In 2012, start-up veteran David J. Phillips used his knack for business to co-found Hackbright Academy and realize his goal of bringing more women into the world of tech. Based in San Francisco, Hackbright is an intensive 10-week course that trains women seeking careers as software developers and computer programmers. In addition to its technical training, the Academy also arranges mentoring, which provides additional guidance and support to female graduates joining an industry which is majority male.
Today, Hackbright has hundreds of alumni working at companies including IndieGoGo, Cisco, and Survey Monkey. Here, the former technology and media consultant shares the apps that encourage his fitness efforts and help him communicate with colleagues efficiently.
To Commute: Getaround
Living in San Francisco makes it really easy for people to not own a car. I enjoy walking pretty much everywhere. For the times when I have to travel outside of San Francisco for meetings, I use Getaround. You can rent a car hourly or daily through their iOS app. They have hundreds of cars around the city, so it's very accessible. For traveling shorter distances, I'm also a big fan of Lyft.
To Sign Off: HelloSign
HelloSign is a really great productivity app. The print, sign, scan, and send routine is now a distant memory thanks to HelloSign. I've been using it for years, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
To Split: Venmo
Venmo is a very simple app for paying friends back for concert tickets, group dinners, or even rent/utilities. There are no fees for payments or withdrawals, and it connects directly to your bank account.
To Relay: Hipchat
Our entire team at Hackbright uses Hip Chat to communicate every day. It's faster than email, and makes group chat for different teams very simple.
To Get Moving: Garmin Connect
Garmin Connect is the app for my Garmin Vivofit. The Vivofit is a great fitness tracker that keeps me moving and encourages me to be more active during the day. Since I've started using it I go to the gym more often, have more walking meetings, and set walking as my default mode of transportation!
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