From BGSU to Silicon Valley, how one computer science student found success in app development

Kien Quoc Ngo set out to earn more than a degree when he chose Bowling Green State University. He wanted the environment and support to find himself as a person, but the flexibility to blaze his own path as a computer science student. Heading into his senior year, Ngo has already designed and sold an app, received more than a dozen job offers from start-up companies to big tech, and now finds himself in a summer fellowship program with Jackson Square Ventures (JSV) in San Francisco.

“Back in Vietnam, I was heavily involved in academics, but I hadn’t really found myself,” Ngo said. “BGSU provided the perfect opportunity to meet new people, branch out academically and still earn my degree. Bowling Green has given me the best possible experience I could have asked for.”

With the mindset that hard work pays off and that opportunities come to those who are prepared, Ngo began spending nearly every weekend at hackathon events across the country.

“At each event, I always tried to build interesting projects that people would love to use in 24 to 36 hours,” he said. “These events prioritize rapid innovation, experiential learning and networking over heavily structured, traditional development processes, so it’s a lot more fun making sure everything being done fits the allotted time.

“Hackathons made me realize my passion in software engineering and computer science, while allowing me to apply my BGSU education and learn new skills simultaneously.”

Since his freshman year, Ngo has competed in 13 hackathons across the country and Canada, taking home prizes in eight of the events and fielding dozens of job offers from companies interested in his prototypes and his abilities.

“I designed a mobile companion app called Kinette that makes grocery shopping and list-making easier,” Ngo said. "There were a lot of acquisition interests for Kinette while I went on to create projects like ‘TalkTuahCar’ that detects car problems and provides drivers with a voice diagnosis instead of a flashing light.

“After presenting TalkTuahCar, the project concept went viral, got over 2 million views and was a naming trend for Voice AI hackathon projects for a while.”

With the skills necessary to prototype apps and programs, Ngo was encouraged to take his creativity to the stage in The Hatch hosted by the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at BGSU.

Designed as an accelerator and pitch competition, The Hatch helps students like Ngo pursue their entrepreneurial ideas and develop them into investable business models.

“I was already doing something similar through hackathons, so I thought I would apply. I didn’t expect so much professional guidance and support from real entrepreneurs,” Ngo said. “The Hatch gave me every tool under the sun and gave me access to people like Joe Wagner from Owens Corning and Hooker Center Director David Uhlenhake, who offered advice and helped guide us through the process of turning our idea into reality.”

Ngo presented “Patchment” at The Hatch, showcasing a program that lets small to medium-sized businesses scale more technicians with the number of dispatchers by creating an AI-native solution to answer and process incoming service requests, as well as automatically dispatching technicians and monitoring their progress. After taking home a $5,000 prize to go toward his invention, Ngo’s journey was just getting started. He was also awarded access to an advisory board of business executives and subject matter experts to help him launch and scale.

Ngo took Patchment with him to San Francisco this summer to take part in a 10-week summer fellowship program with Jackson Square Ventures. As part of the fellowship, JSV provided him with venture capital to grow his startup alongside other fellows in Silicon Valley.

While a trip to California was something new for Ngo, BGSU made sure he wasn’t alone.

“We are a community of Falcons with alumni located from coast-to-coast and beyond,” said Uhlenhake, director of the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. “When we found out Kien was moving out to San Francisco for the summer, we provided him with a list of alumni who he could connect with for support.”

Ngo’s journey to entrepreneurship is just getting started. However, the process that helped get him there is something BGSU and the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership are dedicated to continuing.

“We are focused on a campus-wide entrepreneurial mindset. We are building an ecosystem to inspire and grow the entrepreneurial leadership in every student,” Uhlenhake said. “Whether or not a student starts a business, The Hatch program and other Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership programing is developing the problem solvers of today.

“This experiential learning provides students with a head start in their careers and a mindset on how to grow faster.”

After receiving 13 internship offers from companies offering as much as $12,000 a month, Ngo plans to return this fall to BGSU to finish his degree. He hopes his story inspires other students to go beyond the classroom to create opportunities and embrace the ones presented to them at Bowling Green, including The Hatch.

Ngo's BGSU experience is a testament to the computer science program and the success that can be found for students who apply themselves.

"A computer science degree from BGSU gives a technical foundation plus the required applied experiences of internships, co-ops and capstone projects done with industry partners," said Jake Lee, chair of the Department of Computer Science. "When students pair their education with continued engagement through student organizations, faculty-guided projects and hackathons, they are well-positioned for a job market that is more selective and seeking prepared candidates."

Set to graduate in Spring 2027, Ngo hopes to move to California to continue following his dream of creating applications and programs that help make life easier and better for everyone.

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