Jocelyn Leavitt, CEO and Co-founder, Hopscotch

Jocelyn is the CEO and co-founder of Hopscotch, a company working to make computer programming accessible and fun for kids. A former educator and business owner, Jocelyn combines her love of building companies with a passion for empowering students of all ages through experiential learning. Prior to founding Hopscotch, Jocelyn taught 7th through 11th grades in Hawaii and New York City. A graduate of Dartmouth and Columbia Business School, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Hopscotch is an iPad application designed to teach children between the ages of 8 and 12 the fundamental concepts of computer programming. The application allows users to build projects and games by dragging and dropping command blocks into scripts, eliminating the frustrations of complicated code syntax. Unlike the many challenge based beginner programming applications, Hopscotch is an open-ended coding environment. The format allows children to experiment, take risks, and organically discover coding concepts as they create.

Jocelyn’s work at Hopscotch has been featured by Apple, recognized in FastCompany, Forbes, Time and the New York Times, and received awards from Parents Magazine, the Children’s Technology Review and the Parent’s Choice Foundation. Founded in 2013, the company’s products have earned the praise of kids and teachers alike in over 100 countries. Hopscotch is the first ever programming language designed for a mobile device, enabling kids aged 8-infinity to create their own apps and games.