About
Community
Testimonials
Building a Stronger Community Through Technology Since 2015
Courses We Offered
Our coding school provided a wide array of classes designed to equip students with practical and in-demand skills. From foundational programming principles to advanced data science and collaborative team projects, each course was crafted to offer hands-on experience and real-world applications.
Intro to Programming
We provided students with a strong foundation in programming by teaching core concepts using Vanilla JavaScript along with essential HTML and CSS skills.
MEAN Stack
We equipped students with the skills to develop dynamic applications using the MEAN Stack (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node.js) framework.
Ionic Framework
We trained students to build robust hybrid mobile applications using the Ionic framework, guiding them through the process of deployment to the App Store for real-world experience.
Team Project
Students collaborate on real-world projects, gaining hands-on experience with code reviews, Git collaboration, Heroku deployments, and unit testing.
Intro to Python for Data Science
We taught students Python fundamentals along with essential libraries for data manipulation and visualization, preparing them for data science and model-building.
Data Science & Machine Learning
We guided students through essential data science techniques, teaching them to build, tune, and evaluate machine learning models with a strong focus on data preparation, model optimization, and testing using SciKit-Learn.
Who We Were
At SoftStack Factory, we believed technology careers should be accessible to everyone. We solved human problems with technology by connecting community to opportunity. SoftStack Factory was a network of students, volunteers, sponsors and partners empowering the local San Diego community.
Founding Members
Harold Gottschalk
CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman
Harold has over the last 35 years developed software, run teams, participated in corporations, won awards, contributed in a local IPO, created startups, his latest CSIdentity Corp. Harold believes the creation of software has evolved and is now for mere mortals, creating SSF for others to participate in the digital workforce.
Steve Biafore
Analytics Advisor, Co-Founder
Steve has built analytic “big data” solutions for the past 25 years. The powerful predictive models that stand at the core of these solutions have changed the way companies compete and the way industries operate. Steve is eager to help SSF apply analytic technology to change the way we learn–and to create new digital-economy career options for anyone with the energy and grit it takes to succeed.
Julia Gottschalk
Executive Assistant, Co-Founder
Born in Germany, grew up in Brazil, studied English at a University in Atlanta, GA for 1 year. Graduated in Digital Journalism at UNESP, one of the best universities in Brazil. Now she is pursuing her Masters Degree in Media and Communication Sciences in the Technical University of Ilmenau, in Germany. "My new passion is learning about technology and how to apply that in the communication field".
Ryn Corbeil
Co-Founder
Obtaining his degree in Computer Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Ryn has been developing software for startups, established companies, and as a freelancer. He enjoys connecting with students, and seeing them reach the ‘aha’ moment. When not in front of a terminal, Ryn enjoys guitar, community theater, and reading.
Matthew Herron
Advisory Board Member
Matt is a business litigation attorney who likes to win, hates to lose, and thinks that SoftStack Factory rules. He is deeply experienced in the fields of business litigation, partnership and business disputes, intellectual property and other property-related cases. He built his own firm that handles substantial cases against formidable adversaries represented by national law firms.
Catherine Thiemann
Advisory Board Member
Catherine Thiemann is a non-traditional homeschooling parent who believes that tomorrow’s career paths may not be well-served by today’s “high school to college to entry level job” model. She’s excited about SoftStack Factory’s apprenticeship learning opportunity, especially for young people whose families can’t afford the high cost of a college degree. She looks forward to helping young people of color access this great gateway into the STEM-based field of mobile application programming.
Jeanne Bridges
Community Relationships
San Diego has always been Jeanne’s home base where she cultivates relationships with members of the community from all walks of life from CEO’s to professionals to recently-homeless veterans. Her vocational and entrepreneurial experience gives Jeanne a special affinity for, and ability to communicate with, the candidates which SoftStack Factory expects to move into the digital economy.
Team Members
Peter Horton
Program Director
Peter moved to San Diego as wine tour guide from Santa Barbara in 2015. Peter completed the SoftStack Factory full time immersion program. Peter went from knowing nothing about coding, with hard work, sacrifice, learned to code. Peter now advances the curricula, leads projects and facilitators at SoftStack Factory. Peter is an example of what can be accomplished when you pour yourself into the coding process 100%.
John Brown
Former Facilitator
John an Eagle Scout, attended SSF beta course, was asked to join the SSF team. At SSF honed his skills on multiple software projects, assisted on our first official cohort in 2016. He is now looking to use his newly honed skills to teach others how to code apps and get a foothold in the coding industry.
Danilo Carandang
Former Facilitator
Danilo was born and raised in San Diego and prior to discovering the world of coding taught music to elementary students in an afterschool program. He completed SSF’s Fall cohort in January 2017 and continued learning while working on various freelancing projects. He is now applying his skills as a teacher and the new skills from the program to help others dive into code and learn how to create applications.
Khoa Nguyen
Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Salvatore McCarty
Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
SSF Labs
SoftStack Factory (SSF) expanded its initiatives by establishing SSF Labs, an innovative program led by our CEO, Harold Gottschalk, and CTO, Scott Holcombe, designed to support local tech companies by seamlessly integrating recent graduates into real-world project teams. This setup enabled graduates to gain valuable, hands-on experience in their field and secure full-time employment opportunities, while offering companies the unique advantage of local, highly-skilled teams guided by former CTOs of public companies providing both exceptional quality and cost-effective solutions.
Through SSF Labs, we formed partnerships with multiple companies across diverse projects, with the added flexibility for companies to retain team members in full-time positions—a transition that occurred frequently, further validating the program's success and positive impact. This model proved to be a mutually beneficial solution, helping foster workforce readiness while enabling businesses to access skilled, reliable talent with ease and efficiency.
Scott Holcombe
CTO, SSF Labs
Scott's career has been centered on bringing great products to market for longer than he'd care to admit. From a start as an impressionable software engineer wringing performance out of high-volume transaction processing systems for the credit card industry, to designing and building an award winning mobile phone, Scott ultimately started his own company providing cloud-based record label royalty software which was subsequently acquired by Sony Music.
Michael Martin
SSF Labs, Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Rhiannon Duvall
SSF Labs
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Robert Brown
SSF Labs, Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Gino Llave
SSF Labs, Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Matthew Hess
SSF Labs, Former Facilitator
Bio coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more.
Community Outreach
At SoftStack Factory, we are proud to support and collaborate with a wide range of organizations dedicated to making a difference in our communities. From providing technological resources to offering financial assistance, we strive to empower these organizations to further their missions. Below, you’ll find a list of organizations we've had the privilege to assist, each playing a vital role in creating positive change.
Sisters League
SoftStack Factory supported Sisters League by providing essential funding to upgrade the internet infrastructure in their shelter homes. Additionally, SoftStack assisted in the acquisition of laptops for all residents, enhancing their access to vital resources.
Reality Changers
SoftStack Factory proudly sponsored an event for Reality Changers, where we committed to funding their drone coding classes, introducing children to programming through hands-on experience with flying drones. Following the program, the majority of participants expressed a growing interest in technology, and each child was given the opportunity to keep their drone, further encouraging their learning and engagement.
Testimonials
At Softstack Factory, we take immense pride in the success of our students. This section is dedicated to showcasing the experiences and stories of those who have walked through our doors, learned new skills, and transformed their careers in the tech industry.
When you're done trying to learn on your own through all of the free online resources, this is the place to be. When trying to get up to speed and job ready, this material is where it's easy to hit a wall and find things difficult. The faculty at Softstack will provide the curriculum, but the hard work is still up to you. When you finally succeed after putting in the effort it will be incredibly rewarding. The big difference between Softstack and going it on your own is the faculty. They are clearly invested in their students, and having them available to bounce questions off of when you are actually stuck is great for getting over road blocks. If you're thinking about it, just take the leap and give this place a shot.
SoftStack Factory is a great place to start if you want to learn how to code because this program provides with fundamental knowledge of programming. I had zero knowledge and skills of how to code, but just after a few months I’ve made huge progress and started developing web applications. The instructors are very helpful, they are not going to give you an answer right away, but they will help you come to the right answer yourself. Under their supervision, I saved so much time and struggle. The decision to go through this Bootcamp was the best decision I have ever made.
Apart from learning a whole lot of new concepts and being able to create an entire web-app after just two months of SoftStack, I also really enjoyed going to class. It was a whole lot of fun, since the environment of SoftStack is relaxed and welcoming. I was also lucky because apart from having amazing instructors I was also fortunate to have great classmates. All, except one (he found a job as a Software Engineer while at SoftStack) signed up for the next class for mobile development: The Ionic Module.
I am glad to have been a student at SoftStack Factory and I think it’s amazing that such a business model exists. Also, the team members and facilitators are one of the most dedicated and talented individuals I’ve learned from. The actual class portion was fun and engaging, and my cohort members and I learned how to build an Ionic mobile app after only a few weeks. After our learning phase, we worked together on a team, practicing agile methodologies and industry practices.Currently, I am working as a full-stack software developer on contract at a multinational Aerospace company in Seal Beach, CA. I have learned so much over this past year, and I would not have gotten to this point without SoftStack Factory. It’s a great point to start your journey into software programming and I recommend it to anyone who is new to the field and looking for a change, or for anyone who is just curious. SoftStack Factory provides the perfect environment for aspiring software developers not only because of the tools they teach, but because you’ll be learning from and growing alongside a motivated and talented team.
After completing the MEAN stack program, fellow cohort members and I are continuing to polish our final collaborative project. The project consists of a multi-tenant test taking web app in which companies can access an assortment of open source personality tests to assess a prospective employees' compatibility with a company culture and/or team. As a team lead, I've learned how to adeptly manage four other programmers to deliver clean, modular, and scalable code. On a technical basis, I've learned how to use the MEAN stack in conjunction with ionic2 to deliver a progressive web app accessible on a desktop, iPhone and android devices.As of now I have successfully landed a web development internship for an agency whose mission of promoting healthy living aligns with my core values. As well as a software development internship with a company whose mission is to provide an adaptive self-paced learning platform for students in low-resource contexts.Thanks to Softstack factory, I now have the tools to continue to learn and become a competent full stack engineer that uses his breadth knowledge to facilitate civic engagement and collective action focused on social and public health issues
The main curriculum at SSF was learning a development stack. For us, we focused on the MEAN stack. In 12 weeks, we went from knowing almost nothing about programming, to building an app with the MEAN stack. It required a fair amount of dedication. At times, it was hard to grasp exactly what the frameworks were doing behind the scenes, & every day we were encouraged to continue learning outside the classroom.SSF exposed me to one of the most important rules about working in the software industry. That lesson was to never stop learning. The software industry is one of the few industries where your effort outside of work, will directly affect your path in your career.At the moment, 3 years and a couple months after leaving SSF, I am now working as a Solutions Architect in Test for Northwestern Mutual, where I have the opportunity to work on architecture & design of frameworks and enterprise-level tools.
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