What Xigua City does

Xigua City (西瓜创客), legally Chengdu Louwai Technology Co., Ltd. (成都娄外科技有限公司), is a Chinese online children's programming education platform founded in January 2017 and headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan. It serves K-12 students aged 7-17 (and their families) with a tiered curriculum spanning graphical programming (Scratch, ages 7-12), Python AI programming (ages 9-15), and C++ NOI competitive programming (ages 11-17), supplemented by 21 STEAM themed courses covering topics such as self-driving cars, AI, encryption algorithms, and hardware programming. The company also operates SaiDou (赛豆), a competition services platform serving 200,000+ students annually across 10+ authorized domestic and international competitions including CCF/NOI, CIE, and ICC China.

The platform's core technology is the AI Dual-Teacher (AI双师) model, which combines pre-recorded professional video lessons with AI-driven interaction and personalization. A claimed 240 billion+ behavioral data points are used to iteratively optimize course content. As of April 2025, the platform integrated additional AI tools with remote assistance functionality. Content is delivered through desktop clients (Windows/macOS), iPad and Android apps, WeChat mini-programs, and a B2B channel providing curriculum, teacher training, and teaching management platforms to 6,000+ partner schools nationwide.

Xigua City generates revenue primarily through consumer subscription-based online programming courses, supplemented by B2B institutional sales to schools and competition-related services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; a free trial "0-Basic Programming Camp" of 6 AI dual-teacher lessons plus 15 days of online tutoring serves as the primary acquisition funnel. The company is privately held with cumulative disclosed funding of approximately 200 million RMB from rounds including Sequoia Capital China, Matrix Partners China, New Oriental Education Culture Industry Fund, SAIF Partners, Ocean Investment, Baicizhan, and Tencent. Operating under the legal entity Chengdu Louwai Technology Co., Ltd. with reported reach across 60+ countries historically, the company is actively operating with recent milestones including UNESCO Future Tech Education Base membership (February 2025) and AI tool platform integration (April 2025).

Name

Xigua City

Legal name

成都娄外科技有限公司

Website

https://xiguacity.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Xigua City is a Chinese online children's programming education platform serving K-12 students aged 7-17 with AI dual-teacher courses in Scratch, Python, and C++ NOI, complemented by STEAM themed courses, a competition services platform, and B2B solutions for 6,000+ partner schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Online Coding Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms (EDANAGAD)

Keywords

• Children's coding education
• Online programming courses
• K-12 STEM education
• AI dual-teacher learning
• Youth programming competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Hangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Online Programming Course Subscriptions: Xigua City generates revenue primarily through subscription-based online programming courses for children aged 7-15. The AI dual-teacher model allows scalable delivery of structured curriculum (graphical programming, Python, C++) at a cost-effective price point, targeting millions of Chinese families seeking STEM education and academic competition advantages for their children.
2. School/Institution B2B Solutions: Revenue from providing schools and offline institutional partners with comprehensive programming education solutions including curriculum content, teaching management platforms, teacher training, hardware courses, and competition support services. Targets the institutional market segment seeking to digitize computer science education.
3. Competition and Examination Services: Through its 赛豆 (Saidou) platform, Xigua City provides competition registration, exam hosting, and preparation services. Serves as an authorized partner for major domestic competitions (NOI, CIE, GESP, ICC) and international programs (RoboRAVE, NOAI).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Xigua City is an online children's programming education platform that delivers AI-powered dual-teacher courses (pre-recorded professional video instruction combined with real-time AI tutoring) covering Scratch, Python, and C++ for students aged 7-17. The platform is supplemented by a competition services arm (赛豆赛事中心 / SaiDou) for STEAM competition registration and preparation, and a B2B school solutions track providing curriculum, teacher training, and teaching management platforms to K-12 institutions across China.

Product overview

Xigua City is an online children's programming education platform offering a multi-tiered course portfolio for ages 7-17. The core offerings include three main programming languages: Scratch (visual programming for ages 7-12), Python AI Programming (for ages 9-15), and C++ NOI Programming (for competitive programming, ages 11-17). Supporting these core courses are specialized STEAM themed courses covering self-driving cars, AI, encryption algorithms, and hardware programming, plus the SaiDou Competition Center for managing student participation in domestic and international STEAM competitions. The company delivers content through an innovative AI Dual-Teacher Classroom model, supplemented by downloadable desktop and mobile learning clients. B2B solutions for schools include teacher training, curriculum systems, and teaching management platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 赛豆赛事中心: 西瓜创客旗下专注青少年STEAM赛事的赛考服务平台，提供国内外7-18岁青少年编程与科创赛事服务，与10余项国内外知名赛事组委会达成战略合作
• CCW共创世界
• 西瓜创客学习客户端

Products and services

• Graphic Creative Programming (Scratch) MIT-designed visual block-based programming language course for children aged 7-12. Teaches all visual programming syntax and approximately 90% of core statements and algorithms within one year, building computational thinking foundations.
• Python AI Programming Python code programming course for ages 9-15 covering programming language, data structures, and design patterns over a 3-year curriculum. Students build applications including weather assistants, calorie recognition, voice synthesis, and face recognition using Python and APIs.
• C++ NOI Programming C++ programming course for competitive informatics (NOI series) targeting ages 11-17. Covers data structures, algorithms, dynamic programming, graph theory, and number theory to prepare students for National Olympiad in Informatics competitions.
• Hardware Programming Course Hardware-focused programming courses covering robots, microcontrollers, drones, and maker hardware. Students learn electronics, sensors, and chip principles while creating projects such as drones, DIY fans, and remote-controlled cars.
• STEAM Themed Courses A portfolio of specialized thematic courses including Self-Driving Car, Programming Art, Space Travel, Industry 4.0, Encryption Algorithm, Data Visualization, and AI courses. Each combines STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) with programming practice.
• SaiDou Competition Center (赛豆赛事中心) A professional STEAM competition service platform under Xigua City targeting youth aged 7-18. Partners with over 10 domestic and international competitions (NOI, CIE, GESP, ICC, RoboRAVE, NOAI) and serves more than 200,000 students annually.
• AI Dual-Teacher Classroom (AI双师课堂) An AI-powered dual-teacher teaching model combining professional pre-recorded video instruction with AI interaction and remote assistance. Achieves over 90% course completion rate, surpassing traditional 1v1 live courses, with professional teaching teams providing Q&A support.
• Xigua Learning Client Desktop learning application supporting Windows and macOS platforms, with mobile apps available on iOS App Store and Google Play for iPad and Android tablets. Primary delivery vehicle for AI dual-teacher video content.
• Campus Programming Education Solutions B2B programming education solution for schools including teacher training, integrated software/hardware curriculum systems, teaching management platforms, and AI dual-teacher classroom content and solutions. Serves thousands of schools across China.
• Cloud Research Courses (云研学) Virtual study tour courses using AI, 3D modeling, and 360° panoramic live streaming that allow children to visit renowned enterprises and universities without leaving home.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ course completion rate, exceeding 1v1 live courses
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 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 capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• 联合国教科文组织国际工程教育中心 (UNESCO International Engineering Education Center)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025In February 2025, Xigua City officially became a member of the UNESCO IEE Center's Future Tech Education Base, engaging in cloud research projects for future engineers using AI, 3D modeling, and 360° live streaming technologies.
• 中国计算机学会 (CCF / NOI Committee)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerXigua City is an authorized partner of the China Computer Federation for the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) — the premier programming competition for high school students in China. C++ is the only designated language for NOI, and Xigua provides C++ NOI curriculum and 赛豆 competition platform services.
• 中国电子学会 (CIE - China Institute of Electronics)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerXigua City is an authorized technical support unit and partner for the National Youth Software Programming Level Examination (全国青少年软件编程等级考试) and the 全国青少年信息素养大赛, both organized by CIE. CIE is a national first-level academic society under the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
• 中国自动化学会 (CAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXigua City is an authorized technical support unit for the 全国青少年劳动技能与智能设计大赛 (AILD), organized by CAA. Provides software/hardware competition content and platform services.
• 全球发明大会中国区 (ICC China)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXigua City is an authorized partner for the Global Invention Convention China (ICC China), a Ministry of Education certified white-list competition. Supports student invention projects and provides competition platform services.
• ITCCC (International Technology and Engineering Competitions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerXigua City supports RoboRAVE International Educational Robotics Conference as a partner, providing competition access for students in Scratch and robotics categories with international credentials.
• NOAI 中国区组委会 (NOAI China Organizing Committee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for NOAI Artificial Intelligence Certification for students grade 12 and below, providing international AI competition pathway.
• 中华儿慈会 (China Children and Women Charitable Foundation)minorOthersXigua City partnered with Tencent Charity and 中华儿慈会 for the 99 Charity Festival (99公益日), supporting impoverished children through charitable market activities.
• 6,000+ Primary and Secondary SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThrough 赛豆 platform and school outreach programs, Xigua City has established competition service partnerships with over 6,000 K-12 schools across China, providing curriculum, platform access, and competition support.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 编程猫 (CodeMao / CodeCat): China's largest direct competitor in K-12 programming education. Offers Kitten (Scratch-like) and Python/C++ curriculum, AI-assisted tutoring, and a creator community. Backed by unicorn-scale funding; competes head-to-head for the same 7-15 year-old Chinese learner segment.
• 核桃编程 (Walnut Coding): ByteDance-backed K-12 coding education platform offering AI-powered 1v6 small-class courses for children. Targets the same demographic (ages 6-12) with similar AI-driven instruction; one of the most aggressive-funded competitors in the Chinese K-12 coding space.
• 童程童美 (Tongcheng Tongmei): Subsidiary of Tarena International (达内) offering K-12 programming education with both online and offline (training center) delivery. Covers Scratch, Python, C++, robotics, and AI curricula; a hybrid-format competitor with significant offline footprint.
• Tynker: US-based K-12 coding platform offering self-paced block coding, Python, and JavaScript courses with classroom management tools for schools. Closest international analog to Xigua's model — AI-augmented curriculum + school B2B channel — though serving English-speaking markets.
• 妙小程 (Miaocode): Chinese K-12 programming education startup offering small-class live courses with a focus on AI/STEM integration. Funded by Sinovation Ventures and others; competes directly in the same 6-15 age segment with overlapping curriculum.

Emerging players

• Code.org: Nonprofit K-12 computer science education provider with global curriculum reach and the Hour of Code initiative. Comparable curriculum philosophy (free introductory content, school partnerships) but non-commercial and serves as upstream feeder for paid platforms like Xigua.
• iHuman Inc. NYSE-listed Chinese children's ed-tech company focused on digital reading and literacy apps. While not coding-specific, it represents an adjacent K-12 subscription ed-tech model with overlapping parent demographics and digital content distribution expertise.
• Makeblock (童心制物): Chinese STEAM education hardware/software provider (mBot, Codey Rocky, Airblock). Overlaps with Xigua's hardware programming courses and competition focus; serves similar K-12 demographic with robotics kits that pair with proprietary coding curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• 新东方 (New Oriental Education): China's largest private education company and Xigua City's B-round lead investor. Operates broader K-12 tutoring, language training, and increasingly STEM/programming courses — represents both a strategic partner and a potential broad competitor moving into programming.

Others

• Scratch (MIT Media Lab): MIT's free block-based programming language and online community that powers Xigua's entire Scratch curriculum layer. Functions as both enabling upstream technology and indirect competitor for self-directed learners who use it directly without paid platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors7 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 Xigua City