Amanda Lamb: Where in the world is the next Bill Gates?

Not unlike a real company, the Amadi brothers all have well-defined roles in their small, grassroots business.

“We want to show kids what’s behind the texting, behind the games that they’re playing, behind social media, what’s behind all that they see, and maybe help them learn to make their own apps,” Daniel says.

BugZero.Codes is aimed at teaching kids how to go beyond the technology we all take for granted on phones, iPads, and computers. It’s about peeling the current back to reveal the technology. It’s about teaching them how to write code and teaching them how to create their own apps.

Currently, the brothers are involved in a the Congressional App Challenge where they are competing against other students in the Fourth Congressional District to see who has the most innovative app. Their app is called “Teacher Appreciation” and it allows parents and students to send a certificate of appreciation through email to any teacher at any school.

“Teachers do so much for us, preparing us for the future. We want to show them how much we care, and how we know their work is not just work for them,” Daniel says.

“We use all this technology like phones, iPads, all this technology that we have, we keep them everywhere, we use them all the time, but some people don’t really know what’s behind them,” Daniel says. “Kids can learn basic programming languages and basic coding and what’s behind it.”

And last, but not least, is 11-year-old Timothy, the “developer,” who learned coding at age nine, and since that time hasn’t stopped. Timothy is clearly the genius in the group—a genius who lives the majority of the time in his own little world inside his head where numbers and computer programs are pinging off the walls of his brain.

He teaches his brothers about coding, they teach him about business and public relations. Timothy is happy to focus on his computer screen while his loving, mother, Eugenia Amadi, buzzes around their townhouse trying to keep her three boys on task. But don’t be fooled—Timothy is taking everything in, even when you don’t think he’s paying attention. When I interviewed him, I commented on the wild zig-zag pattern on his shirt, a comment I thought he either didn’t hear, or simply ignored.

“Kids ought to know that coding is not just something the geniuses with white lab coats can do, it’s something anyone, even me with this crazy shirt can do. It’s something my mom can do. It’s something my brothers upstairs can do. It’s something anyone in the world can do,” Timothy says, momentarily looking directly at me through his glasses, and then quickly looking away.

The brothers are all unique, but bring something important to the table of their shared venture. What they all have in common is a strong, supportive mother who recognized Timothy’s rare talent at a young age and wanted to nurture it within the safety net of her loving family. That’s how BugZero.Codes was born.

On Nov. 21, the brothers will find out if their app wins the Congressional Challenge. But in my mind, they’ve already won. If you’re looking for the next Bill Gates, look no further, he may just be right here in Raleigh, North Carolina.