2024 IMPACT REPORT
A message from our CEO
Dear Friends and Supporters,
2024 has been an incredible journey marked by growth, change, and renewed purpose. This year, we embraced a bold new chapter, transitioning from Coded by Kids to Coded by:—a name that reflects both our evolution and the boundless potential of the young innovators we serve. While our name has changed, our mission remains steadfast: to empower our communities by equipping them with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in technology and innovation.
This was also a year of record-breaking impact. Through our programming, we reached more students than ever before over 650 bright, determined learners engaged in building their futures through technology and entrepreneurship. From elementary classrooms to high school innovation challenges, our programs continue to inspire creativity, cultivate skills, and ignite passions that will shape tomorrow’s tech leaders.
But 2024 wasn’t just about what happened inside the classroom. This year, we expanded our vision to look beyond education and strengthen the local tech ecosystem through 1Philadelphia. By fostering collaboration across communities, companies, and institutions, we are working to create a city where opportunities in technology are accessible to all people—paving pathways for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.
None of this progress would have been possible without the unwavering support of our partners, funders, and community. Your belief in our mission fuels everything we do, and together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of so many. As we look ahead to 2025, I am filled with optimism about the opportunities to deepen our impact and reach even more students and communities. Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. Here’s to an even more impactful year ahead.
In Partnership,
Danae Mobley Chief Executive Officer, Coded by:
Coded by: 2024 Board of Directors
Ajeenah Amir Penn Medicine Maurice Gaston Comcast NBCUniversal Dax Hill Vanguard Innovation Studio
Isaac Ewell Board President Ewell & Associates Mjumbe Poe Board Secretary Univ. of Pennsylvania
Andrew Voudouris Turn 5
Sylvester Mobley Plain Sight Capital
Yasmine Mustafa ROAR
1,000
PARTICIPANTSSERVED THROUGH1PHILADELPHIA PROGRAMMING + +
$200K 2024 by the numbers +
OFSTUDENTS INCREASEDTHEIR INTERESTINTECH
650 studentsserved acrossCb:programs
REINVESTEDINTOLOCAL YOUTHTHROUGH STIPENDSAND PRIZES
OFCB:100STUDENTS INTERESTEDINTAKING ADDITIONALCLASSES
STUDENTSATISFACTION RATEFORCB:ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS
OFINTERNSFELTMORE PREPAREDFORJOBSIN TECHORTOSTART THEIROWNBUSINESS
“
Coded by: In the News
This Woman Is Teaching Youth How To Start And Run BillionDollar Tech Startups
Danae Mobley, CEO of 'Coded By Kids' is preparing underrepresented people for tech and startup leadership roles.
Coded by Kids drops ‘kids’ but keeps the focus on
young people
Founder Sylvester Mobley and CEO Danae Mobley shared tears, heartfelt speeches and hugs at the tech nonprofit’s 10th anniversary celebration.
Keep Tomorrow’s Innovators Local
A pair of tech educators urge city and business leaders to make Philly’s job market ready for young technologists or risk losing them.
Coded by Kids CEO steps down; Danae Mobley to lead nonprofit
Danae Mobley is the new CEO of Philadelphia tech nonprofit Coded by Kids She was previously the organization's COO.
Local Gems: Coded by: Kids
PHL17's Jimmy Marlow stopped by the Coded by: offices to speak with CEO Danae Mobley about the organization and how Philly’s youth can get involved in tech.
Philly teens are building startups that help people ride, eat and meet others safely
At Coded by and Launchpad pitch events, young people brought fresh perspectives to building companies from the ground up.
10TH ANNIVERSARY
Celebrating 10 Years of Impact
On June 6th, Coded by: celebrated ten years of service in the Philadelphia region!
Over 100 members of our community joined us at the Center for Design Philadelphia to commemorate this milestone and reflect on the impact we have had over the years. During the ceremony, we recognized our Champions of Change - individuals and organizations that have greatly contributed to our mission and vision for equitable tech for all people.
Congratulations to our Champions For Change awardees: Harbinger Alumni Award: David Castellanos-Benito
Youth: Allan Domb, Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, Seer Interactive Philadelphia First: Comcast NBCUniversal, Bank of America
Advocacy: Chris Wink, Karolyn Maynard, Michelle Freeman
Catalyst Award: Sylvester Mobley
Special Thanks to our CBK10 Sponsors:
PROGRAMMING
Cb: Classroom
Coded by: Classroom is our entry-level program that introduces students to the world of tech and innovation. Learners with no prerequisite knowledge gain foundational skills by participating in workshops and courses that prepare them for more advanced learning and career opportunities in tech. In 2024, we worked with 10 community partners to reach over 500 students, delivering high-quality tech education across the Philadelphia region.
Cb:Classroom made a big impact in 2024, working with over 500 students across the city - our record to date! In addition to our core course curriculum, we partnered with several schools to provide our new three-part workshop series - AI Adventures, CodeLab and Startup Spark. We also piloted a new Cb:201 BUILD course for students looking to deepen their web development skills.
Special Thanks to our 2024 Cb: Classroom Sponsors:
Expanding Impact In the Community: Throughout 2024, Coded by: worked with a number of community partners, including the groups pictures above: Camden County NAACP Youth chapter, Urban Technology Project, Add B Anderson Elementary School, John F. McCloskey School, Kennedy C. Crossan School, and Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Special Thanks to our 2024 Cb: Classroom Sponsors:
Ctrl+Shift 2024
Ctrl+Shift is a coding competition open to all Philadelphia high students interested in learning about tech. In its seventh year, this competition is designed to showcase the work of our students and demonstrate what’s possible for the next generation of innovators!
Click the links to view the winning projects: 1st Place: NeuroShift I 2nd Place: LearnAI I 3rd Place: Gun Free Philly
Outcomes:
Awarded over $16,000 to students during the competition. 66 students registered for the competition.
Hosted four in-person mentoring sessions and four virtual workshops for students to build web development and professional skills. Topics included: design thinking, wireframing, website testing, and project management.
Engaged 15+ volunteers to help mentor students throughout the competition.
97% of students rated their Ctrl+Shift experience as 'very good' or 'excellent'.
36% increase in students who identified as 'very' or 'extremely' comfortable with coding post-program.
Special Thanks to our 2024 Sponsors:
Innovation League 2024
Back for a fourth year, the Innovation League is a 7-week program that helps students learn the end-to-end process of creating a tech-enabled startup. In 2024, over 20 Philadelphia high school students learned how to build businesses, while attending weekly practices and working with tech mentors who helped them gain knowledge and navigate design challenges. At the end of the season, the teams presented their final pitches to a panel of judges at the Innovation Bowl, the league’s culminating championship event, for a chance to win a $5,000 grand prize!
Congratulations to our 2024 winning teams: 1st Place: Vortex I 2nd Place: InnovationBouls I 3rd Place: Team Tech Titans
““I joined [Innovation League] because a couple of friends recommended me to join but after reading the mission and the goal of the program, I hope to gain skills that will help me succeed in the future. [This program] helped me develop the skills required for any successful innovator or entrepreneur.”
-Thien P.
Special Thanks to our 2024 Sponsors:
“My experience with Innovation League was inspiring and educational. I learned many teambuilding skills, and how to design frameworks and mock ups. It taught me business skills and time management skills. It also helped me focus on my public speaking skills too.”
-Jah’Mosi J.
Tech & Innovation Internship
“[Thisinternshiphas]givenmea pathofhowIwanttomoveforw learnedsomeveryvaluable fundamentalconceptsaboutUX Design,andIlearnedthatmysk aremoregearedtowardresearc reallyenjoyedworkingwitheve thissummer!
“Thisinternshipexceededmy expectations.Codedby:hashelpme gainexperienceinafieldthatpeople mayfindtoodifficultandpreppedus forevenmoreskillsandrolestotry aswedevelopourcareers.Ihavean entirelynewperspectiveonwhatit takestostartasuccessfulbusiness
Morgan,WebDevelopmentIntern
“Ireallyenjoyedmytimeinthe internship.Coded[]taughtme valuableskillsaboutwhatitmeansto bealeaderandworkinateamto createaproduct Thisexperiencewill beveryusefulinthefuture.Ialsofeel veryfortunatetohavecompletedthe internshipwithsuchanamazing cohort
Hager,ProductManagementIntern
The Tech and Innovation Internship is a hands-on program that empowers high school and college students to build their own tech startups.
This immersive program blends technical skills with real-world experience, preparing students to succeed as future technologists and entrepreneurs. Beyond the classroom, students visit leading tech companies, connect with industry mentors, and receive expert guidance in web development, UX, product management, and more. This program is a fast track to innovation that opens doors, sharpens skills, and inspires a new wave of innovators.
COHORT 4
Aalana,UI/UXIntern
Tech & Innovation Internship
Goals
To provide students with opportunities to develop their technical skills in web development, user experience and product management
To provide students with mentorship and industry experience that improves their professional skills
To have students collaborate, organize, and function in situations that are not clearly defined and learn quickly
Outcomes
21 high school and college interns completed the internship
Students completed an ideation exercise, prototypes, MVP website, and pitch deck for their final deliverables.
Students participated in six site visits and 3 CEO talks, receiving expert advice from professionals in the fields of development, web design, artificial intelligence, financial literacy, HR, networking, and more!
100% of students stated that this experience increased their interest in tech
More than 80% of students said the internship increased their interest in startups
QUICK LINKS:
READ BLOG: Fostering Future Leaders: 2024 Internship
WATCH VIDEO: Final Showcase on YouTube
Special Thanks to our 2024 Sponsors:
1PHILADELPHIA
Philly Tech Week 2024
In 2024, 1Philadelphia joined forces with Technical.ly to co-host Philly Tech Week 2024. The week long event was organized with a community calendar filled with over 50 events across the city! PTW24 had a little something for everyone - from major conferences to local meetups, we showcased all that the Philadelphia tech community has to offer.
VISIT THE PTW WEBSITE
1PHILADELPHIA
Innovation Weekend 2024
1Philadelphia’s annual conference for tech and innovation returned in 2024 to bring participants together for three days of meaningful connections, actionable insights and collective action towards tech equity. Regional and national leaders joined the conversation as we gathered to tackle critical issues impacting organizations and practitioners in the tech field. This year's theme, UNBOUND, was an invitation to move beyond conventional frameworks to construct new ways on learning and doing that help us realize real impact for all people that want to be involved in the tech and innovation sectors.
LEARN MORE
a special thank you to our funders
None of the work that we do is possible without support from our generous donors. Their support fuels innovation, expands opportunities, and empowers the next generation of leaders in tech and entrepreneurship. We are deeply grateful for investment from the following donors:
$100,000+
Comcast NBCUniversal
Hamilton Family Charitable Trust
Comic Relief
abrdn Charitable Foundation
$25,000-99,999
Capital One Bank
Halloran Philanthropies
The Chamber of Commerce
NBA Foundation
Bank of America
$2,500-24,999
The Grace S. and W. Linton
Nelson Foundation
Cozen O'Connor
Penn Mutual
Allen Hilles Fund
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Penn Medicine, Office of Government and Community Relations
Lockheed Martin
AvidXchange
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
(Be)Philly Foundation
HF Lenfest Fund
KPMG Foundation
United Way
Philadelphia Commerce Department
AstraZeneca
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Patricia Kind Family Foundation
Salesforce
Upwork Foundation
Seer Interactive
TD Bank
SEI
Ben Franklin Technology Partners
PWC
The Reynolds Family Fund
M&T Bank
Allan Domb
Independence Blue Cross
AH Capital Management LLC
AWS
JP Morgan
Christopher Wink
Withum
University City Science Center
Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT)
Baker Tilly
KLEHR
Philadelphia PACT
WSFS Bank
Infinite Blue
Firstrust Bank