Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back executive director, answers judges’ questions at the WeWork Creator Awards Global Finals at Madison Square Garden. Click the picture for more photos from our WeWork adventure!

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Byte Back Competed at the Creator Awards Global Finals at Madison Square Garden

In March, WeWork saw something special in Byte Back – tech career training that started 20 years ago and brings economic opportunity to hundreds in the DC community today.

Byte Back won the biggest prize at WeWork’s DC Creator Awards – $360,000. Since then, the Creator Awards stopped in six more cities across the globe, and over 6,000 startups, nonprofits, and creators competed. Of the 152 winners, Byte Back was one of eight finalists to compete in the Creator Awards Global Finals January 17 at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden. And we took home $360,000!

Last year, 60 graduates in DC were hired and started earning more than $24,000 more annually than before Byte Back courses. This award will expand opportunities further, moving beyond DC and even helping us explore possibilities of nationwide scaling.

“Hundreds more people who have been left behind will finally see that tech careers are for them, that they can earn living wages, that it is possible to truly transform their lives,” said Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back executive director.

The spirit that WeWork created this year with the Creator Awards is really unmatched, and as Adam Neumann, WeWork cofounder and CEO, said at the awards, “When you do something that comes from the heart, magic happens!” We felt that magic in the Creator Awards and we feel it every day as we help people transform their lives at Byte Back.

“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” Lindsey said. For the organization, it was one of the most amazing experiences of our 20 years. We are so thankful for WeWork’s generosity, awarding Byte Back $720,000 over the last year, and we’re grateful to be a part of a community of creators, innovators, and passionate world-changers.

As a Bonus, We Rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell. And, Yes, That’s Our Executive Director on a big screen in Times Square!

The Excitement from Our Community Was Overwhelming …

Congratulations to our partner @ByteBackDC for winning $360,000 at @WeWork #CreatorAwards!!! https://t.co/cmHiIJnLOs

— Connect.DC (@ConnectdotDC) January 19, 2018

OMG OMG OMG OMG @ByteBackDC / @elindse1 won $360,000 tonight from @WeWork to support expansion! pic.twitter.com/zHP7HtawLP

— Jackie Kazil (@JackieKazil) January 18, 2018

Huge! Congrats to @ByteBackDC – their work has an incredible ripple effect and only goes to strengthen our entire ecosystem. Way to go! https://t.co/X29wZ74th4

— Penny Lee (@pennyleedc) January 20, 2018