Student Startup Engages Girls in Coding

Frustrated by declining rates of female participation and an unwelcoming culture that reinforced male stereotypes, three women in this year's Entrepreneurship in Action class have made it their mission to engage more girls into coding.  They launched Lovelace, a workshop-based experience in which girls build a physical lightboard, then learn how to create visual lighting effects - all through coding.  These workshops have been organized for St. Paul Public Schools and the Girls Scouts.  See more coverage in a recent feature article from the MN Daily and a video feature on WCCO-TV.

Anna Pedrick, Katherine Ngo and Lily Yang conceived their new venture as part of the 2-semester class, a nationally-recognized experiential course in which student teams form real companies and receive up to $15,000 to launch and operate their concepts.  Huge thanks to State Farm and long-time champion Joan Roisum for their support of this course.

Another startup in the same class, Theodora, is bringing to market a pillow that they co-designed with breast cancer survivors to enable them to sleep on their sides during recovery.  See their recent coverage in an article in the MN Daily.