From the Cells to Silicon Valley Mindset: How a Formerly Incarcerated Reentry Leader Taught Himself “Vibe Coding” and Built a Revolutionary Tech Platform

The Breakthrough Moment

They say necessity is the mother of invention. For me, it was desperation mixed with an unshakeable vision and a chance discovery that birthed something extraordinary. My name is Kardell Sims. I’m a formerly incarcerated reentry leader, speaker, author, and entrepreneur. As the founder of On The Inside Reentry Academy and N.O.R.T.H. Org, I’ve dedicated my life to supporting justice-impacted individuals. Just two months ago, I discovered a revolutionary AI-powered development methodology that would change everything—not just for me, but for an entire community that technology had largely forgotten.

I didn’t attend coding boot camps. I didn’t have a computer science degree. What I had was time, determination, and a discovery that would change everything—a revolutionary methodology called “vibe coding.”

Discovering Vibe Coding: The Game Changer

Two months ago, I stumbled upon something that seemed almost too good to be true. Riley Brown and his app company, Vibe Code, coined a term and developed a methodology that was revolutionizing how platforms and applications are built.

Vibe coding leverages AI to handle the heavy lifting of coding and development. This makes sophisticated platform creation accessible to visionaries who understand problems intimately, even without traditional programming backgrounds.

This wasn’t just coding; this was democratized innovation.

What is Vibe Coding?

Vibe coding, as developed by Riley Brown’s team, is a groundbreaking approach that uses artificial intelligence to build apps and platforms. But it’s more than just AI-assisted development; it’s about empowering people with vision and lived experience to create technological solutions without needing years of traditional programming education.

When you combine this AI-powered methodology with the lived experience of someone who’s navigated the justice system, reentry services, and community challenges—magic happens. You’re not just building technology; you’re healing systems through code.

Traditional coding asks, “How can we build this?” Vibe coding asks, “What needs to be built?” When formerly incarcerated individuals answer that question, the solutions are revolutionary.

The 14-Hour Days: Obsession with Purpose

Learning vibe coding wasn’t just picking up a new skill; it was discovering my superpower. Since that moment, I’ve been investing 14-hour days, seven days a week, immersing myself in this AI-powered development methodology. While others were sleeping, I was learning. While others were relaxing, I was building.

Why the obsession? Because I could see the future. I could see how vibe coding could bridge the gap between community needs and technological solutions. I could see how AI could amplify the voices of those who’ve been systematically silenced.

The Birth of Block Elevate Technologies

After years as a reentry leader and speaker, running programs through On The Inside Reentry Academy and N.O.R.T.H. Org, I kept encountering the same frustration: the systems designed to help justice-impacted individuals were fragmented, hard to navigate, and often failed the very people they were meant to serve. This wasn’t just based on my personal experience; it was validated through hundreds of surveys and conversations I’ve conducted through my programs, workshops, and speaking engagements in over 60 prisons across the country over the past four years.

The data was overwhelming and consistent. I watched brilliant minds—my formerly incarcerated brothers and sisters—struggle to access basic services, educational opportunities, and economic mobility. The same pain points emerged again and again: scattered resources, complex bureaucracy, lack of comprehensive support, and systems that weren’t designed with their actual needs in mind.

That’s when the vision hit me. What if we could create a unified platform that brought together every service, every educational program, every opportunity under one digital roof? What if we could build technology BY formerly incarcerated individuals FOR formerly incarcerated individuals and the broader community?

Block Elevate Technologies was born from this vision—a company dedicated to building platforms using Riley Brown’s vibe coding methodology, with our flagship project being Block Elevate Enhanced.

Block Elevate Enhanced: Two Months of Revolutionary Development

In just two months of 14-hour days using Riley Brown’s vibe coding methodology, Block Elevate Enhanced has gone from vision to reality. Set for public release in 2026, this isn’t just another platform; it’s a comprehensive ecosystem designed to elevate entire communities. Imagine having access to:

• Healthcare navigation that actually makes sense

• Legal resources that don’t require a law degree to understand

• Educational programs with real-world application

• Housing assistance that cuts through the bureaucracy

• Workforce development that recognizes your full potential

• Crisis support available 24/7

• Family services that keep communities together AND SO MUCH MORE

  
  

What makes it revolutionary? Every feature, every interface, every user flow is designed based on extensive research—surveys and conversations I’ve conducted through my programs, workshops, and speaking engagements in over 60 prisons over the past four years, combined with AI that learns and adapts to community needs. We’re not guessing at what justice-impacted individuals need; we’ve systematically documented their needs and are building solutions with cutting-edge technology.

Our Team: Proof That Second Chances Work

What makes Block Elevate Technologies truly special is our development approach. We combine formerly incarcerated and currently incarcerated team members with extensive community research. Over the past four years, through speaking in over 60 prisons and conducting countless surveys and conversations through my programs and workshops, we’ve built an unprecedented database of community needs and pain points.

Our programmers learned to code in prison libraries. Our designers sketch interfaces on commissary paper. Our project managers learned organizational skills managing complex prison dynamics. Our user experience experts understand user pain points because we’ve documented thousands of them across dozens of facilities.

We’re not just building technology; we’re building solutions based on the most comprehensive needs assessment of the justice-impacted community ever conducted.

Applying Riley Brown’s Vibe Coding to Social Impact: How We Build Different

Riley Brown’s vibe coding methodology gave us the tools, but our lived experience gave us the vision. Here’s how we’ve adapted this AI-powered development approach for social impact:

1. Listen First: Before leveraging AI to build any feature, we listen to community stories—backed by years of surveys and conversations from over 60 prison speaking engagements.

2. Feel the Problem: We don’t analyze pain points in theory; we’ve documented them through extensive community research.

3. Code with AI and Empathy: We use artificial intelligence to build solutions that serve human beings, informed by real data from real people.

4. Test with Truth: Our beta testers are people from the communities we’ve been working with for years.

5. Iterate with Impact: We measure success by lives changed, not just metrics improved.

   
   

The beauty of vibe coding is that it allows us to focus on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ while AI handles much of the ‘how’—freeing us to innovate from our lived experience rather than getting bogged down in traditional programming complexities.

Beyond Block Elevate: The Bigger Vision

Block Elevate Enhanced is just the beginning. Block Elevate Technologies is positioned to revolutionize how we think about social impact technology. We’re proving that the most powerful innovations come from the communities that need them most.

Our company specializes in building platforms that matter—technology that doesn’t just disrupt industries but transforms lives. We’re showing the world that formerly incarcerated individuals aren’t just capable of contributing to the tech economy; we’re capable of leading it.

The Ripple Effect

Every time someone uses Block Elevate Enhanced to find housing, access education, or connect with legal services, they’re not just using an app—they’re participating in a movement. A movement that says second chances aren’t just about individual redemption but about collective innovation.

When a formerly incarcerated individual codes a feature that helps another formerly incarcerated individual find employment, that’s not just programming; that’s poetry in motion.

Teaching the Next Generation

One of my goals is to share what I’ve learned about Riley Brown’s vibe coding methodology with others in the justice-impacted community. We’re planning to teach this AI-powered development approach to formerly incarcerated individuals in prisons and reentry programs across the country. We want to show them that their experiences aren’t barriers to entry in tech; they’re competitive advantages.

Imagine teaching someone to build sophisticated platforms in months rather than years, using AI to handle the technical complexity while they focus on solving real problems they understand intimately.

The Future is Bright (and Built with AI-Powered Purpose)

Block Elevate Technologies is more than a company; it’s proof that when you combine cutting-edge AI methodology with lived experience and relentless dedication, revolutionary change happens fast. In just two months of 14-hour days learning Riley Brown’s vibe coding approach, we’ve built what would have taken traditional development teams years to accomplish.

This is what’s possible when innovation meets desperation, when AI meets authenticity, and when formerly incarcerated individuals get access to tools that match their vision.

We’re not just building a business; we’re building a legacy. A legacy that shows the world what’s possible when you give people the right tools and the determination to use them. Block Elevate Enhanced, launching to the public in 2026, will be proof that the most powerful platforms aren’t just coded with artificial intelligence but with authentic intelligence—intelligence that comes from real experiences, real struggles, and real triumphs.

Ready to Join the Revolution?

Whether you’re formerly incarcerated, currently incarcerated, or simply someone who believes in the power of second chances, there’s a place for you in this movement. Block Elevate Technologies isn’t just changing the tech industry; we’re proving that the most powerful code isn’t written in programming languages but in the language of resilience, community, and hope.

The future of technology isn’t just about artificial intelligence; it’s about authentic intelligence. Intelligence that comes from real experiences, real struggles, and real triumphs.

Welcome to the era of AI-powered social impact. Welcome to what happens when you give visionaries the tools to build their dreams. Welcome to Block Elevate Technologies.