch does a great job in bridging that gap. 

“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,” Lee 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.” 

The Future of Cyrannus

The first Cyrannus blog post has been published! It’s about whistleblower rights and protections. The next article will look into the feasibility of a local unicorn’s claims. The blog will publish a new article every week. 

Learn more about Cyrannus here. 

For details on CodeLaunch Ohio, click here. 

Phix Health was a finalist for CodeLaunch DFW 2021 in October. Now they’re breaking a CodeLaunch record after they secured a round of seed funding which included $3.5 million in intellectual property and cash only five months after the competition. This is the fastest that any CodeLaunch finalist has closed a round of this size.

In March, they partnered with Bill Koehler and Mike Colson, two individual entrepreneurs who invest and operate in multiple companies. Both Koehler and Colson have been in the healthcare space for a long time and saw incredible value in Phix Health’s mission. 

Because of this significant deal, Founder Mark Schultz told us they have been actively developing their app throughout the Spring. Phix Health will roll out its application’s beta version in October which will be ready for use, and the alpha version is set to be completed by July.

Mark said he started Phix Health because he noticed that wearables and every other device on the market gives historical data, but it ends there. That’s why Phix Health takes historical data, pairs it with AI, and gives the user an actionable plan to transform their health. 

They do this by bringing together multiple data sets into their single platform by integrating with wearables like Apple Watches and Fitbits. It also connects with glucose monitors, EKGs, scales, blood pressure cuffs, and any other health or wellness device. 

Mark said CodeLaunch allowed them to demonstrate how the app can take multiple devices and put the data into a singular platform to allow the user to have actionable recommendations to provide outcomes. Improving was their hackathon partner and made all of this happen. The developers helped build their website with a live demo to show people in the market how to use the app. 

“CodeLaunch is unique,” Mark said. “I’ve seen a bunch of accelerators, and we’ve been invited to a bunch since then. We’ve turned them all down because they want equity. It’s been refreshing to see that basically, CodeLaunch empowers you to be a better person and a better company.” 

He also told us CodeLaunch gave the Phix Health founder confidence that his idea could succeed. The competition helped him and his team elevate their sales pitch and helped them get in touch with investors.  

“It was market validation for us,” he said. “CodeLaunch gave us a platform that allowed us to simplify our message.” 

Phix Health’s target audience is anyone in the health space. They want to work with concierge physicians and other people in the wellness and fitness industry, as well as those in the life insurance and health insurance world. 

Mark will join CodeLaunch Founder Jason W. Taylor on Discord on Monday, May 23^rd. You can hear him speak about his journey in founding and creating Phix Health by joining the conversation. If you would like to receive similar results for your startup, do not miss out on applying to CodeLaunch Ohio 2022 which is set for August 25^th. You can apply for it here. 

To learn more about why you should apply for CodeLaunch, check out this blog post. 

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!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/moto_clerk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motoclerk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotoClerk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/motoclerk

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 5^th at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas! Save your spot as an attendee and register for CodeLaunch 8 now!  

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coconutsilo
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coconutsilo

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 8^th 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 5^th at the Comerica Center in Frisco, TX. Save your spot as an attendee and register today!

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!

Facebook: UNT at Frisco
Twitter: @untatfrisco
Instagram: @untatfrisco
LinkedIn: University of North Texas at Frisco
YouTube: UNT at Frisco

CodeLaunch 8 has been pushed back to November 5^th 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!

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 1^st 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 1^st, 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 8^th 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 10^th 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!

Key Takeaways

• Register to attend here.
• Sponsorships and Exhibitors are available now, contact ideas@codeauthority.com
• Health Safety sponsorship is available now, contact ideas@codeauthority.com

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!

Stay safe all,

Jason W. Taylor

President & Founder, Code Authority, CodeLaunch