Zach Sims is the CEO of Codecademy, an online learning platform that teaches people how to code, along with additional skills they might need to upgrade their careers. In this episode, he walks us through the strategies he and his team used to grow Codecademy to what it is today. He also weighs in on monetization, community-driven growth, and internationalization.

Show Notes

[01:26] Codecademy’s mission and how it got started

[04:49] How Codecademy has evolved since its first version was launched

[10:38] On building a brand around the freemium model 

[18:08] When is the best time to monetize?

[19:55] On brand, community, and content

[23:53] The metrics that Codecademy uses to measure end-user success

[25:50] On fostering community and why they invest in their learners

[31:27] On the future of education

About Zach Sims

Prior to launching Codecademy in 2011, Zach Sims was a student at Columbia University. He has worked in product and business development/strategy capacities at startups. He also has experience in the venture capital industry with AOL Ventures.

Codecademy has worked with organizations like The White House, the Government of Colombia, American Express, Rakuten, and more. TIME Magazine included Codecademy in its "50 Best Websites of 2012” list, and TechCrunch awarded it the "Best Education Startup" Crunchie Award in 2013.

Profile Links

Codecademy

Zach Sims on Twitter