58 min
Sylvester Mobley — Founder and CEO of Coded by Kids Bilt215
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- Investing
Sylvester Mobley is the Founder and CEO of the youth tech education non-profit, Coded by Kids. Through his organization he works to increase access to tech education opportunities for those who are underrepresented in tech, especially children of color. Under his leadership, Coded by Kids has grown from serving fewer than 15 children in a rec center to serving more than 500 students per week. Tech has a lot of great benefits but there are still groups of people being locked out of it. Sylvester strongly believes that building a tech industry that is diverse, inclusive and equitable is one of the most pressing issues we face, and is working toward this with Coded by Kids. He shares more about his entrepreneurial journey, the impact he is having on kids in the region, and his hopes for the program in the future. Tune in to find out more.
Key Takeaways:
[1:18] Kevin introduces his guest for this episode — Sylvester Mobley.
[2:38] Kevin does a speed round with Sylvester.
[7:33] Kevin and Sylvester discuss his background prior to starting Coded by Kids.
[10:58] How did Coded by Kids begin?
[14:13] What did the first few months of Coded by Kids look like?
[16:59] How did Sylvester decide to make the leap to focusing on Coded by Kids full-time?
[18:45] Sylvester explains the differences between equity and equality.
[21:19] What does equity look like at Coded by Kids?
[22:26] What is the difference between underserved and underrepresented?
[24:58] How does Sylvester approach such a huge systemic societal problem?
[27:19] What is the structure of Coded by Kids and how does it resemble a youth sports organization?
[31:57] What is the attrition or self-selection rate through the different stages of the program?
[32:54] Sylvester shares a little about how the programs work, and some of the kids he has seen move through the program.
[35:37] What are some of the creative projects produced by the students of Coded by Kids?
[38:55] Ctrl+Shift is a coding competition run for the students. Sylvester shares more about the competition.
[41:42] What are some of the hurdles Sylvester has had to overcome in his entrepreneurial journey?
[44:07] Who are some of the partners of Coded by Kids?
[46:15] Sylvester focuses on a long-term view for his organization, but other stakeholders may want a quick outcome. How does he address that difference in perspective?
[49:00] What are some of Sylvester's leadership principles?
[51:47] Who are some people who have influenced Sylvester in his life?
[54:10] What are Sylvester's greatest hopes and concerns for Coded by Kids?
Links:
Sylvester Mobley
Sylvester Mobley on Twitter
Coded by Kids
John McCain
Past Projects at Coded by Kids
AT&T
ComCast
Sylvester Mobley is the Founder and CEO of the youth tech education non-profit, Coded by Kids. Through his organization he works to increase access to tech education opportunities for those who are underrepresented in tech, especially children of color. Under his leadership, Coded by Kids has grown from serving fewer than 15 children in a rec center to serving more than 500 students per week. Tech has a lot of great benefits but there are still groups of people being locked out of it. Sylvester strongly believes that building a tech industry that is diverse, inclusive and equitable is one of the most pressing issues we face, and is working toward this with Coded by Kids. He shares more about his entrepreneurial journey, the impact he is having on kids in the region, and his hopes for the program in the future. Tune in to find out more.
Key Takeaways:
[1:18] Kevin introduces his guest for this episode — Sylvester Mobley.
[2:38] Kevin does a speed round with Sylvester.
[7:33] Kevin and Sylvester discuss his background prior to starting Coded by Kids.
[10:58] How did Coded by Kids begin?
[14:13] What did the first few months of Coded by Kids look like?
[16:59] How did Sylvester decide to make the leap to focusing on Coded by Kids full-time?
[18:45] Sylvester explains the differences between equity and equality.
[21:19] What does equity look like at Coded by Kids?
[22:26] What is the difference between underserved and underrepresented?
[24:58] How does Sylvester approach such a huge systemic societal problem?
[27:19] What is the structure of Coded by Kids and how does it resemble a youth sports organization?
[31:57] What is the attrition or self-selection rate through the different stages of the program?
[32:54] Sylvester shares a little about how the programs work, and some of the kids he has seen move through the program.
[35:37] What are some of the creative projects produced by the students of Coded by Kids?
[38:55] Ctrl+Shift is a coding competition run for the students. Sylvester shares more about the competition.
[41:42] What are some of the hurdles Sylvester has had to overcome in his entrepreneurial journey?
[44:07] Who are some of the partners of Coded by Kids?
[46:15] Sylvester focuses on a long-term view for his organization, but other stakeholders may want a quick outcome. How does he address that difference in perspective?
[49:00] What are some of Sylvester's leadership principles?
[51:47] Who are some people who have influenced Sylvester in his life?
[54:10] What are Sylvester's greatest hopes and concerns for Coded by Kids?
Links:
Sylvester Mobley
Sylvester Mobley on Twitter
Coded by Kids
John McCain
Past Projects at Coded by Kids
AT&T
ComCast
58 min