Tech Firm at Cortex Offers Second Chance to the Incarcerated

By all accounts, it looked like a typical graduation ceremony.

The graduates were dressed in special outfits. Doting family members were there to celebrate their achievements. A keynote speaker imparted advice.

It was the venue that made it atypical. These graduates were in the visitor’s room at Jefferson City Correctional Center.

The graduation ceremony on June 11 was the first for Unlocked Labs, a coding and technology firm spun out of St. Louis tech education nonprofit LaunchCode. Unlocked Labs got its start in prison, founded by Jessica Hicklin and Chris Santillan, who were incarcerated a combined 53 years.

Standing before the graduates that afternoon, Hicklin told the story of her experience learning software coding in prison and how she built her own business following her release in 2022 after 26 years behind bars. She’s since drawn national attention leading Unlocked Labs, speaking at high-profile conferences and events, including South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. The company, which builds education tools for prisons, has been supported by the likes of John Legend’s freeamerica, venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz and Harvard University.