Katy Lynch - a Powerful Female Entrepreneur and the Founder of Codeverse Chicago

Katy Lynch Ulliott

I found an amazing coding place for kids in Chicago, Codeverse, founded by an inspiring female entrepreneur Katy Lynch Ulliott. I wanted to know more about Katy's work and share what I found with you - my readers. 

Tell me a bit about your background. What inspired you to get into the technical career path and was this something you always wanted to do? 

I am originally from Scotland, but moved to Chicago in 2007. I landed my first gig at a travel startup called Where I’ve Been. That was really where I developed my love for startups and the Chicago tech community. When Where I’ve Been was acquired in 2010, I co-founded SocialKaty, an agency that specialized in social media marketing. Four years later, SocialKaty was acquired and I moved on to become the CEO of Techweek, the largest traveling technology festival in the country. Now, I am the CMO and co-founder of Codeverse. To be completely honest, I never thought I’d be a serial entrepreneur. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life until I worked at a tech startup. I find modern, innovative technology fascinating and have surrounded myself with technologists (and tech founders) since!

In the midst of the MeToo movement how does it feel to be a female entrepreneur especially in Chicago? Have you faced any obstacles when dealing with male entrepreneurs? Is it an advantage or disadvantage being a female? 

I’m very fortunate to be living in city with so many talented women (and men!) Chicago is such a wonderful place to start a business, and there are so many great resources here for women, specifically. Although I have not personally faced obstacles as a female entrepreneur, I have heard many stories from friends who have been treated unfairly, which is infuriating. The good news is, thanks to MeToo and several other key movements, discrimination of any kind is being called out publicly and not tolerated by both women and men!

You founded Codeverse, an incredible and much needed place for kids. I wish I had that growing up. How did you get the idea and what did it take to build such an empire? What does it take to sustain it?

The idea originated from “Code: Debugging the Gender Gap,” a documentary that I saw during Techweek LA. The documentary’s theme centered around the lack of minorities and women in STEM. It inspired Craig and I to do a lot of research on the current landscape of kids coding products. Building Codeverse from nothing was no small feat. We spent months researching and hiring incredible talent (as well as vendors and edtech advisors!) to work with us. We conducted numerous surveys with parents, and tested our software - KidScript - with kids.

Tell us about Codeverse and how is this the future for our kids in this day and age? How can more parents benefit from these classes? What do kids learn in these classes? 

Codeverse is awesome! We’ve built the world’s first fully interactive coding studio and tech platform designed specifically for kids ages 6-13. Our studios are riddled with cutting-edge technology (such as concert-hall lights, robot arms, and speakers), which can be programmed by the kids. In addition to hacking the studio, kids build unique apps and games which can be shared with their friends and family. Kids begin learning the universal concepts of coding. Once they have mastered these concepts, they begin to learn more advanced concepts, which they can incorporate into their apps and games. Craig and I are big believers that in this digital day and age, every kid should learn to code. Beyond technical skills, coding builds confidence, encourages collaboration, inspires creativity, and teaches kids how to problem solve.

You are an inspiration to all of us. Can you tell us what a typical day is like for you and what does it take to be successful in this industry? 

In all honesty, every day is different, but I spend most of my time working on Codeverse scholarships, video production and editing, PR, and business development. It takes a lot of hard work, persistence, risk-taking, patience, and confidence to be successful in any industry - not just edtech!

What motivates you and how do you balance life and career? You look great, you are successful, and you do so much. How do you manage to be great at everything you do? 

When I launched my first business, SocialKaty, I was stressed most of the time. This stress came from my lack of time management skills. I’m very deliberate now when it comes where I spend my time and who I spend my time with. Google Calendar is a lifesaver. All of my appointments, dinners with friends, travels, etc are planned in there. It keeps me sane and on track!

What advice do you have for all of us? 
Take more risks. Working with kids has opened my eyes to just how risk-averse adults really are. We are afraid of failure and it holds us back from pursuing what we want!

What's next for you? You seem to have done so much already. What is next on your to do and wish list? 

Our 30-year mission is to teach a billion kids to code, so, I plan on working on Codeverse for life! The only other thing I really want to do, in my personal life, is have kids and eventually, sail around the world!

Who is the biggest supporter in your life? They say it takes a strong woman behind every successful man but who does it take behind a successful woman? 

Honestly, Craig is my biggest supporter. Aside from being my husband, he has been the best mentor to me and has provided me with so much invaluable advice about business. My other supporters really include my family and friends. They have followed my entrepreneurial journey since the beginning!

Do you volunteer and what charities and non-profits do you support?

I am a huge believer in the benefits of “paying it forward” so I love meeting and mentoring other entrepreneurs (especially first-time entrepreneurs) in the Chicago tech community. I have been involved with Chicago Innovation’s Women’s Mentoring Co-Op for quite some time and love it! With Codeverse, I also have the opportunity to work with a lot of great non-profits, including By The Hand, Girl Scouts, iF Charities, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and After-School All-Stars - to name a few!

To follow Codeverse on Social Media:

Twitter.com/codeverse/

Instagram.com/codeverse/ 

Facebook.com/codeversedotcom