Akirachix
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Akirachix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Akirachix
- Legal name
- AkiraChix
- Website
- https://akirachix.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Akirachix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Technology Education and Training
- NAICS
- Computer Training (611420), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++) (EDAMACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Structured Gap Year Programs (Multi-Sector & Rotational) (EDAIAGAJ), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Life Transitions & Independence Skills (Middle/High School Readiness) (EDAMAIAK), Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI)
Keywords
Where Akirachix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Akirachix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donor Funding and Grants: AkiraChix is primarily funded through philanthropic grants and donations from foundations and individuals. The organization operates the codeHive program as a full scholarship (fully sponsored), meaning no tuition is charged to students. Funding covers program operations, residential costs, and student support.
- Major Institutional Investment: AkiraChix secured a $1 million investment from the Steel Foundation of Hope (Steele Foundation for Hope) to support the codeHive program over 4 years. This represents a significant institutional funding commitment.
- Alumni Giving and Community Contributions: The codeHiveX alumni community contributes financially to support subsequent cohorts. Alumni raised $21,000 to purchase and install a backup generator for the campus, exemplifying a pay-forward model within the community.
- Donations via Every.org: The organization accepts public donations through a dedicated portal on every.org, enabling individual supporters to contribute to the mission. A donation CTA is prominently featured on the main website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | codeHive — Full Scholarship Program |
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | codeHiveX — Free Alumni Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Akirachix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AkiraChix provides a one-year fully sponsored residential technical training program (codeHive) to young women aged 19–22 in East and Southern Africa, with full scholarship covering tuition, accommodation, and meals. The curriculum embeds human-centered design and design thinking, with hands-on, project-based software development training on real-world community-driven projects. The codeHiveX alumni program extends support post-graduation through The Launch Pad (6-month career initiative), coaching, 6-week niche upskilling courses (e.g., DAS, DevOps), and an engaged alumni community. A Tech Allies employer partnership network connects graduates to internship and full-time roles at technology companies.
Product overview
AkiraChix offers a multi-tiered program portfolio focused on training young women in technology careers. The core offering is codeHive, a one-year residential technical training program with full scholarship. codeHiveX extends support to alumni post-graduation through continued learning, coaching, and upskilling. Tech Allies connects graduates with hiring partner companies. Together, these programs form a pipeline from training through employment for women in East Africa's tech sector.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- codeHive: AkiraChix's flagship one-year residential program offering full scholarship to young women aged 19-22 with aptitude in Maths and Science, providing intensive technical training for the tech industry.
- codeHiveX
Products and services
- codeHive AkiraChix's flagship one-year fully sponsored residential hands-on technical training program providing education and economic opportunity to young women aged 19–22 with a strong aptitude in Maths and Science. The program uses a human-centered design approach, embedding design thinking throughout the curriculum with real-world community-driven projects. Open to citizens of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, South Africa, and refugee communities.
- codeHiveX An exclusive co-led alumni program launched in 2023 providing continued learning, career growth, and community engagement for codeHive graduates. Core pillars include The Launch Pad (6-month post-graduate initiative), Coaching, Upskilling (6-week niche courses e.g., DAS, DevOps), and Community. Alumni span junior to senior software development roles over up to 5 years in the industry.
- Tech Allies A partnership program connecting codeHive graduates with employment, internship, and apprenticeship opportunities at partner technology companies including Antara Health, Food for Education, iPay, JamboPay, Kapsule, Koko, Kopokopo, mPharma, MobiDev, Twiga Foods, Ona, Usiku Games, and Temelio. Partners also contribute instructors and mentors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 women and girls impacted from marginalized and low-income areas
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Akirachix
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Akirachix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Akirachix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Antara HealthcoreAntara Health has partnered with AkiraChix since 2022 to provide internship opportunities for codeHive graduates. Over 60% of the 2023 intern cohort progressed to Apprenticeship. Three 2022 interns received full-time employment. Antara Health's CTO noted that AkiraChix training prepares graduates for technical work while empowering them to be fearless and curious.
- Usiku GamescoreUsiku Games partnered with AkiraChix to provide a 6-month initiative offering all codeHive graduates free access to the Nairobi Game Development Center and mentorship from professional game developers. Alumni Kevine Nzayanga transitioned from intern to full-time developer at Usiku Games.
- OnaminorOna mentored AkiraChix students, providing presentations and demos of their Akuko business intelligence software and data analytics work. Ona has hired AkiraChix alumni Sharon Otieno as an OpenSRP software developer who has grown into the role over time.
- TemeliominorTemelio hired two AkiraChix alumni — Joyce (graduated 2020) and Mary — as engineers. Joyce joined during a data migration project for Livelihood Impact Fund and transitioned to a full engineering role. Mary joined the product development and UX team. The relationship demonstrates the pipeline from AkiraChix training to employment.
- Tech Allies CompaniesminorTech Allies include Antara Health, Food for Education, iPay, JamboPay, Kapsule, Koko, Kopokopo, mPharma, MobiDev, and Twiga Foods. These companies support AkiraChix by providing internship opportunities, hiring graduates, and/or mentoring students. Instructors also come from partner companies such as Twiga Foods (John Owuor, Senior Developer) and Sky.Garden (James Mwai, CTO).
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Akirachix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- She Codes Africa: Pan-African nonprofit running coding training, mentorship, and community programs for women in tech. Operates with the same women-in-tech mission and similar target demographic in overlapping African geographies, making it the closest direct peer.
- ALX Africa: Large-scale tech training provider operating across Africa offering software engineering and cloud computing programs. Competes for the same African youth talent pool and employer placement relationships, though its model is broader and not women-focused.
- Moringa School: Nairobi-based coding bootcamp delivering software development training to Kenyan and East African youth, including women-focused cohorts. Operates in AkiraChix's home market with overlapping employer and trainee pools.
- Black Girls CODE: US-based nonprofit providing technology education to Black girls and young women through coding programs, hackathons, and after-school initiatives. Mirrors AkiraChix's women-in-tech mission and coding curriculum focus in a different geography.
- Zindua School: Nairobi-based software development bootcamp offering intensive project-based coding programs to Kenyan youth. Operates in the same Nairobi market with overlapping employer pipelines and similar software development curriculum, but is tuition-based rather than fully sponsored.
Broad incumbents
- Generation: Global nonprofit operating employment-focused training programs across technology and other trades in multiple African countries. Has similar employer placement and income-outcomes DNA but serves broader demographics and occupations, not exclusively women in software.
- Girls Who Code: Large US nonprofit running coding clubs, summer programs, and college-loops aimed at closing the gender gap in tech. Overlaps in women-in-tech mission but is much larger, US-anchored, and serves a younger school-age demographic rather than young adults.
- Andela: African-founded technology company historically focused on training and placing African software engineers globally (now pivoted toward AI/contractor model). A scaled, formerly training-led African tech talent brand that established the category AkiraChix now competes within.
Emerging players
- Holberton School: Project-based software engineering school with an African presence (Holberton School Africa), focused on hands-on, mentor-driven curricula. Comparable peer in software engineering pedagogy and project-based learning approach, though not women-focused.
- Ingressive for Good: African nonprofit providing tech training, scholarships, and resources to under-served African youth including women. Overlaps with AkiraChix on the women-in-tech advocacy and skills-training mission across the continent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Akirachix social profiles
Digital presenceAkirachix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Akirachix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Akirachix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Akirachix M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Akirachix
What does Akirachix do?
AkiraChix provides a one-year fully sponsored residential technical training program (codeHive) to young women aged 19–22 in East and Southern Africa, with full scholarship covering tuition, accommodation, and meals. The curriculum embeds human-centered design and design thinking, with hands-on, project-based software development training on real-world community-driven projects. The codeHiveX alumni program extends support post-graduation through The Launch Pad (6-month career initiative), coaching, 6-week niche upskilling courses (e.g., DAS, DevOps), and an engaged alumni community. A Tech Allies employer partnership network connects graduates to internship and full-time roles at technology companies.
Is Akirachix a public or private company?
Akirachix is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Akirachix founded?
Akirachix was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Akirachix based?
Akirachix is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Akirachix make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donor Funding and Grants are the primary driver. The others are major Institutional Investment, alumni Giving and Community Contributions and donations via Every.org.
Who are Akirachix's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are She Codes Africa, ALX Africa, Moringa School, Black Girls CODE and Zindua School. Broad incumbents are Generation, Girls Who Code and Andela. Emerging players are Holberton School and Ingressive for Good.
Does Akirachix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Akirachix.
What industry is Akirachix in?
Akirachix's product category is Nonprofit Technology Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMACAB, Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++), with a secondary code of EDAIAGAJ, Structured Gap Year Programs (Multi-Sector & Rotational). Its NAICS code is 611420 and its SIC code is 8200.