On January 21, San Francisco-based Hack Reactor acquired coding school MakerSquare.
MakerSquare, founded in 2013, offers coding classes in both Austin and San Francisco. So far, 195 students have graduated from courses at its two campuses, where tuition runs nearly $13,880. By comparison, 475 students graduated in 2014 from Hack Reactor, where tuition is a little steeper, at $17,780.
MakerSquare and Hack Reactor programs, which are both 12 weeks long, will continue to operate separately, although MakerSquare will switch from Ruby to a Javascript curriculum, adopting some material from its new owner. “We want [MakerSquare] to craft their own experience and keep their autonomy and culture, as long as they meet the standards that we hold ourselves to,” Hack Reactor CEO Tony Phillips told EdSurge.
Phillips first became interested in MakerSquare when he discovered that potential students had to complete a coding challenge online in order to apply. “We’re the only two places to do that--we really respect their standard of quality,” explained Phillips. “So one of our co-founders applied for their school online.”
By acquiring MakerSquare, Hack Reactor can increase access to high-quality coding school offerings, according to Phillips. “This is the first of hopefully many extension schools,” he said. “We can leverage the quality of excellence and documentation that we already have, so others don’t have to reinvent the wheel and develop a curriculum from scratch.”
Hack Reactor is not actively pursuing any other coding school acquisitions at this time, but is open to it. “We’re ready for anyone who wants to knock on our door and meet our vision,” explained Phillips.
