San Diego, CA (March 2, 2016) — SoftStack Factory, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering a 12-week immersion code camp with on the job training for young adults seeking entry in the technology sector, has partnered with Zebit, Inc. to develop an instant budget application.
SoftStack Factory’s mission is to create a highly skilled local workforce to fill the deficit of talent needed by the San Diego community. The education and training model uses a technology stack to fill an existing technology need by immersing students within it. The initial stack is a hybrid mobile application development.
In the fall of 2015, the first SoftStack Factory class graduated, proving that SoftStack Factory’s education and sponsoring models are a good fit within the local community. The first corporate cohort was sponsored by Zebit, Inc., a local San Diego financial technology company that provides financial resources, education, and no-cost credit to working Americans. Zebit joined their marketing and technology teams with SoftStack Factory to execute their instant budget application concept. At the time, Zebit’s technology resources were focused on developing their core offerings and had limited bandwidth to prioritize this project. The lack of available resources to work on promotional or prototype applications is typical of many marketing and business development teams. Their sponsorship provided SoftStack Factory students with hands on experience, while creating a functioning application.
Zebit CEO Michael Thiemann was intrigued by SoftStack Factory’s ability to teach young adults how to build hybrid mobile applications in real-world projects as its core curriculum. Since Zebit had wanted to build a mobile application, and SoftStack Factory fit their “do it local direction”, they decided to sponsor the fall cohort at SoftStack Factory.
The fall 2015 SoftStack Factory student cohort and mentors took on the Zebit project, just like any other development agency. The product development, coding, and application testing provided students with on the job training (OJT) that mirrors the skills needed within full-time employment within their field. As promised, at the end of December 2015, the final application was delivered to Zebit. “We are really happy with SoftStack Factory and the project results. When I showed the instant budget app to others, they commented that this is one of the coolest apps they have ever seen”, said Michael Thiemann, Co-founder and CEO of Zebit.
SoftStack Factory also deployed the application, got it approved by respective mobile application stores, stood up the web version of the application, and the supported the backend within Zebit’s infrastructure.
“We are thankful for this partnership and for Zebit trusting our students and mentors,” said Harrold Gottschalk, CEO of SoftStack Factory.
SoftStack Factory’s result of this sponsored project is free and currently available from the following links:
Zebit Instant Budget Website: https://www.zebitinstantbudget.com/
Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zebit.instantbudget&hl=en
iTunes App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instant-budget-by-zebit/id1077467430
Web Browser: https://app.zebitinstantbudget.com/#/app/landing
You can be a SoftStack Factory cohort sponsor and commission an application by sending an e-mail to hgottschalk@softstackfactory.com. For other ways to help, check out our website for more information: www.softstackfactory.com
About SoftStack Factory
SoftStack Factory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers a 12 week immersion code camp with an on the job training focus, focused currently on San Diego young adults that want to enter the technology sector. Our mission is to create high-skilled local workers to fill the deficit of talent needed by our local community.
About Zebit
Zebit is a free employee benefit that provides financial education, planning tools, and no-cost credit options that help working Americans take control of their everyday financial lives. By partnering with employers and leveraging advanced technology, Zebit provides a unique financial wellness offering that lowers employee stress and improves the corporate bottom line. Zebit is located in San Diego and is backed by VCs that include Crosslink Capital, Wildcat Venture Partners, Leapfrog Ventures and Correlation Ventures. Learn more at www.zebit.com.