The company is empowering the next generation of aspiring technologists with free resources, tools and events to propel innovation.
New York, NY (January 28, 2020) Major League Hacking (MLH), the global student hacker community empowering the next generation of programmers and entrepreneurs, today announced receiving an investment to spur rapid expansion into new markets.
San Francisco-based Crescent Cove Advisors LP and its affiliates (“Crescent Cove”) provided the capital that will enable MLH to continue scaling its offerings globally, including free resources, workshops and events covering today’s most relevant technology.
“MLH is excited to welcome Crescent Cove, a premier investor, as we inspire innovation, cultivate communities and teach computer science skills to thousands of students around the world,” said Mike Swift, CEO of MLH. “Our partnership with Crescent Cove will enable us to continue expanding our reach to new countries and to provide access to leading edge technology and skills to more student hackers, outside of the traditional classroom.”
The demand for technical talent is outpacing the growth of new developers. In order to build the pipeline, MLH is bridging the gap between what is taught in the classroom and the skills that the industry demands. Out of 1,800 student hackathon participants surveyed last year, 93 percent revealed that they gained new skills at MLH events that they aren’t getting in school. By combining hands-on technology experience with project-based learning that requires in-demand soft skills including, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, MLH is fostering an army of developers equipped for the global, tech-driven economy.
Since its founding in 2013, MLH retains a simple goal: to share hacker culture with as many people as possible. Today, the organization has completely reinvented the on-campus hacker experience and last year alone, introduced more than 100,000 aspiring technologists to the community, through hackathons and technical workshops. To provide hackers with access to the latest devices and technologies, MLH partners with Fortune 100 companies and other leading brands. Already spanning 50 countries, MLH recently launched its student hackathon league in the Asia Pacific region.
“Crescent Cove is thrilled to partner with the exemplary team at MLH and become one of the company’s long-term capital partners,” said Jun Hong Heng, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Crescent Cove. “Over the past 6 years, MLH has demonstrated an amazing commitment and ability to foster and empower communities around computer science. We see a significant opportunity to play a role in enabling these communities to succeed around the world. We look forward to supporting the MLH team as they help students find innovative new ways to solve critical real-world problems.”
Crescent Cove provided all committed financing for the transactions and joins an all-star team of early stage investors and angels including General Catalyst, 1517 Fund, hackNY, Alexis Ohanian (YC / Reddit), Grant Gittlin (Medialink), Jeff Lawson (Twilio), and Sundance DiGiovanni (MLG / Activision Blizzard).
About Major League Hacking
Founded in 2013, Major League Hacking (MLH) is the global student hacker community and a Public Benefit Corporation that empowers the next generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs with free, out-of-the-box workshops and events covering today’s most relevant technology. Each year, MLH facilitates over 1,000 weekend-long invention competitions (hackathons), MLH Localhost technical workshops, and Local Hack Day developer conferences that foster community growth and teach computer science skills to more than 100,000 students around the world. For more information please visit: https://mlh.io/
About Crescent Cove
Crescent Cove is an alternative investment firm founded in 2016. Crescent Cove focuses on creating value through investing in growth-oriented private companies and investment partnerships across a variety of industries. Committed to providing long-term opportunities, Crescent Cove seeks to provide structured capital solutions and partner with exceptional management teams. More information is available at crescentcove.com.