Communities around the country are beginning to recognize the importance of computer science education, but only one city is devoting an entire month to the cause. Chicago City of Learning's Sybil Madison-Boyd joins Cheddar to tell us all about the Windy City's Month of Code initiative. She explains how the program's activities are helping to close the education gap.
Madison-Boyd reveals how coding helps children discover new opportunities and open doors. She gives a rundown of some of the programs and activities keeping families entertained and informed as they learn what she calls, "the language of the future." The director stresses the importance of equal access to education and shares inspiring stories of how children are responding to the program.
It's not Chicago's first time encouraging its youth community to learn to code. Madison-Boyd discusses the decision to expand the week-long initiatives into an entire month. She also gives tips on how other communities can borrow from Chicago's lessons and promote computer science education in their own cities.
Sēkr, a mobile app that aims to improve and digitize the outdoor travel experience, announced this week that it raised a $2.25 million seed round. In the Sēkr app, users can get access to more than 50,000 campsites throughout the U.S. including the nation's largest database of free campsites. The company is saying it is on a mission to make every step of the planning experience for outdoor travel easier, safer, and more social. Breanne Acio, co-founder and CEO of Sēkr, and Jess Shisler, co-founder and COO, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Valentine's day is right around the corner and love is in the air....or right at your fingertips if you're on dating apps. Lox Club is the dating app that 'kind of hates dating apps.' If you're burnt out from awkward, cringe-worthy, and superficial dating app encounters, it might be time to join Lox Club. Austin Kevitch, CEO and co-founder of Lox Club, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Elon Musk announced that he expects Starship to reach orbit in 2022. The SpaceX CEO delivered updates about the largest space vehicle to be constructed from its Texas facility. Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder at Phantom Space, joined Cheddar News to talk about the future of Starship. "I've always done wrong by betting against Elon," he said. "The one thing that I find very curious is it launches 100 metric tons into space, and last year, in the entire year, we launched 750. So, you know, with about seven launches, he could launch every satellite on Earth."
Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company and GM of IBM Watson Advertising, joins ChedHER to discuss her successes in this role, and how she's helping women thrive in the c-suite.
Amid a string of recalls for their electric cars, Tesla is also facing a lawsuit over workplace discrimination. The electric automaker is being accused by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing of a pattern of racial discrimination against Black workers. Caleb Silver, Editor-in-Chief at Investopedia, joined Cheddar News to discuss the numerous technical and safety issues that led to the recalls and the allegations of systemic racist abuse at its Fremont plant. "Tesla disputes these claims, but still you can’t avoid the pattern," he said.
