Vanessa Hurst_TSEYour Name: Vanessa Hurst

Business Name: CodeMontage, a computer coding service that promotes open source coding education

Type of Business: High Tech

Business Location: New York, NY, United States

Website http://codemontage.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/CodeMontage
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CodeMontage
Tumblr http://blog.codemontage.com/

Reason for starting
I’m building CodeMontage to empower people learning to code by pairing them with open social innovation technology projects. In the next five years, there will be an estimated 1.5 million software jobs and only 30% as many qualified engineers. At the same time, over 70% of nonprofits identify technology as one of their top needs. I started CodeMontage to address these two big picture problems.

How do you define success?
I define success as leaving the world better than I found it, and hopefully changing the way people think. Success for CodeMontage will be to create a clear link between continuous learning and social impact, clarify a pathway to becoming an experienced software developer, and encourage new voices into the technology industry.

Biggest Success
My biggest success so far has been to help inspire people to learn to code through joining the cast of Code.org film, “What most schools don’t teach.” The film reached over 16 million views within a week after its release. Code.org is on a mission to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn to code.

Who is your most important role model?
The best thing about role models is that we can admire people for how they serve in specific roles, rather than choosing people whose lives we hope to copy. One of my most visible role models is Marissa Mayer (whom I value for her data-driven decision making).