Exciting developments for local tech scene

TechWeek is making an appearance again in Cape Girardeau.

From July 21 to 28, children in grades three to six can learn the basics of coding and robotics as part of Youth Code Camps. Adult developers will compete to solve problems during a Hack & Help Hackathon, as well as have the opportunity to attend “fireside chats” with tech leaders, including the founder of PluggedIN, Colleen Jenkins, according to a recent story reported by Tyler Graef.

TechWeek also will coincide with the rollout of public Wi-Fi to downtown, though that might not be ready until later in August. All this tech development and training is supported by Codefi and the Marquette Tech District project. For more information on the events, go to www.marquettetech.com/techweek.

This attention to tech education isn’t limited to downtown Cape Girardeau.

Last week, Best Buy put on a clinic called the Geek Squad Academy in Jackson. Eighty area middle-schoolers received hands-on tech experience. The two-day camp helped students learn some of the basics of coding, 3-D design and robotics.

Also recently, we’ve seen local startup carGO, a project supported by Codefi, roll out new technology for its ride-hailing platform.

The service would offer delivery services to businesses and organizations that otherwise might not have the resources for company cars or drivers.

“CarGO is the first technology company to connect all of these ride and delivery services using a single software platform,” carGO co-founder James Stapleton and Codefi founding member, said in a news release. “We’ve engineered a unique system that greatly expands the use of on-demand transportation to create more opportunities for our drivers to earn extra income, and to bring fantastic convenience to the residents and businesses in the communities we serve.”

These are all encouraging anecdotes that are providing more and more evidence that the Cape Girardeau region is embracing technology and setting the groundwork for exciting growth in the tech sector.