When we launched C4Q back in 2011, we recognized the immense impact that technology was going to have on our society. The industry has created more wealth, more companies, and more jobs than ever before. At the same time, we saw that opportunities in the rapidly growing tech industry weren’t reaching everyone—deepening income inequality and increasing the economic divide. And so we set out to give talent the opportunity it deserves.
We believed that a high school dropout working as a mechanic could become a programmer at a venture-backed startup. We believed that a single mom who worked during the days packing shipments for a tech company could learn to code at night and get rehired at the same company as an engineer. We believed that an Egyptian immigrant raised in public housing could raise $2 million in funding to launch his own tech company.
By training people with the highest need and the highest potential to become software engineers, we are able to help graduates transform their lives. We lift graduate annual incomes on average from $18,000 to more than $85,000. We make direct economic and social impact by helping graduates earn family-sustaining wages. As we look toward our next stage of growth, we recognize the need for a new identity that better reflects our impact and our vision for creating change—an identity that extends beyond the geographic limits of Queens and directly engages the national challenges we tackle.
This is why we chose Pursuit.
Pursuit represents the journeys of the developers coming into our program, the challenge they take on in launching a new career, and their dreams of bettering themselves and their families. It captures the passion, drive, and dedication of those we serve.
The same values that built C4Q will continue to thrive in Pursuit. We will strive to give it our all, deliver measurable change, and build sustainable outcomes for our graduates. Underpinning this work is our fundamental belief in human potential and economic opportunity.
You may notice our deliberate decision not to include ‘tech’ or have a reference to code in our new name. Though teaching code is part of our day-to-day, the new brand aligns with our mission and purpose: to create transformation where it’s needed most.
Access Code, our 10-month program that builds job-ready computer programmers with in-demand coding skills and industry smarts, will be renamed Pursuit Core. We wanted to make sure that the new name reflected the importance of all three pillars of the curriculum. In training computer programmers, we focus not only on technical mastery, but also on professional skills and industry fluency. Pursuit Core builds the necessary foundation to help graduates launch their careers in tech—the first step in our journey together.
Pursuit also represents our long-term commitment to our developers. Graduating from Pursuit Core and getting a tech job is only the first step in a long career. We are thrilled that our graduates are getting hired, but we want to ensure that our impact is sustainable and long-term.
So we are officially launching Pursuit Advance, a structured 36-month support program in which graduates receive coaching, additional technical learning, and other individualized support.
We are wholly committed to the long-term growth of our community. All together, our programs encompass four years of combined training and support to fuel the continued success of our graduates.
In this next step, we are thrilled to announce two new funding partners: the Siegel Family Endowment and Salesforce.org. Their generous support will advance the next stage of our growth and operations, including the hiring of instructors, mentors, and staff members who make our work possible, and the addition of new volunteer programs.
We recognize that the path to success is never direct or easy. The journey may be tough and the path unexpected, but with grit, perseverance, and determination, our developers can get there.
Our new logo and visual system celebrates this journey. No matter the obstacles, no matter the difficulties, we aim for better outcomes and strive to reach our next goal.
Together, we’re shifting the arc of our community and redefining our potential.
This is just the start of our work. We’re so thrilled to continue working with you as one big team. To tech companies, we are committed to connecting you with our top talent so that you can build your team and companies. To our funders and sponsors, we are committed to creating lasting change through your investments and donations. And of course to our developers, we are committed to providing the opportunity for you to reach your potential and bring change home to your families, neighborhoods, and to the tech industry itself.
From our team at Pursuit.
