a16z Podcast | Code and Culture in South Central Los Angeles

• Oscar Menjivar founded the nonprofit Teens Exploring Technology (TXT) to address systemic issues in South Central Los Angeles, specifically high rates of high school dropout and incarceration among young men.
• TXT's primary strategy is to use coding education to expand teens' perception of possibility and build a local tech ecosystem from the ground up.
• The organization targets primarily young Latino and Black men, providing year-round resources to bridge the gap in tools necessary for startup participation.
• Participants apply fundamentals of team design and software development to build products relevant to their communities, such as "SAT Fighters" (an educational game) and a local community voting app for neighborhood issues.
• A recent "Hustle & Code" hackathon in Watts attracted over 140 attendees, revealing that only approximately 5% of participating youth initially understood they could create software using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.
• TXT has achieved a 100% graduation rate for its alumni over the past five years, successfully launching students into top universities across the country.
• Alumni frequently return to South Central Los Angeles to mentor the next generation of coders, fostering a self-sustaining culture of innovation.
• Menjivar asserts that South Central has a historical legacy of innovation, citing its contributions to the hip-hop music industry and sports, and aims to replicate this trajectory in technology.
• The initiative seeks to shift the local mindset so that success in the tech world is viewed as a natural and obtainable path for residents.

Key Lessons from the Summer 2015 TXT Class:

• Billy Ortiz (18): Emphasized resilience and the necessity of dedicating long hours to developing projects driven by passion, even when the process is strenuous.
• Jesse Garcia (16): Stressed the importance of resourcefulness, advising students to ask for help and view "no" as a prompt to move on rather than a final barrier.
• Brett Strickland (13): Highlighted faith in one's team, noting that apparent lack of preparation in peers can be overcome by consistent, high-effort work (e.g., an 8 AM to 8 PM workday).
• Ken Privado (16): Defined success as a function of the amount of work put in and the willingness to sacrifice.
• Brandon Lockhart (12): Advocated for speed, stating that moving fast allows for rapid learning from mistakes.
• Eduardo Jerez (15): Noted that maintaining a positive mindset is critical for accomplishing goals despite obstacles.
• Angel Macias (17): Confirmed that hard work yields tangible results, validating that the time and sleep sacrificed are not wasted if objectives are met.