Sarah Allen (software developer) facts for kids

Sarah Allen (born Sarah Lindsley) is an American software developer and entrepreneur. This means she creates computer programs and also starts and runs her own businesses.

Sarah went to Brown University in Rhode Island. There, she studied computer science, which is about how computers work and how to make them do things. She also studied visual arts, which is about creating art. Early in her career, Sarah helped create important software for Adobe. This included Adobe Shockwave Multiuser Server, Flash Media Server, and Flash video. She also helped start the company that made Adobe After Effects, a program used for special effects in videos.

In 2013, Sarah was chosen for a special program called Presidential Innovation Fellows. Through this program, she worked with the Smithsonian Institution, which runs many famous museums and research centers.

Sarah's Companies

Sarah Allen has started several exciting companies.

Mightyverse

In 2010, Sarah helped start a mobile company called Mightyverse. She is also the chief technology officer (CTO) there. This means she is in charge of all the technology and software development for the company.

Blazing Cloud

At the same time, Sarah also founded Blazing Cloud. This company is based in San Francisco. Blazing Cloud helps other businesses create mobile apps. They use a special programming tool called Ruby on Rails.

Writing Books

In 2010, Sarah also co-wrote a book. It was called Pro Smartphone Cross-Platform Development. This book helped people learn how to make apps that work on different types of smartphones.

Helping Women in Tech

Sarah Allen cares a lot about making sure more women work in technology.

RailsBridge

She is the president of an organization called RailsBridge. RailsBridge helps people who want to become software developers. They especially focus on helping women and people from groups that are not often seen in tech. RailsBridge offers mentoring, teaching, and writing resources. Their goal is to help new developers join the "open source community." This is a group of people who create software together and share it freely.

Awards and Recognition

Sarah Allen has received many honors for her work.

Early Honors

In 1998, a group called San Francisco Women on the Web named Sarah one of the Top 25 Women of the Web. This was a big achievement early in her career.

Later Awards

In 2010, Sarah was honored on Ada Lovelace Day by the Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners. Ada Lovelace was a very important woman in computer history. Sarah also gave a talk about mobile technology at Google's headquarters in Mountain View. As mentioned before, in 2013, she was chosen as a Presidential Innovation Fellow. She spent six months working with the Smithsonian Institution on special projects.