Mailchimp to help start digital academy

Mailchimp, the widely-used online marketing company which has increased its presence in metro Atlanta in recent years, is investing $300,000 to create an academy at Clayton State University to prepare students for careers in the digital world, the university announced Tuesday morning.

The program, housed in the university’s College of Information and Mathematical Sciences, combines curriculum in cloud computing, information security, data infrastructure operations and software quality assurance, matched with experiential opportunities featuring Mailchimp’s team of experts.

The Launchpad Academy will be aimed at students on Atlanta’s southside, offering some internships while having them work on a project to build software to address a problem the Clayton State community faces, according to a news release.

“Through Launchpad Acad- emy, we’re able to support the often-undertapped southside of our Atlanta region by providing talented, local students with practical experience to better guide their career paths in technology,” said Joe Uhl, Mailchimp’s vice president of operations.

Launchpad Academy was developed out the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute. Mailchimp officials also plan to use Launchpad Academy to engage with students in south Fulton and Clayton County public schools.

CONTRIBUTED Mailchimp, an online marketing company, is investing $300,000 to create an academy at Clayton State University to prepare students for careers in the digital world.