codary closes €3.5 million seed to teach kids coding in a gamified way
Speedinvest leads the round with participation from specialized edtech funds and angels
Berlin edtech company codary successfully closed its seed funding with €3.5 million. The leading investor is Speedinvest, one of the most active seed investors of European tech unicorns. Furthermore, the edtech investors Educapital, Sparkmind, and New York-based FJ Labs joined the financing round. codary also secured several business angels including educational expert Michael Repnik (founder of LearnChamp).
codary raises funding to solidify its position as the go-to coding platform for kids and teenagers by further developing its adaptive learning app and expanding across Europe. Within the next year, codary plans to double its existing team of talents and tutors. Founders Amanda Maiwald (29), Antonia Schein (27), and Nikolaj Bewer (28) have developed a unique gamified concept that specifically targets kids aged between 7 and 16. With fully remote coding classes, they introduce the next generation to the universe behind the screen in a fun and easy-to-understand way. In addition to its digital live classes, codary’s learning platform and mobile app offers individualized coding content and challenges depending on the skills of the user.
Mathias Ockenfels, General Partner at Speedinvest: “We strongly believe that codary has the potential to shake up the educational landscape in Europe. While high-quality coding classes tailored to kids and teenagers are hard to find, they are in high demand from both parents and their children alike. We are impressed by the codary team and its strong focus on a high level of customer satisfaction and a high-quality product. If you have kids who are interested in coding and technology, codary is your go-to!”
Amanda Maiwald, cofounder and CEO of codary: “We see ourselves at the forefront of digital education. Nowadays, students in Germany still look for coding classes in vain. Many young people in Germany and Europe grow up without any computer science knowledge, interest, or skills and are therefore excluded from the evolution of the digital world. It is our mission to minimize the barriers stopping kids from getting into computer science by inspiring more of them – especially girls – to get into coding, helping them become digital creators instead of just digital consumers. The demand for our product shows that we are on the right path. The additional funding will significantly increase the development of our platform.”
Through codary’s corporate program, clients like German DAX company MTU Aero Engines or Berlin-based Wista offer digital coding camps to their workforce’s kids. Since its founding, codary has been working with the Roland Berger Stiftung and Deutsche Kinderhilfe e.V. to finance programming classes for kids from low-income households.
ABOUT CODARY
codary’s mission is to teach kids the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. Through codary’s adaptive learning platform and mobile app, experienced coding tutors teach digital programming classes for 7 to 16-year-olds. The Berlin-based edtech start-up was founded by Amanda Maiwald (29), Antonia Schein (27), and Nikolaj Bewer (28). Since its founding in November 2020, it has received support from the Berlin Technical University as well as the Berlin Senate and has taught over 17,000 kids how to code by means of their live classes and free mobile app. codary has been awarded several prizes for its work in the digital education industry, such as the Innovationspreis Berlin 2021 and the Digital Female Leader Award.
Press release codary September 20, 2022.