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Codecademy, Helping Millions of Learners Around the World

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As society continues to expand digitally, there is an increasing need to understand and learn important digital skills. Codecademy offers just that– a way to gain important skills, build things, and gain constant feedback. Codecademy can complement a four year education and also fill in necessary educational gaps that may be needed to pursue certain careers. Excited to learn just what sets Codecademy apart from other online courses and schooling, I had the opportunity to ask Zach Sims, cofounder of Codecademy some questions. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

 

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How did you enter your field and begin as an entrepreneur?

I started Codecademy with my cofounder, Ryan Bubinski, when I was a junior in college at Columbia University. We both saw a need for an education that reacted to the labor market and the skills it sought. Then, and even now, we thought that the most relevant skill for people to learn was programming. So, we created Codecademy, a site that, at the time, we billed as the “easiest way to learn to code.”

What is your current position and can you please describe what your role entails?

I’m the cofounder and CEO of Codecademy. As Fred Wilson has said, the job of a CEO is to 1) set the overall vision and strategy for the company, 2) recruit and retain great talent, 3) make sure there’s always money in the bank.

600_444963863 In the photo: Codeacademy Meetup

What was the initial idea behind the company? Have you pivoted from this or does the original idea still remain?

Our idea has remained the same. We’d like to create a way for anyone, anywhere to learn the skills they need to find a job.

 

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Building and scaling a business is no simple feat. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in building your business?

When we first started, many people told us that people weren’t interested in learning to code. At the time, there were just over 200,000 programmers in the space. We stayed steadfast in our conviction and launched a product to prove those people wrong. Now, with more than 25 million people that have taken lessons on Codecademy, we think we’ve shown that the market for programming is much larger than anyone anticipated.

600_444963865 In the photo: Codeacademy Meetup

What makes you unique from your competitors?

We think that Codecademy provides education for the learner of today – it’s bite-size, interactive, and fun. It also provides relevant skills that are immediately transferable to a job.

What entrepreneurs do you consider as your role model or inspiration and how have they impacted your career?

I think there are plenty of great entrepreneurs, but I am consistently impressed by Mike Bloomberg. He created a business without much outside capital, scaled it to something worth tens of billions of dollars, and then devoted his time and attention to running one of the greatest cities on earth. Now, he’s back running Bloomberg just as deftly as before.

600_238972272 In the photo: Codeacademy Meetup 

If your company were given one billion dollars, how would you spend it?

We focus on creating free education for millions of people around the world. With $1 billion, we’d be able to do that faster – creating more courses and subsidizing even more content and connections for our learners.

What is your advice for future entrepreneurs who want to start their own business?

Just get started! Oftentimes, people think of many reasons why something won’t work instead of reasons why it will. For us, we had to listen to the voice in our heads instead of paying attention to the advice of others. If you truly believe in something, you should give it a shot and see what feedback you get.

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About the Author /

Courtney Carter is studying psychology and economics at Duke University, with a focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She grew up in San Francisco in close proximity to Silicon Valley, no doubt one of the reasons why she is interested in learning more and writing about the innovation process and the role of entrepreneurs.

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The food industry is coming under increasing scrutiny for its environmental impact, from greenhouse gas emissions, to excessive and detrimental land and water usage, to chemical pollution. Given the challenge of feeding a growing world population whilst simultaneously needing to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, clearly we need to look at alternatives to “dinner as usual”. The contribution of livestock to global greenhouse emissions is estimated at between 14.5 – 18%. Fortunately, there are companies who are tackling this challenge head on and looking at how emissions from food production can be reduced. With consumer interest increasing in alternatives to meat and other protein sources, we’ve spoken to the founders of three companies. From the seemingly futuristic to the rediscovery of superfood trees, each company tackles this new drive in consumer interest in different ways.

Solar Foods, Finland

Dr Pasi Vainnika is the CEO and co-founder of Solar Foods. The slogan of the company is “Food out of thin air”. Pasi was formerly in charge of the single largest renewable energy program in Finland. However, when he found out that 20-25% of the emissions come from food, he realized that emissions from this sector needed to be addressed, as well as those in the energy sector. But with the growth in affordable and renewable energy – particularly solar energy– it led him and his team to question the possibility of producing food solely from energy, carbon dioxide, and water. It turns out, the answer is yes. Solein is a unique single cell protein. It is produced using a fully natural fermentation process like that of the production of yeast or lactic acid bacteria. The powder, which is produced from the process, is 50% protein, 5-10% fat and 20-25% carbohydrate. Most likely, the first product to reach the consumer market will be a replacement in existing plant-based foods. For example, using Solein in shakes or as an alternative to dairy in milks, yogurts, and even in breads and pasta. In the future, a lasagna could include the protein in all aspects of the recipe: the sauce, in the pasta sheets, and in the filling. Further into the future, there is also the possibility that it could be used as the basis for cultured meat production.
In the Photo: Solein Can be used in smoothies as a protein alternative. Photo Credit: Shawn Fields - Unsplash
To produce a kilo of the protein powder takes 10 liters of water in comparison to the 2500 liters of water for a kilo of soy or 15,500 liters for a kilo of beef. Electricity is the main raw material, and the plan is to source this from renewable energy sources. Additionally, Solein binds carbon dioxide rather than emitting it, easing pressure on land use. The product is currently going through regulatory checks and testing at the moment, with a plan to launch in 2021. NASA and the Soviet Union space programs had started to investigate in similar protein production for their expeditions in the past, but Solar Foods has brought it down to earth.

Higher Steaks, United Kingdom

Whilst some people are switching to plant-based diets and others have reduced their meat consumption, some others still want to keep meat in their diets but are looking for more environmentally friendly options. This is where lab-based meat comes in. Benjamina Bollag, CEO and co-founder of Higher Steaks, a UK-based company, believes that it is important to provide alternatives to meat with a lower carbon footprint, but that taste as close as possible to the real thing. She believes that the change required in human behavior to cut emissions will not happen fast enough otherwise. This approach is confirmed by research they have conducted. 52% of respondents confirmed that they would switch from conventional meat to the Higher Steaks alternative, with 21% saying they would prefer a plant-based diet. There are different ways of producing lab-based meat. The process that Higher Steaks is developing is based on pluripotent stem cells, which are taken from a small skin patch or blood sample. The meat that is grown is then shaped into products. Currently, Higher Steaks is working primarily on pork products.
In Photo: Higher Steaks will eventually release pork as its first lab-cultured meat. Photo Credit: Yvonne Lee Harijanto - Unsplash
The company has yet to conduct a lifecycle assessment of the lab-grown meat, but given the high levels of environmental impact from meat production, it should be safe to say that Higher Steaks products will be more sustainable. In addition, as Benjamina explains, other advantages include the avoidance of antibiotic use, resulting in a product which is better for the consumer as well. The level of fat can also be adjusted, depending on consumer preference. The company is working to have the first products in shops within 3-5 years.

Barukas, Brazil

Barukas proves that you don’t always to have to look to the future for more sustainable food sources. Sometimes it is about rediscovering and making available a food source which has been around for a long time to a wider audience. The baruzeiro tree, native to Brazil, has been a long-time source of nutrition for people living in the Cerrado, the vast savannah at the heart of Brazil. The tree produces a fruit, which contains the baru nut. It was the nutritional profile of the baru nut that initially attracted Seth Tuckerman, who had formerly been the COO of Beachbody, a fitness business. The nuts are high in protein, fiber, minerals, and are lower in fat than typical nuts. The taste is often described as a cross between peanuts and almonds. In fact, Tuckerman’s immediate thought on tasting them was “low calorie almonds”. Tuckerman’s passion is not only about the positive health benefits, but also about the trees and the mutual benefits for the communities where they grew.
In Photo: Baruzeiro tree. Photo Credit: Barukas
Tuckerman became a co-founder of Barukas Incorporated. They are on a mission to plant 20 million baruzeiro trees – as a start. The trees need little water and – as native trees – they are already ideally suited to the Cerrado conditions. First, Barukas must prove that there is a market for the fruit of the existing trees. As such, the company is encouraging those living in the Cerrado to collect the nuts by guaranteeing to buy them, then creating customer demand for the nuts. Collecting the fruit from existing trees helps to preserve them from being cleared for intensive and invasive agricultural methods such as soy plantations. Likewise, planting new trees helps to reverse the deforestation of Cerrado. A report by the Climate Observatory estimated that the destruction of surface vegetation in the Cerrado released 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2016. This is roughly two-and-half times the annual tailpipe emissions from all cars in Brazil.
In Photo: Closer look at the baruzeiro tree. Photo Credit: Barukas.
From talking with these three pioneers, it is now clearer than ever that we need multiple solutions to address how to sustainably feed a growing population. We need to cut the carbon emissions and reduce other environmental impacts such as water and land use associated with food production. Some of these solutions are a little way off in the future, but others are available now. We are what we eat, but our choices will increasingly determine what kind of future we will live in as well.   EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com.
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