Codeyoung enrolls K-12 students from five countries in a year
Codeyoung founded in December 2019 by IITD graduates Shailendra Dhakad and Rupika Taneja is a Bengaluru-based startup offering live coding classes to K-12 students and is riding a surge in the coding space. The co-founders zeroed in on this segment because they believed that “coding is fun and there are no prerequisites” to learn it.
“It’s not like you have to learn Class 12 chemistry to qualify for coding classes. It’s for everyone, and it helps you in the real world,” Shailendra tells YourStory.
Codeyoung offers four programmes: Scratch, app development, web development, and Python for the age groups of 5-9, 9-14, and 14-16. Each course includes 48 classes and costs Rs 19,999. The classes are held twice or thrice a week depending on the student’s preference.
Shailendra shares, “Our curriculum goes beyond drag-and-drop block-based programming and provides a real-world coding environment where students are taught industry-level languages like Java and Python. Our aim is to teach kids the fundamentals of logic and problem solving.”
Unlike many of its peers that conduct 1:1 coding classes, Codeyoung stresses on community and peer-to-peer learning. All its live classes are 1:3, which the founders believe, helps kids build better connections and understanding. “We realised that 1:1 is not the ideal size for a coding class. Kids find it difficult to make connections with mentors when they are studying 1:1. So, our platform creates a collaborative learning environment,” explains the founder. Codeyoung’s course content is complementary to the school curriculum, and the trainers work towards improving a child’s cognitive abilities, creative, and logical thinking.
In just a year, Codeyoung claims to have enrolled over 15,000 students from five countries, including India, UAE, Australia, Malaysia, and the US. Half of the startup’s user base comes from international markets. “Maximum traction, almost 70 percent, comes from students in Classes 4 to 7. That age group is showing good demand,” Shailendra reveals. Codeyoung has conducted over 40,000 live classes so far, and has a trainer/teacher base of 120. It is adding “15 new teachers per month”. The teachers come from varied backgrounds, including IITs and NIT.
“There are college students, engineering grads, school teachers who teach computers, and working mothers who may have discontinued their careers. We help them transition from offline to online learning,” says the founder.
