Codefest Statement

[wilhelmjennifer]

Good Morning to you all. 

As you all know, we have been reviewing options to determine the future of the Codefest.  After many discussions it seems clear that the best course of action is to sunset the brand. This decision was not made lightly but is a reflection of the changing landscape of tech hackathons and the needs of the nonprofit community. The statement below will be posted on the Codefest website homepage.  Please let me know if you feel I have missed any partners that should be mentioned. It has been a great five years. I am proud of the great events we created, the partnerships we built, and the apps that were built. I hope you are too. 

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After five years successful years, the Steel City Codefest is sunsetting.  

 

When Steel City Codefest began in 2013, it was the one of the first hackathons in the city. It allowed a partnership between technologists and local nonprofits or government agencies to create sustainable technology solutions for local challenges.  Codefest, along with the technology boom in Pittsburgh, has helped catalyze the space for more hackathons and startup weekends to emerge, allowing us to now take a step back.

 

Over the years, the Codefest has changed in format but the mission has remained the same. When the hackathon started in 2013, it was just a weekend, but it quickly grew into a week-long format, allowing for more people to participate, and more impressive apps to be built. With the success of Codefest, and the emerging interest in STEM for youth, Codefest Jr. was created in 2015 to allow youth the chance to test their coding skills. Codefest Jr. is now led by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

 

In its five-year run, Codefest had over 460 participants, who worked on 30 challenges across 84 teams. Eleven apps went on to be funded to completion though a partnership between the Codefest, BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and The Forbes Funds.

 

More than 40 people have participated as volunteer committee members over the years to make this event happen.  What began as a partnership between the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, City of Pittsburgh, University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR), MAYA Design, and Google, quickly grew to include: The Forbes Funds, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, American Eagle Outfitters, Work Hard Pittsburgh, Walnut Capital, Uber, Pittsburgh Code & Supply. All of which supported their employees in their participation on the planning committee.

 

It has been an amazing five years. 

 

We would like to thank the Codefest team, all the participants, challenge organizations, and the community members who have participated in Codefest over the years, it would not have been possible without you.

 

Sincerely,

Steel City Codefest Team

 

[Mike Capsambelis]

Thanks for sharing this. It made me very wistful but also proud of the work we did. The messaging is perfect and the list of partners looks right to me.

The goal to solve the everyday challenges of nonprofits will live on, so I look forward to working with some of you on whatever new model, idea, or event comes next in this space!

Mike Capsambelis | Product Management | Google Pittsburgh | mike...@google.com

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[Sara Innamorato]

I’m proud to have been a part of it and to know all of you. 

Speaking of Codefest, one of our challenge participants, Jason McKoy, worked with folks he met at Codefest to launch his contextual camaflouge app  this past week. 

https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/latest-news/art-and-technology-converge-to-destigmatize-mental-disorders-in-contextual-camouflage-gallery-crawl-exhibit/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

 

He should be having other showing soon. 

I hope we can continue to recognize the positive, long-term impacts of the relationships we helped facilitate during Codefest in a City where great inequities and silos of all sorts continue to thrive. 

I hope you all are well. 

Best,

Sara

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Sara Innamorato | Marketer for Social Good Innamo Co. Say Hello! t. (412) 404.3804 website | email | twitter | instagram