Demo Days: Learn, Build, Launch

All the grit, hustle, and hard work of our 5.2 and 5.4 Fellows shined in the Web and Android apps they presented at our annual Demo Days at the Museum of the Moving Image.

The projects are a major milestone in their journey to becoming professional software developers and leaders in technology.
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Members of each team started by introducing themselves, sharing their inspiring personal journeys to becoming software engineers. While their paths are different, all Pursuit Fellows share a passion for technology and the desire to impact the industry.

Then they presented their full-featured apps. From a voice-assisted cooking website to an AR-enhanced learning app for children, the products leveraged technology to create innovative solutions to societal challenges.
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Our proud instructors, volunteers, and teaching assistants — many of whom completed the Pursuit Core training program themselves — celebrated the amazing achievements of our Fellows and imparted valuable career advice for the next step of their journeys.

“Ahead of you lies the task of applying to 100 jobs and getting rejected by 99 of them. You’ll feel like you don’t belong or that you’re not good enough. You’ll feel like you won’t meet the job requirements or have enough experience. But what you need to remember is that you’ve completed a really intense program. You’ve learned the fundamentals of programming. You’ve been working part-time or full-time jobs while raising families. You’ve overcome so much adversity. So, remember on your job interviews, it doesn’t matter that you don’t know everything. What matters is you’re capable of learning anything. Part of what you’re being hired for is your potential. And in that aspect, you’re all unmatched”

— Rusi Li, 5.4 Android Instructor and 3.3 Pursuit Core graduate

A panel of industry experts praised the projects and offered critical feedback to our Fellows. For 5.4, they were Zac Smith, CEO of Packet; Michael Francis, Managing Director of BlackRock; Jake Elghanayan, SVP at TF Cornerstone; Manuela Zoninsein, a sustainability-focused Angel Investor; Akila Raman-Vaseghi, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Andrew Glenn, Managing VP of Engineering at Capital One; and Chriss Maddern, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Button.
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The 5.2 panelists included Jackie Ros, Regional Director, Americas at Techstars; Marc Donner, Director of Global Tech Sites at Uber; Nilay Patel, Editor-in-chief at the Verge; Bryan Bogensberger, CEO at npm; Phil Sarin, CTO at Managed by Q; and Iaian Maclean, Director at Citi.

"I’ve never been more excited about the future of our technology workforce than seeing the closing class demos from @joinpursuit Bravo & good luck as you build your careers, and the next generation of technology."

Go to @chrismadderm on X

"Thanks for having me as a panelist @joinpursuit! Excited to see #DemoDay kickoff!!!! Incredible work you all do & love that @techstars gets to support your work.

Go to @jackie_ros on X

”I was so inspired by the talent I saw tonight and the caliber of the products the Fellows presented. The tech industry thrives on inclusivity and diversity, and I think it needs more software engineers that look like these software engineers.”

— Andrew Glenn, Managing VP of Engineering at Capital One

All the grit, hustle, and hard work of our 5.2 and 5.4 Fellows shined in the Web and Android apps they presented at our annual Demo Days at the Museum of the Moving Image.

— Rusi Li, 5.4 Android Instructor and 3.3 Pursuit Core graduate

"I’ve never been more excited about the future of our technology workforce than seeing the closing class demos from @joinpursuit Bravo & good luck as you build your careers, and the next generation of technology."

Go to @chrismadderm on X

"Thanks for having me as a panelist @joinpursuit! Excited to see #DemoDay kickoff!!!! Incredible work you all do & love that @techstars gets to support your work.

Go to @jackie_ros on X

— Andrew Glenn, Managing VP of Engineering at Capital One

Launchfutureyou.

Demo Days: Learn, Build, Launch

"I’ve never been more excited about the future of our technology workforce than seeing the closing class demos from @joinpursuit Bravo & good luck as you build your careers, and the next generation of technology."

"Thanks for having me as a panelist @joinpursuit! Excited to see #DemoDay kickoff!!!! Incredible work you all do & love that @techstars gets to support your work.

Launchfutureyou.

Demo Days: Learn, Build, Launch

"I’ve never been more excited about the future of our technology workforce than seeing the closing class demos from @joinpursuit Bravo & good luck as you build your careers, and the next generation of technology."

"Thanks for having me as a panelist @joinpursuit! Excited to see #DemoDay kickoff!!!! Incredible work you all do & love that @techstars gets to support your work.