In an Entrepreneur Magazine profile on Youth Digital in 2013, the Chapel Hill startup’s founder Justin Richards predicted the movement to teach kids to code would increase exponentially over the next few years and Youth Digital would be a big player in it.
Richards was only half right. The movement to teach kids to code has indeed grown tremendously over the last two years, but Youth Digital isn’t just a player—it’s a clear leader.
When the article was published, Youth Digital had 800 customers. Now, its instructors and software programs have taught more than 70,000 children in over 100 countries how to build and design games, apps and computer programs, proving that Youth Digital wasn’t destined to be just a player in the movement or constrained to being just a coding school.
Youth Digital’s courses train kids to design games, 3D animations, mods for Minecraft games, apps, fashion and even servers. They foster creativity in children through technology, ultimately “creating creators.” Since its accidental founding in 2010 by Richards and his wife Molly, Youth Digital has grown in every way. New courses are consistently being designed, produced and packaged in-house by a rapidly growing team of 53 employees.
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The executive team has grown to include top talent from successful local tech companies like Appia and Shoeboxed—former Appia CFO Tim Oakley has become a key advisor to the company. And it’s happened without any outside investment.
It’s for these reasons respected leaders in the Triangle’s startup community are both impressed by and excited about Youth Digital. The Startup Factory co-founder Chris Heivly says he’s “excited for this company as its mission is something that I strongly believe is or should be a long-term competitive advantage for our metro and our nation.”
Read the full story from author Amy Huffman on ExitEvent, a WRAL Tech Wire partner.
