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2023 Code for Philly Launchpad - Creating Projects to Support Philadelphia

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About Code for Philly

Code for Philly is a volunteer-operated civic tech nonprofit organization that aligns volunteer technologists with tech projects that better the city of Philadelphia. Read more about our mission here.

We are hosting our 2023 Launchpad to kick off new projects this Spring!

About Launchpad

Code for Philly's "Launchpad" is a multi-event hackathon over the course of a month for project teams of multidisciplinary volunteers to form and collaborate with community stakeholders and subject-matter experts alike. Projects will investigate opportunities for civic progress and prototype new solutions using user-centered design, open data, and open source technology - known as Civic Tech.

Theme

This year's theme is "third places," which are physical and digital spaces where we socialize outside the home (the 1st place) and work (the 2nd place).

Examples of third places include:

  • Parks
  • Libraries
  • Book stores
  • Community spaces

Projects from this year's Launchpad might look like:

  • Volunteer management software
  • Software that enables an organization create and manage community events
  • Tools for cross-community communication
  • Virtual spaces that can supplement physical spaces
  • Data inventory of existing spaces and ways to help people discover them

How to Take Part

The 2023 Launchpad runs from 3/31-5/10.

Volunteers of all kinds are welcome. No coding skills or experience required. We welcome everyone from developers to UX researchers and designers to product and project managers to social media mavens to community outreach folks and everyone in between.

Please review the schedule on this page to find out more about each individual event that makes up Launchpad.

Tickets for Launchpad Opening Weekend: Sold out

Tickets for Launchpad Showcase: RSVP here

Schedule

  1. Friday, March 31st

    City Hall, Caucus Room
    1400 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19107
    6–9pm

    Friday Night Kickoff

    Join us for a night of project brainstorming at the City Council Caucus Room in City Hall! Click above for more info.

  2. Saturday, April 1st

    Philadelphia Innovation Lab
    1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, 16th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102
    9am–7pm

    Opening Work Day

    Join a team, pick a civic problem worth solving, get to work! Click above for more info.

  3. Tuesday, April 4th

    6–8:30pm

    Weekly Hack Nights 4/4 - 5/9

    Five nights of optional chances for project teams to meet virtually or in-person to hack on their projects together! Click the link above for the full schedule.

  4. Wednesday, May 10th

    Indy Hall
    709 N 2nd St 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19123
    6–8:30pm

    Showcase Night & Closing Ceremony

    RSVP to watch the teams demo their work! Dinner will be served.