Elijah Johnson Reflection

Event Information

  • Date: May 21
  • Location: A101
  • Theme: What You Saw and What You Learned

Proof of Experience

Image

Picture taken in A101 after the event as proof of attendance.

Before the Event

  • Expected a standard entrepreneurship presentation focused on:

    • Building a company
    • Funding strategies
    • Product development
  • Assumed the talk would connect somewhat to computer science, but mostly at a surface level
  • Thought the focus would be more technical than personal

Curiosity Before Attending

  • Wanted to learn how people without traditional technical backgrounds enter:

    • Tech
    • Civic innovation
    • Entrepreneurship

  • Interested in understanding:

    • How ideas become real companies
    • The business and relationship side of innovation
    • What happens before a product is fully built

What I Saw

  • Presentation by Elijah Johnson, CEO of SafeBallot

  • SafeBallot:

    • Blockchain-based digital voting platform
    • Focused on election security and civic engagement

  • Event combined:

    • Entrepreneurship lessons
    • Civic technology
    • Personal experiences transitioning from D1 athletics to startup leadership

  • Learned about the Playbook Project:

    • Community initiative connecting 18 cities
    • Helped provide food for 450 families across the county

Most Interesting Thing

  • SafeBallot’s early attention came from:

    • Its branding
    • The company name
    • The logo
  • Investors responded before the product was fully developed

  • Changed my perspective on entrepreneurship:

    • Strong presentation and identity can create opportunities before technical completion

What I Learned

  • People often invest in:

    • The founder
    • The vision
    • The authenticity behind the product
  • Technical quality alone is not enough
  • Communication, trust, and personality matter just as much as engineering
  • A strong emotional connection can determine whether people support an idea

What Surprised Me

  • Major opportunities came through relationships and consistency:

    • His wife’s connection helped open a partnership opportunity in Mozambique
    • A conversation at a pitch competition eventually led to presenting before Congress
  • Success was not always planned strategically
  • Repeated exposure and genuine networking created momentum over time

What Inspired Me

  • The idea of:

    “Start before you’re ready.”

  • Elijah Johnson began pitching with:

    • A vision
    • A logo
    • A mission
  • He did not wait for a perfect or finished product

  • Inspired me to:

    • Take more initiative on projects
    • Be comfortable starting from an incomplete position
    • Trust growth through action and consistency

Personal Connection

  • In computer science, I usually focus heavily on:

    • Technical rigor
    • Optimization
    • Security

  • The talk reminded me that:

    • Technical work only creates impact when people trust and understand it
    • Communication and relationships are essential parts of building meaningful systems

  • Made me realize I should improve the way I:

    • Present ideas
    • Explain technical concepts
    • Build credibility with others

Interaction

Person I Learned From

  • Elijah Johnson

    • CEO of SafeBallot
    • Former D1 football player
    • Entrepreneur and speaker

Key Points He Shared

  • Entered entrepreneurship competitions before being fully prepared

  • Faced repeated rejection:

    • “99 no’s before 1 yes”

  • Used unconventional methods to create opportunities:

    • Sponsoring a basketball team
    • Picking up trash on a highway to get in front of a client

  • Emphasized:

    • Consistency
    • Discipline
    • Authenticity
    • Persistence over perfection

Depth of Experience

My Perspective Before

  • Thought technical skill was the main barrier to creating impact

My Perspective After

  • Realized the larger barrier is often:

    • Human connection
    • Communication
    • Relationship-building
    • Consistency

  • Technical systems matter, but people create opportunities

Connection to CS and Future Goals

  • Connected strongly to my work in Open Coding Society:

    • Backend systems
    • Security architecture

  • Realized cybersecurity is not only about protection:

    • It is also about trust and credibility

  • Important lessons:

    • Stakeholders must understand and trust the system
    • Security posture can influence partnerships and investment decisions
    • Communication is part of technical leadership

  • Changed how I think about presenting technical work:

    • Not just execution
    • Also perception, trust, and confidence

Final Reflection

  • The event reframed what it means to be a builder

  • I usually focus on optimizing:

    • Code
    • Systems
    • Technical solutions

  • The talk emphasized optimizing:

    • Authenticity
    • Consistency
    • Human connection
  • Showed how persistence and relationships can transform a small idea into something with national visibility

Biggest Takeaway

“No dream is too small to start, and no idea is too big to pursue - as long as you are willing to stay consistent, authentic, and resilient through rejection.”