South Bend, Ind.- South Bend Code School is pleased to announce Hello World. A Pitch Competition from Nowhere, USA, to be held on November 13 (Tuesday) in South Bend. High school students currently enrolled in the school’s fall coding programs will pitch business ideas to a panel of judges, including San Francisco-based venture capitalist Cyan Banister, who will participate via video chat.

The students, working individually or in small teams, have been developing tech-related business ideas and prototypes intended to solve real-world problems. They have been coached along the way by the school’s instructors, as well as representatives from INVANTI, a South Bend-based start-up generator. Monetary prizes for the first, second and third place teams will be distributed to help catalyze the ideas and prototypes developed by the school’s students.

Banister, a partner at the venture capital firm Founder’s Fund, recently visited South Bend along with other venture capitalists as part of a Midwest tour. After learning about South Bend Code School’s mission and work, Banister reached out to see how she could help support student development as they learn about coding and tech.

“This event really ties in with South Bend Code School’s mission to give our students skills and experiences that prepare them for their next step- whether that is college, a tech-related internship or job, or another path that requires problem-solving skills, said Alexandra Sejdinaj, co-founder of South Bend Code School. “We are so excited about Cyan’s partnership, which will be invaluable to our students. The opportunity to pitch in front of one of the nation’s most prominent venture capitalists is incredibly special, and we know our students will carry this experience-and the ideas the generate-forward in their lives and careers.”

More background and information about the event and its origins are available here.

About South Bend Code School:
Founded in 2015, South Bend Code School helps eliminate the barriers between youth and technology. Students ages 7-18 learn the fundamentals of web development and design, software craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship. The curriculum, now offered in South Bend, Elkhart, Fort Wayne and Bloomington, Ind., grants students experience conceptualizing, designing and building applications that works towards solving real-world problems. Age-appropriate courses ranging from an introduction to web development to programming to game design are offered in three cycles throughout the year.

Since its inception, South Bend Code School has taught just over five hundred students in its formal programs. Of those students, 33% are female and 41% are from under-represented minorities. About 45% of the students who go through the school’s programs receive assistance through the schools scholarship program which helps make coding accessible to all. For more information, visit southbendcodeschool.com.