What Walnut Coding does

Walnut Coding (武汉聪明核桃教育科技有限公司) is a Chinese online coding education platform for young learners, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Wuhan, China. The company operates with a global footprint spanning the U.S., South East Asia, and China, supported by a workforce of 4,001-10,000 employees. The company has raised approximately $267.7M+ across six funding rounds from 2017-2021, with notable investors including GL Ventures, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Hillhouse Investment, and XVC.

The company operates a platform-plus-products architecture, providing tiered curriculum materials aligned with age-appropriate cognitive development levels, AI-empowered teaching products, and AI-powered coding hardware. Recent product launches include the 'Miniature Smart City' and 'AI Programming Smart Car' unveiled at the 2025 World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China. The company has developed proprietary project-based learning tools and AI-empowered teaching products integrated into its curriculum framework, with content delivered through both online and tangible hardware channels.

Walnut Coding reaches customers through multiple channels, including direct online platform access, school partnerships, and public welfare programming courses. Recent strategic initiatives include a UNICEF case study recognition for child safety by design (2026-04-24), a partnership with UNESCO (2025-12-25) for international youth coding competition and inclusive digital learning, and the launch of AI Education Public Welfare Programming Courses (2026-02) reaching approximately 140,000 students across 1,029 schools in Shanghai, with teacher training programs benefiting 50,000+ educators nationwide. The company serves individual young learners, parents, educational institutions, and global organizations through its multi-channel ecosystem.

Name

Walnut Coding

Legal name

武汉聪明核桃教育科技有限公司

Website

https://walnut101.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Walnut Coding is a Chinese online coding education platform for young learners, providing AI-empowered teaching products, tiered curriculum materials, and AI-powered coding hardware (Miniature Smart City, AI Programming Smart Car) through school partnerships and public welfare programming courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Coding and AI Education

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Coding & Programming Learning Platforms (EDAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG), Introductory Coding (Block-Based & Beginner) (EDAMACAA), Computer Science & Programming Tutoring (K–12 & Intro College) (EDANAAAE)

Keywords

• Youth coding education
• AI literacy platform
• K-12 edtech
• STEM learning tools
• Coding hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Costa Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Online Coding Education Platform: Walnut Coding operates as a Chinese online coding education platform for young learners, providing tiered curriculum materials and AI-empowered teaching products. Revenue is generated through educational services delivered to students and schools.
2. AI-Powered Coding Hardware Sales: Sale of tangible AI-powered coding hardware products including Miniature Smart City and AI Programming Smart Car designed for young learners, making programming tangible and accessible.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Walnut Coding operates 核桃开发者创作平台 (Walnut Developer Creation Platform), an online coding education platform for young learners in China, delivering age-tiered curriculum, AI-empowered teaching products, and project-based learning tools. The company complements this platform with tangible AI-powered coding hardware (Miniature Smart City and AI Programming Smart Car) and large-scale public welfare programming courses delivered through 1,029 partner schools in Shanghai and teacher training programs benefiting 50,000+ educators nationwide.

Product overview

Walnut Coding is a Chinese online coding education platform for young learners that operates as a platform-plus-products architecture. The core platform, 核桃开发者创作平台 (Walnut Developer Creation Platform), provides the foundational coding education infrastructure. This platform is complemented by AI-empowered teaching products and project-based learning tools, along with recent AI-powered coding hardware including the 'Miniature Smart City' and 'AI Programming Smart Car' unveiled at the 2025 World Internet Conference. The company also delivers AI education through public welfare programming courses targeting schools across China. The product portfolio is unified by a focus on age-appropriate, tiered curriculum aligned with cognitive development levels for young learners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 核桃开发者创作平台 (Walnut Developer Creation Platform)
• AI-Powered Coding Hardware — Miniature Smart City
• AI Programming Smart Car
• AI Education Public Welfare Programming Courses
• AI-Empowered Teaching Products AI-powered educational tools and project-based learning resources designed to enhance teaching quality and provide systematic AI education integration in classrooms for primary and secondary school educators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached approximately 140,000 students across 1,029 schools in Shanghai through public welfare programming courses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Walnut Coding was named a UNICEF case study for child safety by design, recognizing its comprehensive safety measures including risk assessments, privacy practices, and parental involvement. This recognition highlights Walnut Coding's commitment to child safety in digital education design.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 December 2025Announced at the 2025 World Internet Conference, Walnut Coding's ongoing efforts to promote AI education worldwide include partnership with UNESCO. The collaboration aims to advance digital education globally through joint initiatives and international programs.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025UNESCO partnered with Walnut Coding to promote inclusive digital learning and empower young learners with future-ready skills. The collaboration includes initiatives such as an international youth coding competition and efforts to expand access to quality digital education globally. This partnership represents Walnut Coding's flagship strategic alliance for global reach and credibility in digital education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tynker: A US-based K-12 coding education platform offering block-based and text-based programming curricula with school and consumer channels. Directly comparable in product (self-serve coding platform for kids) and customer segments (K-12 schools and families), though Walnut Coding is more China-centric and hardware-inclusive.
• Tongcheng Tonghao (童程童美): A leading Chinese K-12 coding education brand offering both online courses and offline centers for children and teenagers, with a curriculum spanning Scratch, Python, robotics, and AI. Directly comparable to Walnut Coding in target demographic (young learners), geography (China), and product breadth (programming + AI + hardware).
• CodeMao (编程猫): A Chinese K-12 coding education platform offering block-based and text-based programming tools (Kitten), content libraries, and school partnerships. Directly comparable as a homegrown Chinese coding platform targeting the same age group with a similar mix of self-serve tools and B2B school channels.
• Makeblock (童心制物): A Chinese STEAM education hardware and software company offering programmable robots (mBot, Codey Rocky), coding software (mBlock), and K-12 STEM kits. Closely comparable to Walnut Coding's AI-powered hardware strategy (Miniature Smart City, AI Programming Smart Car) with a stronger global hardware track record.

Emerging players

• Roblox Education: Roblox's education vertical uses its gaming/metaverse platform for immersive coding, game design, and STEM learning in schools. Comparable as an emerging K-12 coding and computational thinking platform with strong school distribution in the US and global markets.
• Code.org: A US-based nonprofit promoting computer science education in K-12 schools globally, with free curricula, Hour of Code campaigns, and teacher training. Comparable in mission (K-12 coding literacy), school distribution model, and teacher training programs, though it operates as a nonprofit versus Walnut Coding's commercial model.

Others

• Scratch (MIT Media Lab): MIT's free block-based visual programming language and online community for children, widely adopted in K-12 coding education globally. Comparable as a foundational K-12 coding platform with strong community adoption, though it is non-commercial and not a direct competitor to Walnut Coding's paid offerings.

Broad incumbents

• UBTECH Robotics: A Chinese AI and humanoid robotics company with an education division offering programmable robots, AI curricula, and K-12 AI lab solutions. Comparable in combining AI robotics hardware with K-12 AI education programs, though UBTECH is more diversified across consumer, enterprise, and education.
• VIPKID / LingoAce / SpeakPal: Large Chinese-origin online education platforms that have navigated China's EdTech regulatory tightening and expanded internationally. Comparable as broader EdTech incumbents operating in the same regulatory environment, with overlapping young learner segments and cross-border distribution capabilities.

Regional players

• iHuman Inc. A publicly listed Chinese children's educational products and services company offering digital learning apps and content for young learners. Comparable as a Chinese-origin K-12 digital learning company operating under similar regulatory constraints, though more focused on early literacy than coding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walnutcoding

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Walnut Coding