This Is Life with Lisa Ling (2014–…): Season 3, Episode 5 - This Is Life with Lisa Ling - full transcript

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This is Jackson.

I don't have, like,
any clean shirts.

I'm pissed about it.

He's 19 years old

and lives in this tiny room

with Simon, who's 21...

We woke up to tons of bugs
that people had found. I'll fix it.

...And Stefan, also 21.

Today is a big day for them.

They hope to raise $1 million.

Around here,
that's not so far-fetched.



So, I'm coding right now?
Yeah, you are.

Oh, okay. Abe is 19,

and he already created
a million-dollar company.

It's the new gold rush.

Silicon Valley
is teeming with investor money.

Brilliant young people
from all over the country

are flocking here,

hoping to become
the next Mark Zuckerberg

or Steve Jobs.

Do you have any regrets about

not even having
a high-school diploma?

None, no.

These young savants
are charting the future...

So, can we just see you
control this car with your mind?



Whoa, whoa.
...And changing the world.

What happened
in San Francisco in 2015

is going to be
the subject of history books.

Let me see your hands! Get down!

THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING - SEASON 3
EP 5 - Silicon Savants

If you're wondering
what college students

are up to these days,

you don't have to look
much further

than a football stadium
on an October weekend.

- Hi!
- Whoo-hoo!

It's 8:00 P.M.
on a Friday night,

and hundreds and hundreds
of kids

have converged here
on the campus of U.C. Berkeley

for a huge event.

But don't be fooled.

These kids aren't here
to tailgate and watch the game.

They're here to hack.

- Hi, everyone.
- Hi.

How many
of you are beginner hackers,

this is your first hackathon?

Whoa, hell, yeah!

This is the Cal Hacks Hackathon.

More than 2,000 collegiates
from all across the country

will spend the next 36 hours
inside this football stadium,

racing to engineer cutting-edge
computer-based projects

from scratch.

I'd just love to give
a huge shout-out

to all our corporate sponsors

who made this Hackathon
possible.

And with that,
James Whittaker from Microsoft.

Thank you.

Don't clap until you hear
what I have to say

because I have bad news
for you all.

For every smart person

standing here listening
to this right now,

there's 100,000 other
smart people

who are just as good as you.

What's gonna make you stand out?

That is creativity.

And now I'm getting warm.

Software is the opposable thumb
for the human mind.

Who wants some swag?

Oh, there's a monkey.

It quickly becomes clear to me

that Hackathons are gold mines

for Silicon Valley recruiters.

So, we're Uber.

If you build something sick,
and you show it to us,

we give you a job.

Sponsor companies
give participants

access to their most
up-to-date technologies,

and hackers
who choose to use them

can win serious prizes.

The best API usage
is lunch with a V.C.,

so if you're an entrepreneur,
you want to win that.

A representative
from Microsoft tells me,

they find
more desirable talent here

than among
computer science grads.

Is it possible
that you could actually

hire people from here?
Most definitely.

I'd say we've recruited

quite a few folks
from Hackathons.

A lot of what
university students learn now

is not necessarily something
that companies are hiring for.

So literally, you could learn
something six months ago,

and that's no longer fresh
by the time that you graduate.

The Hackathon is really a way
for kids to stay fresh

'cause they're working on new,
next-generation technology.

They're working on
emerging products.

They're building the next robot.

As for the students,

some come here expressly
to be recruited.

For others,
Hackathons are a way of life.

Yes.

James flew here
all the way from New Jersey.

This will be
his 22nd Hackathon...

Yeah, I can't find you.

...if they let him
through the door.

What university are you from?
Uh, I'm from a high school.

You're from a high school?

We were told it's
no high-school
students allowed.

Do you mind waiting
outside right there?
Yeah, of course.

At 17 years old,

James is the quintessential
overachiever.

Eagle Scout, honor student,

varsity debate team,
model Congress.

It happens all the time.

They couldn't find
my registration,

but the same thing
happened last year, so.

Please wait right here.

He's already won prizes
at two Hackathons,

and even though
he's still too young to vote,

he did software development

for Hillary Clinton's
presidential campaign.

What's your name? James.

James, come over here. Sure.

Fortunately,
James' trip to California

wasn't for nothing.

Yeah, I know.

I'm not going to be
a high-school student next year.

Okay, great.

All right, thanks so much.

He's in.

Oh, yeah!

Typical.

When James
first discovered Hackathons,

he found a world full of people
like himself.

How's it going?
Is this table being
used, this area?

No.
No? All right,
thanks so much.

The stereotype is,
we stay at home,

and we sit in our basements

and drink soda and eat pizza.

Sorry. James. Nice to meet you.

That whole mentality changes

when you come
to an event like this.

The chance that you're gonna
become friends with people here

is extremely high.

Put a book on the seat.

Between events,
James keeps in touch

with the Hackathon community
online.

That's how he found
two teammates

for this weekend's event.

It only took me an hour.

Oh, how's it going? Yeah.

Good. How are you?
Good, good, good.

Makala is a former ballerina

and a future
biomedical engineer.

- Hey!
- How's it going?

Here finally. James.

Nice to meet you. James, Vivek.

And Vivek is a third-year
computer science major.

It's been a while.
It's been a while.
Been a while, dude.

I've never
worked with them before,

but that's the great thing
about Hackathons

is you never tend to work
with the same team.

I have met so many great people
from all over the United States,

people that I do think will be
the next Mark Zuckerberg

and the next Bill Gates.

You get to meet all
those people here and now.

Yeah, no, we were literally
just starting to, like,
come up with an idea...

No, I just, like,
got my notebook out.
...to write down ideas.

It's now 11:00 P.M.,

and the hackers
are getting down to business.

Some teams come prepared
with an idea to work on,

but most come up
with their hacks on the fly.

And no one's allowed to start
working until they arrive.

We want to be able
to vote from this.

After a few hours,

I check in with James
and his teammates

to see how it's going.

So, do you know
what you're making yet?

We've taken a look at
how people use mobile phones

in African countries,
Middle East.

And our idea is,

what if
we can use text messaging

for submitting votes

for elections
in those countries.

Shoot, we need that
here in America.
Yeah, right?

I mean, that's an incredibly
ambitious project

that you're trying to achieve.

When I was your age,
I was partying and...

...Going to raves and all that.

Is this fun?

There is nothing like it.

Hackathons are kind of like
a party for me

in that you get
so much out of it,

and you have so much fun.

It's 2:00 in the morning.

Can I catch up with you guys
tomorrow?

- Yeah.
- Of course.

While James
is dabbling in the tech world

for a weekend,

across the bay
in Silicon Valley,

another teenager
left everything behind

to pursue it full-time.

Jackson left his hometown
in Oklahoma two years ago

and followed the tech boom
gold rush to California.

Now, at 19 years old,

he may be poised to become

the next big thing
in Silicon Valley.

In California's Bay Area,

19-year-old Jackson and
his business partner, Stefan,

are getting ready
to pitch their start-up

to a room full of
wealthy venture capitalists.

- How's it going, guys?
- Hey, good.

I think we got two haircuts.

Yeah, James
is actually ready for you.

- Amazing. Thank you.
- Perfect.

In a world of
t-shirts and hoodies,

Jackson likes to stand out.

So, you're from the area,
Jackson?

I'm actually from
Oklahoma City, originally.

I moved out here about
a year and a half ago, though.

I'm a designer,

co-founded a start-up
with that guy.

So, what kind of start-up
do you guys have there?

You ever heard of Bitcoin
before?

No, I haven't.

It's this like
crazy online currency.

And what makes it cool
is that no one owns it.

It's, like, decentralized

which means there's no, like,
government or bank

that kind of backs it.

So, our start-up
lets anyone invest

in stocks and bonds
and portfolios with Bitcoin.

That's pretty cool...
A uniform currency

throughout
the world there.
Exactly.

It brings out the happy
anarchist in everyone, you know.

Yeah.
Like,
just the right amount.

These days in the Bay Area,

start-up companies
are a dime a dozen.

In 2014,
U.S. venture capitalists

spent $48.3 billion investing
in innovative technologies.

- Hi.
- Hello.

- Thank you.
- All right.

They're pouring record-breaking
sums into start-ups,

hoping to strike gold

by backing the next Facebook,
Snapchat, or Uber.

One mode of investment

is through something
called an accelerator...

A program
that nurtures new start-ups

in exchange for a stake
in their future business.

Jackson was accepted into
a highly selective accelerator

called Boost VC.

It's an opportunity

that could change
the course of his life,

and he's showing me
where it's all going down.

This is the Boost VC basement.

Here, young innovators
are honing ideas

that could change the world
and earn them millions.

So, this is your humble
office here?

Wealth Coin HQ, yeah.

Jackson's team
consists of three guys.

He's the lead designer.

Stefan's
the chief technology officer.

And Simon is the C.E.O.

So, this is where this company

that could change the face
of financial transactions

got started.

Right here. Basically, yeah.

And do you feel competitive

with the other companies
that are here?

We are all trying to raise money

and trying to
start our companies.

You're all kind of vying
for the same dollars, right?

No, because
there's so much of it,

it's so abundant and flowing

that there's no reason
that every single company here

can't raise a million dollars.

That's amazing.

Jackson's team
has already secured $375,000

in commitments
from venture capitalists.

Their goal is to raise a million

to launch their start-up.

But for now, they're sharing
a 15x20-foot room

that reminds me a lot
of a college dorm.

- Wow, this space is tiny.
- Yes.

- Seriously.
- It's cozy.

So, who gets the mattress?

We had, like,
a long conversation.

It got deep,
and then I got shafted

with the mattress, basically.

That's not true.
You opted for the mattress.

You said something, like,
you don't like bunk beds.

Bunk beds are just scary.
How did you all meet?

Stefan and I met in Canada
in high school.

We dropped out of university
to come to the Valley together.

And then our first roommate
in Silicon Valley was this guy.

What's the goal?

I mean, let's be honest.

Like, what is...
What's the dream?

Tesla in Santa Cruz.

Yeah?
I'd love a Tesla.
We should get a Tesla.

I think at some point,
we need an espresso
machine for the office.

Those hoverboards,
where you move around,

and then we'd need like
a hard-core PC and a VR.

We need a VR room.

Is the goal millionaire status

or is it billionaire status?

Well, it's billionaire status,

but you can't plan your way
to become a billionaire.

It's a total gamble
and a crap shoot sometimes,

but if your heart's
in the right place,

then that's all
you can really go off of...

That and hard market data,
of course.

Few people have
this level of ambition

at such a young age,

but Jackson
has always been this way.

You're only 19 years old,

so technically,
you still are a kid,

but what were you like
when you were a little kid?

I really didn't think
the same way as other kids.

And I have always, kind of,
had my own version of reality.

How old are you?

I'm 13. You're 13.

And when did you get started

with, like, blogging and stuff?

I guess November of last year,
I started a blog,

and then I started
my podcast in March.

Did you know anything
about development
or design or...

I do freelance
graphic and web design,

and I've been doing that
for about a year now.

When I was 12,
I started a video podcast,

and I started doing
some freelance web design

for local small businesses
around Oklahoma City,

and that just kind of escalated

to a love for all things
kind of tech and design-related.

Wow, so are you gonna
start a business now?

Oh, yeah, I have a business.

Are you making money? Yes. Yes.

What kind of student
were you?
Terrible.

I failed
almost all of my classes.
What?

Yeah. Why is that?

I wouldn't do homework,
is what it was.

I would leave school.
I would go home,

and I would work on freelance
web design for clients.

How did your parents
feel about this?

Terrible, for the longest time.

I mean, what are you going to do

when your kid's, like,
failing out of school,

basically,
consistently every year?

My college counselor called
my mom and dad in together,

and she said, "You know,
I think your son is on drugs."

Jackson's mom gave him a choice.

School or work, but not both.

When I was actually
faced with the opportunity,

"hey, choose one,
but just focus on one thing,"

then I immediately
took a step back and said,

"Wow, I could be doing this
all the time."

So after that, I dropped out.

And do you have
any regrets about

not even having
a high-school diploma?
Not even, no.

Our current high-school system
isn't set up in a way

that encourages
students to succeed.

It's set up in a way
that encourages students

to all meet the same standards.

What you're saying
is very controversial.

You know that.
I understand that,
but it's something

that everyone's gonna realize
sooner or later.

Jackson might have a point.

After all, some of the media's
most celebrated billionaires

are college dropouts.

But are guys like that
the exception to the rule?

For every risk taker
who's rewarded with success,

how many fail
and never bounce back?

I know you guys
have a major pitch tomorrow.

Major, right?

I mean, this is gonna
determine a lot.

It's a chance for us
to show 300-some investors

what we've put our
blood, sweat, and tears into

for the past three months.

Tomorrow, Jackson's team
will pitch their company idea

to some of the world's
top venture capitalists.

Hey, what's up?

These guys are clearly bright,

and they seem to have
a good head on their shoulders,

but I hope that they're prepared

for the highs
and the possible lows

that could come with all of it.

Midnight snack's in 45 minutes.

Milk tea with boba.
Ooh, I want
milk tea with boba.

It's now Saturday night

at the Hackathon
in U.C. Berkeley.

I'll look up how to set up
the parse communication

with the website.

Mobile website can access
parse data from JavaScript.

James and his team are
making headway with their app,

which would allow people
to use their phones

to vote in political elections.

So, it's 11:30 P.M.
Saturday night.

How is everything going?

We're making
pretty good progress.

We're trying to get
authentication working

so that we can make sure
that, you know,

one person equals one vote.

They don't submit votes
on multiple phones.

I noticed
you lost a partner here.
Yes.

Vivek is gone. Is he sleeping?

Lost him to the horrors

of being awake
for 30 hours straight,

but he's asleep somewhere.

The last time I was here,
it was 2:00 A.M.,

uh, 2:00 A.M.
this morning.
This morning. Yes.

So, did you sleep, then,
since we saw you last?

So, I went to sleep
shortly after that.

I took a nap for 30 minutes
this afternoon

at some point.

You've only slept 30 minutes?

Yeah. No, come on.

Yeah, I slept in the stairwell.

Oh, my God, Makala.

It was fine.

I generally don't sleep
during Hackathons.

Do you start getting
increasingly more nervous

as the clock ticks?

Especially if you're not,

like, getting through
a certain problem, yeah.

You'll feel much more pressure,

You'll feel the world's
closing in on you,

but we'll be able
to finish in time.

These kids have been
staring at computer screens

for 24 hours,

and they're starting to develop
some interesting projects.

Did you just come up
with this idea here?

Yeah, yeah. Seriously?

Yeah.

I'm blown away,

and I just can't believe that,

at all hours
of the day and night,

these kids are here working.

There's something about
the supportive environment
and the energy here.

I think it's just that,
a lot of these people

haven't built something before.

But when you're in a room,
and you see

a thousand other people
building stuff,

of course you can do it.

22-year-old Dave Fontenot

is one of the founders of
the student Hackathon movement.

When did this culture
sort of evolve?

Let's see,
about 3 1/2 years ago now,

I heard about this Hackathon
at Ann Arbor.

There was about 50 people,

and it was really,
really awesome.

And at the end of that,

we felt a need
to just start our own.

So what you saw is
that people would come to

these one or two or three
big Hackathons,

and then go back
to their schools and say,

"We need to throw this here."

So this whole thing

has blown up and gotten
much more popular.

And you will have, like,
10,000 students

apply for something
like Cal Hacks.

The Hackathon movement
is also helping to address

the gender gap
in the tech world.

Definitely when I started
going to Hackathons,

I was very much in the minority.

How does it feel to be
one of, really, few women?

Oftentimes,
you feel a little bit

like people
are kind of confused on,

like, why you're there
and how you got there.

And, honestly, sometimes
they're a little insensitive

about how they ask.

Have you noticed more
and more young women

joining and becoming
part of Hackathons

in the time you've come?

I definitely have seen
more outreach towards women,

and I think we're only
getting stronger, and...

I haven't had a churro
since I was at Disneyland

like three or four years ago.

When I get a chance
to sit down with James,

he tells me about
what his future holds.

How important is going
to college to you?

I think you still need
a college degree

in order to advance
in your career.

So I'm still very interested
in going to college.

Do you know what you want to be
when you grow up?
Yes.

I want to be the administrator

of the United States
Digital Service.

It's a group
of computer scientists

that work for the government.

It sounds like
you don't really care about

being a billionaire,

because that probably
isn't in the cards

if you work for the government.

No, I'm more centered
on just having fun

and making an impact

than being
the next Mark Zuckerberg.

Jackson and his team

are also striving
to change the world

with their start-up company,
Wealthcoin.

But they'd also like
to make a billion dollars

while they're at it.

All right, guys, you ready?

Yep.

We're Wealthcoin.

Bitcoin has emerged

as a transformational
new form of money.

They're rehearsing
a three-minute pitch.

In the morning,
they'll present it

to hundreds
of powerful investors.

Despite technological
breakthroughs...

Despite technological
breakthroughs.

Yeah, You said
"technological" at
the speed of light.

Despite technological...

So, let's break down
the user flow further.

I can't...
Every time you've said that,

I still don't know
what you're saying.

Let's break down
that what, further?

User flow. "User flow," okay,

'cause it sounds like
you're saying,

like, "use the flow."

Nailing this pitch

could open a lot of doors
for these guys.

All right, from the top.

The way it works for a user

is they sign up and piss...
Pick...

And piss?

The way it works for a user
is they...

Sign up
and piss out Bitcoin.
...Sign up.

If they can impress
even one venture capitalist,

they could raise the rest
of the money they need

to launch their company.

If not, it's back to square one.

So, how long do you think
you'll be working tonight?

I'm not gonna be sleeping
tonight,

but I think Simon's gonna be...

Simon, you're pitching tomorrow,
pretty early.

How are you feeling, Simon?
You're getting some sleep.

A little stressed out.

There's very few moments
in your life

where there's that much
concentrated wealth in one room,

which is probably one
of the scariest things
I've ever had to do.

All right, you guys,
good luck.
Thanks so much, Lisa.

See you tomorrow.

20 other teams are also
prepping for the big day.

Whoa, whoa!

The room is full of innovations

that could lead us
into the future.

But is there really enough
money out there

to finance them all?

Recent news reports
suggest there is.

Silicon Valley's economy
is booming,

and it isn't showing
any signs of a slowdown.

It's really America on steroids.

In 2015, venture capitalist
investments

reached record highs.

Silicon Valley
hasn't been this flush

since the late 1990s.

But do you remember
what happened then?

It didn't end so well.

The simple answer is,
we ran out of money.

Some analysts speculate
that our current tech boom

is destined to go bust,

just like what happened in 2000.

At some point... this year,
next year, the year after that,

we are going to go into
a tech recession.

Is this a sign of another
technology stock market bubble?

I'm curious to know
what Jackson thinks

and if he has a plan "B."

Do you ever get concerned
about the fact that we may be

in a massive bubble right now?

I love this question so much.

And that tomorrow,
the money might not be there?

I mean, what's at stake here?

I thoroughly believe
that there's no way

that we can go wrong with this.

We have a fantastic product
people love.

It solves a real problem.

I have the best team
in the world.

There's no way
that we can fail
in what we're doing.

If you're looking
for young tech savants

in the California Bay Area,

you can check out
the latest Hackathon,

drop by
a start-up accelerator program,

or visit a controversial
new learning institution

in downtown San Francisco.

This is Make School,

a radical alternative
to college.

It's a two-year program
with 33 students,

and they are really,
really smart.

In fact, some of the students
here have turned down places

like M.I.T. and Harvard
to be here.

So, who in Silicon Valley

would create
an institution like this?

A 23-year-old
college dropout, of course.

We're taking students
who have already discovered

they're very passionate
about building apps,

and we are giving them

a shortened, focused
university experience

that'll let them pursue a career

as a software developer
or a start-up founder.

Ashu Desai
co-founded Make School.

The program differs
from traditional school

in one major way.

It's a start-up itself
funded by venture capitalists.

And they only invest because
they hope to see a return.

How does Make School work?

Do students pay tuition?

Students won't pay
up-front tuition.

They'll pay tuition
through their earnings.

By aligning our incentives
directly with students,

we're only making money
if the students are
having good outcomes.

It sounds like a good plan,

though the success
of the program

is yet to be seen.

This year's group of students

will be the first to complete
Make School's two-year cycle.

My lightning talk today
is going to be about

how I made my money,
made my success,

and I want
to share that with you.

19-year-old Abenezer
is among the freshman class.

Tell me about your background.

So, I grew up in
a little village in Ethiopia.

My mom had the only radio,

so when I was born,

my mom let me
take apart the radio.

And as I grew up,
I took apart the TV,

so anything
I can get my hands on.

So it was always
interesting to me
how things worked.

Abenezer's family
moved to the States

when he was 10,

and he discovered computers.

My dad told me to get a job
the summer of eighth grade,

so I went to the library,
grabbed a few books on
programming and thought,

"I could make
a living off of this."

And I did some gigs
for my neighbor,

made some websites,
made my first $100 off that,

and that first $100
has gotten me here.

At age 14,

Abenezer launched
his first start-up.

Before long, he had 15 employees

and was pulling in
serious profits.

Can I ask, about how much money
you were making

while you were in high school?

My company was worth
almost a million dollars.

Before you sold it. Yeah.

After high school,

Abenezer planned to study
computer science and business

at the New Jersey
Institute of Technology.

Thank you.

But then he discovered
Make School,

and his plans changed overnight.

Was there always an expectation

that you would go
to a university?
Of course.

My parents
and all my friends thought,

"Hey, this guy's crazy."

But I think times are changing.

We're in the digital era
right now,

and that's not going to change.

It's only going to get
bigger and bigger.

In the two weeks

since starting
his education here,

Abenezer has made strides
in developing a new app.

You text in, and you get advice

from a professional stylist.

All right,
so you just text "hello,"

and you will reach
an agent right away.

Oh!

Sweet.
Now you're talking to someone.

"Our stylists are available 24/7

for all your fashion needs."

Okay, so take a picture of me,
and I'll send it.

Perfect, all right.

Awesome. Now let's send it
in to advisors.
Okay.

So, how are these people paid?

So whenever you make a purchase,

we get commission from people
like Amazon or H&M.

And, look, you got a response.

Oh, okay.

Oh, "nice outfit,

but I would add a little color

just to make it pop a bit more."

She suggests
I do something like that.

So, it's kind of like
the Uber for advice.
Exactly.

And any professional
in any industry

can come on and provide advice

whenever they want to,
wherever they want to.

That's awesome. See?

Good job, kid.

There's no question
that Make School

is helping Abe
to progress his business idea,

but is it more useful
than a college education?

Now, why not just major
in computer science at M.I.T.?

If you talk to most employers,

they tend to feel
there's a big skills gap

between what universities

are teaching
for computer science

and what software engineers

need to know how to do
day-to-day.

Ashu says
that college curriculums

focus too much on theory

without giving students
the practical skills

they need to build
real projects.

The trend that
you're gonna really watch

is the collegiate
Hackathon scene

where you'll have 1,000 students

giving up their weekends,
giving up their sleep,

because they want to learn
about new technologies.

It feels very broken
that they have to do
this on the weekend.

For us at Make School,
we're saying,

"hey, here's two years
at a Hackathon.

Build cool things."

At U.C. Berkeley,
the sun is rising

on the Hackathon
weekend warriors.

Finally, please start
cleaning your tables

and moving up
to the eighth floor.

Thanks.

We're minutes away

from the conclusion
of the Hackathon.

A lot of teams
have finished their projects,

but unfortunately,

it does not look like
James and his team have.

They're kind of on
a mad scramble,

and they've sought
the advice of a mentor.

Yes. Oh, I didn't know, okay.

Are you kidding?

You did this whole thing
through REST?

I didn't know. Oh, my God.

Vivek is working
alongside James,

but neither of them has seen
their third teammate, Makala,

in hours.

Hey, look at that.
We're finally done.

We did it. After 10 hours.

Now I just need to save this,
and we can call it a day.

High five. There we go.
Bam. Got it.

Done.
All right, let me know
if you need more help.

No problem. Thanks so much.

So, we fixed it,
so now it all works.

Makala, we finished.

Oh, my God. Thank God.

You guys, I was supposed
to get woken up at 8:00.

I didn't want to wake you up.

No, I know,
but I wanted to submit...

Okay, I'd rather
have you, like, sleep than...
Yeah.

In just a few minutes,
judging will begin.

Each team will set up a booth

where they can present
their project.

All hacks must be submitted,

and you must be out on the patio
in five minutes.

Please, do so now.

Today could be huge for Jackson
and his teammates.

Over the next few hours,

they could raise
the rest of the money

they need to launch
their company.

- Good to go?
- Yep. Let's do it.

So, the Boost
VC Accelerator Program

culminates in
what's called Demo Day.

This is the day
when all the teams get a chance

to pitch to hundreds
of very wealthy investors.

Some of these companies are
gonna walk away with nothing,

some with millions.

While the guys get ready,

I catch up with a potential
investor, Pierre Wolf.

You've probably seen
a lot of companies succeed,

and more companies fail.

Many more.

What's the...
What's the secret sauce?

I've seen companies
that, the teams come out.

You look at them, and you say,

"boy, this is a winner,"

and they fall flat
on their face.

Do you have concerns about

investing such huge amounts
of capital in someone...

In people who've had
little experience?

Look, were we nervous about
investing in Mark Zuckerberg?

No, that's the nature
of what we do here.

The youth are the ones
taking chances,

and some of the big things
are happening with them.

You got to bet on them

'cause you don't know
who's that next spark,

who's just going
to catch that fire.

Collectively,
the investors in this room

are worth billions of dollars.

Hello, welcome to
Boost VC Trap Six Demo Day.

The camera crew and I
are only allowed in here

on the condition
that we keep a low profile.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Steph Keegan,

and I'm the co-founder
of Pixel Ripped.

I have a degree in VFX
and business and management.

I attended Penn, studied
a mix of business and I.T.

Our lead engineer
has over 20 years

of technology experience.

I'm a bit taken aback
by how much experience

some of the other teams have...

Far more than Jackson,
Stefan, and Simon.

C.S.O. and co-founder Karan
won an Oscar,

developed
industry-standard software.

Our C.S.O. is from Wall Street.

He had a Math Ph.D.,
and he's a genius.

After three months
of prepping for this moment,

Simon takes the stage.

We're Wealthcoin.

Bitcoin has emerged

as a transformational
new form of money.

We've set out to make
the most seamless experience

for users to invest
their Bitcoin.

He may be less experienced
than the other presenters,

but Simon holds his own.

Thank you.

We're not permitted
to film investors

mingling with
the start-up teams,

but I pulled
the Wealthcoin guys aside

for a quick catch-up.

- I just spilled wine.
- I apologize.

You're not even supposed
to be drinking wine,

but that's okay.

So, guys, you've been
shmoozing with investors.

How do you think today went?

Generally, like, awesome
feedback all the way around.

A lot of our...
Sort of the funds

we've been following
for a long time

came out and said
we'd been awesome.

Sorry, guys.

- Oh.
- Uhh...

You know what, Simon,
if that's an investor...

- Go for it.
- Sure, you guys will do it solo?

- Okay.
- Yeah, yeah.

That's how it happens.
Yeah. I'm, like,

if that's an investor,
get out there.

No, it's definitely an investor.

So yeah, that sort of
answers the question,

I guess,
is they're asking for us,

so that's always a good thing.

Simon comes back
after his meeting

with some news.

Oh. Yes, he does. No way.

That's awesome.
So what did he want
to talk about?

He loved the app.
He thought it looked great.

Things are looking up
for the Wealthcoin guys.

In the coming days,
they'll find out for sure

if any of these investors
will back their company.

Where do you think you'll be
six months from now?

Hopefully,
we'll be in an actual office

with actual employees,

and we're moving
to New York City.

You know, big city,
exciting, lots of finance.

We'll be able
to have a place to live.

Hopefully,
it'll be a little bit bigger

than where we're staying now.

Separate rooms. Yeah. Whoo-hoo.

At the Hackathon in Berkeley,

the goals are
a bit more short-term.

Students here are just trying
to make it through the weekend.

Only half of the teams
that competed

made it to the finish line.

And James' team is one of them.

Now they face their most
difficult challenge yet...

Presenting their hack
in front of the judges.

What are you looking for?

I'm looking for creativity.

I'm looking for
completeness of vision,

but also a completeness
of implementation.

Brian Bulkowski has been

a Silicon Valley
software engineer

for more than 25 years.

So, do you consider yourself
a pretty tough judge?

Yes.

But you know, your goal
is to find the best.

- James, nice to meet you.
- James.

- I'm Makala.
- Makala.

I get a chance to look on

as Brian judges
James and his team.

So tell me about
your hack today.

Do you have a phone on you?

Sure. Text this number,

and it asks you... Hello.

Please enter your first name.

It's going to present you
with a list of the candidates

that you can vote for.

So I voted for
an illegal candidate,

I voted for 3,
and you had 1 through 2,

and you accepted my vote.

I'm gonna try voting again,
see what happens.

Yeah. So, obviously,
there was no vote

for when you voted
for number three.

And let's try and...

I'm going to try
voting a third time.

Okay, so I voted for three
and then two and then one,

and it said, "Thank you,"
all the times.

Yeah, it's still
a work in progress.

So how are you handling
the external visibility

of all of this?

Do you think building
a voting system

based on Facebook
is the right solution?

If you look at
the bitcoin system...

I'm not talking about money,
I'm talking about votes.

The main problem
is buying votes,

especially common
in Central America.

That's how most
of the voter fraud is done.

So any other questions?
That's it.

All right. Thanks so much.

It's good to see you. Good job.

He really knew what
he was talking about.

Watching James and his team
work with technology

that's totally out of my league,

it's been easy for me to forget
that they're still young

and have lots to learn.

So, tell us about your hack.

This is officially
Shazam for vision.

Can I take a picture of you?

Not to mention, they've got
some stiff competition...

So, can we just see you
control this car with your mind?

...a mind-controlled golf cart.

Hi-ho silver!

And that usually
works pretty well.

...a bicycle video game.

So this could be good
for lazy gamers, right?

Yes.

To get off their butts. Yeah.

Oh, yeah, 'cause you
really have to move.

These kids are thinking big.

The problem that we're tackling

is the European migrant crisis.

This app connects
Syrian refugees

to volunteers
who can provide them

with food, water, and housing.

So you thought of this idea
here at the Hackathon,

but what are you gonna
do with it after?

Because this app
could really help people.

Yeah.

I mean, really.

Do you have any idea
where you could take this?

Yeah, honestly,
as college students,

we have to worry
about school and stuff.

But it's just kind of crazy

'cause this could actually
be so useful right now.

You guys just created
this in 36 hours,

and then you're gonna go back
to school on Monday, right?

Yeah, yeah, that's
the love of a Hackathon.

I can't believe that in
just a couple of hours,

these kids will
go back to school,

and their amazing ideas
will just disappear.

Seriously? And you built this?

It's really got me wondering,

are they wasting
creative potential?

Would the world benefit more

if these young people
were developing projects

instead of sitting
in college classrooms?

That's brilliant, guys.

Thank you. Really great.

Thank you.

Whoo!

Hey, hackers!

How many of you built an awesome
project this weekend?

The Cal Hack's Hackathon
is coming to a close.

Everybody give it up
for Stop Bot.

Robot recycle, up there.

James' team
didn't win any prizes.

Brainium Car,
come on to the stage.

But he still wouldn't trade
the experience for anything.

I've learned a lot.

It was exhausting,
but exhilarating, as well.

I find it incredible
that you're here at this event

where people are creating things

that could potentially
change the world,

and you have to go back
to high school tomorrow.

Yeah, well, it's a little bit
more of a reality check

than I would like.

Right now, applying to college

and getting good grades
is my top priority.

But I'll be coming up
with new ideas

on what to work on
in the future.

It never ends past the weekend.

It continues.

In the months following
our shoot in Silicon Valley,

James completes
his college applications.

He's applied to 14 schools,

including George Washington,
Stanford, and yes,

U.C. Berkeley.

As for the Wealthcoin guys,

I reach out to Jackson
for an update.

Hey, Lisa.
It's December 9, 2015.

Boost VC was about a month ago.

What he has to say is not
at all what I expected.

I left Wealthcoin when we all
parted separate ways.

Wait, what?

I've actually come
back to Oklahoma

to start working
on some of my own projects.

Jackson doesn't give
too many details,

but I learn that
the team members

had different ideas about
the direction of the company.

Hello.

Simon and Stefan are continuing

to develop Wealthcoin
without him.

Back home, you can see,

not a lot of space
for clothes and furniture.

They haven't procured
any additional funding

since leaving Boost VC.

It's 10:17 A.M.
Enough to make a coffee.

From what I can see,
Jackson has no regrets.

I'm actually really,
really happy right now.

I'm working with
a group of friends,

none of whom who've ever
had any start-up experience

whatsoever, you know.

Jackson goes on and on
about his new projects,

so let me summarize for you.

He's creating a late-night
food delivery app

with some friends.

He got $30,000 in funding

to plan Oklahoma's
first Hackathon.

He's doing freelance
tech design for companies

in L.A., Paris, and Tel Aviv.

And ironically,
he's been invited

to teach in a local school.

I'm really, really
excited to see where it goes.

I just finished
making this video.

Jackson is nothing
if not resilient.

Now my dad's about
to come get me.

When you can really think
for yourself as a teenager,

you can be free to explore
anything that you want.

You're 19 years old.

Where will we see Jackson at 25?

Oh, my God, I don't know.

I don't know where
I'm gonna be tomorrow.

I have so many things
that I want to do.

I want to be in multiple
places at the same time,

and I would love
to be a millionaire

before I'm 20.

Clock's ticking on that.

Well, it was a real big day.

This generation of millennials

has been called
lazy and entitled,

but the kids I met
are anything but.

They're really creating
extraordinary things,

and it makes me excited
about the future.

I also want to send my daughter
to a coding class.

I mean, she's only 2,
but why not start her early?