Kevin Ko ’15 does not mind being busy. An avid programmer, Kevin creates apps that capture people's interests. When we first touched base with Kevin last year, he garnered attention for the success of his app Zeusmos and his work for other development and freelance projects. Last summer, Kevin spent most of his time working on a new app, Nike Radar, that has seen great successes in its initial months. 

Nike Radar aims to demystify and simplify the art of purchasing sneakers online. Many of the most popular shoes released online sell out in minutes—sometimes even seconds. As demand always exceeds supply, most people who want a pair of exclusive sneakers will come up short. This is partly because of the time it takes to manually input one’s banking and shipping information on the shoe’s website, which becomes a race against time against other shoppers. Nike Radar improves upon this process, automatically entering the needed information, bypassing the constraints of manual entry and increasing chances of a successful purchase. Since it launched in July, Nike Radar has been purchased by more than 1,000 people, and as word continues to spread, this number looks to grow.

What first prompted Kevin to develop Nike Radar was not a vested interest in sneakers or sneaker culture, but rather a desire to capitalize on what he perceived to be a viable market for select consumers. Kevin attributes his exploration of programming in part to Xavier’s math department, and said that faculty members “are fantastic and dedicated to watching you succeed.”  In addition, he enjoys its challenging, problem-solving foundation as well as the positive impact it has on customers who benefit from his work. 

Now a senior, Kevin must balance his interest in programming with coursework and college applications. When asked how he manages his time, Kevin said, “During the summer, I took advantage of the free time I had. I spent a lot of time programming and coding to perfect my algorithms and thus my product, which led to a few all-nighters. Once the school year began, I’ve had to spend more time programming and working on weekends. Time management has been difficult so far, but I’m doing by best to get through it.”

Prior to Nike Radar, Kevin was not very interested in sneakers. However, as he continues to immerse himself in sneaker culture to better understand his product and his customers’ needs, he is developing more of an interest.  When pressed to name his favorite sneaker, Kevin said, “I’m still new to the culture, but I’m hoping to use Nike Radar to pick up the limited Air Jordan x Derek Jeter collaboration that will be released in limited quantity on September 22.” His work in programming has allowed him to develop new passions and interests.  

To follow Kevin and his work with Nike Radar, check out the app’s website at nikeradar.me and on Twitter at @NikeRadarApp.  

We would like to wish Kevin the best of luck as he continues his senior year at Xavier.