The Starter League Demo Day – In Just Three Months…

by Yasha Saxena, CEC intern

Three months ago, a passionate and diverse group of individuals, with no prior experience in coding or design, came to 1871 to start their first day at Code Academy, what is now The Starter League. They did so to transform their ideas into interactive websites. Last Friday at 1871, they stood up in front of a packed auditorium to present sixteen unique web concepts that aspired to solve sixteen important problems.  With a wide range of startup ideas, Demo Day truly shifted the notion of what is possible in a mere three months of time.

Here are some examples. In three months:

• A learning app was designed for students to help teachers move at the right pace in the classroom.
• A forum was established for union tradespeople to find tools, equipment, and clothes.
• Hard-working farmers receiving the short end of the stick from grocery stores now have a site where they can do business directly with chefs.
• Previously only on paper, the renter to landlord application process turned digital.
• And, among many other innovative ideas, online dating became a little less like shoe shopping and a little more like a special feeling.

As a student nearing the end of my undergraduate career, it was inspiring and reassuring to see that there is a platform out there for starting from scratch, setting your own boundaries, and changing something that you believe needs fixing. It was especially reassuring to see that even though one day you have to stop being a student, you never have to stop learning or being a part of a community of learners.

And if you do choose to live like that, there is no end. There are only starts.

If you were unable to attend Demo Day, you can view a live recording of all the presentations here.