Nicholas Bergson-Shilcock

Yo, let me tell you about Nicholas Bergson-Shilcock. This guy’s the real deal in the tech and education world. He’s like that friend who’s been jumping into cool projects since forever and keeps pushing boundaries.

So, Nicholas is the CEO and co-founder of the Recurse Center in NYC, you know, that self-directed programming retreat? Founded back in 2010 with YC’s help, it’s all about giving developers a space to level up on their own terms. The cool part? It’s free, super inclusive, and community-driven. No corporate bullshit, just pure learning and collaboration. That’s his baby.

But before that, he was deep in the startup scene. Co-founded Hackruiter (also called Hirehive), a YC-funded startup working on fixing the crapshow that is tech hiring. The guy’s been all about making tech better, fairer, smarter. And before all that, he was a software engineer and project manager at OpenPlans and even interned at The Open Planning Project. Basically, he’s been all about building and improving systems from the ground up.

What’s wild is how his lifelong unschooling shaped everything he’s done. He’s not the type to follow the traditional path. He’s all about self-directed learning, which you see in how he built the Recurse Center, giving people the freedom to learn what they want, how they want, with a community that’s all about diversity and inclusion. That’s his vibe: enable people, break the mold, learn outside the lines.

He’s based in Brooklyn now, vibing with NYC’s culture, but he’s also into learning Mandarin, dude’s always pushing his boundaries. His process? It’s about jumping into things headfirst, not waiting for permission, and then building spaces where others can do the same.

Bottom line? Nicholas is a connector, between education, tech, and community. He’s not just about making cool stuff; he’s about changing how people learn, grow, and build together. That’s why he’s a big deal, he’s shaping the future of learning and startups, one bold move at a time.