Startup veterans, developers launch coding academy

Startup veterans, software engineers and developers Jim Van Fleet and Grady Peterson recently unveiled their latest venture: a coding and programming education center called Launchpad Code Academy. 

Their inspiration? Constantly being approached for help by startup technology companies whose growth, they said, was hindered because of a lack of coders, programmers and software developers in the region. 

The immersion program, which starts Sept. 9, is a commitment of nine hours a week for 10 weeks. Van Fleet says it will offer training in: business prototyping, .NET development and web development with Ruby on Rails. 

A semester at Launchpad Code Academy is $5,895. 

"Our goal is to prepare students for a $40,000 to $60,000 salaried position in these 10 weeks," Van Fleet said in the press release. "In the software programming industry, some three-day training programs cost several thousand dollars." 

Founders and instructors have experience working with and for industry giants, such as Google and Microsoft. 

Van Fleet said LaunchPad also has partnered with prominent businesses in the area, such as AvidXChange, Edison Nation, Skookum and Virtual Race Bags. 

“Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are all coders and programmers, said co-founder, Grady Peterson, in the release. “It's time Charlotte started growing our own." 

For details: Contact Grady Peterson, grady@launchpadcodeacademy.com; 704-448-2502. 

Apply here.