California-based Bitwise Announces Acquisition of Wyoming’s Array School
Earlier this year, the California-based technology consultation firm Bitwise announced its expansion into Wyoming. Today, August 30, Bitwise released more information about the expansion and revealed that the firm had acquired Wyoming's Array school, located in Cheyenne.
In a press release issued today, Bitwise CEO Jake Soberal said,
“We are excited to become part of the innovation ecosystem in Cheyenne, and this acquisition allows us to immediately start work based on our proven model with a local team that is dedicated to our mission of developing opportunities in tech for under-represented communities..."
A Look At the Bitwise-Array Acquisition
LaramieLive sat down with Array and Bitwise representatives to learn more about Bitwise's acquisition and future role in the school.
CEO of the Array School, Amy Surdam, had nothing but praise for Bitwise. "Before Bitwise, Array has graduated more than 80 students in 9 cohorts. The average wage for our graduates is more than $47,000 a year, with 79-90% getting jobs within the first 90 days post-graduation. Bitwise takes things that Array does on a much grander scale." She said.
Like Array, Bitwise seeks to serve underrepresented populations in the tech industry. V.P. Amy Thelen explained that Bitwise would strive to remove barriers for students attending the Array School, from childcare expenses to financial matters. Bitwise plans to offer extensive scholarships and a paid internship for students at the Array School. Additionally, classes at Bitwise are relatively affordable, coming in at $250 per class. Ms. Thelen stressed that Bitwise has never turned away a student unable to afford the classes - instead, every effort is made to find funding for that student to attend the coding classes.
The Future of Bitwise in Wyoming
"Bitwise wants to be a shot of adrenaline for Wyoming's tech industry," Thelen added. "We've supported the training of over 10,000 students, with 80% finding technical employment. The vast majority make around 60,000 a year after starting at only 20,000 before training." For all intents and purposes, Bitwise may be from California, but the company wants to help local Wyoming communities. The company looks for the people of the city and state they open their schools in to become students, preferring to work in the local community over out-of-state attendance.
Overall, both Array and Bitwise see the acquisition as a commitment by both companies to help grow the local company and attract more jobs to the area.
For more information on Bitwise, click here.
For more information on the Array School, click here.