Forward School
Forward School (Forward College) is a Penang, Malaysia-based private technology education institution offering a 24-month Applied Software Engineering diploma, part-time certificates in data analytics, data science, and deep learning, plus corporate training, serving aspiring tech professionals, career changers, and Malaysian enterprises.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersGeorge Town, Malaysia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Forward School does
Forward School (legally Forwardemy Sdn Bhd, 1282551-D, doing business as Forward College) is a private, for-profit technology and future-skills education institution headquartered in Penang, Malaysia, founded in 2019 by Howie Chang. The company delivers a portfolio of technology education programs anchored by the 24-month full-time Applied Software Engineering NitroDegree diploma (delivered on campus) and three part-time certificate programs in Data Analytics (4 months, self-paced plus 8 live sessions), Applied Data Science (2 months, live online), and Applied Deep Learning (2 months, live online). Curriculum is designed, delivered, and updated by active industry practitioners, and the institution serves recent secondary school graduates, working professionals, and career changers targeting roles in Malaysia's technology sector.
The business operates on a multi-stream tuition model. The flagship diploma carries an outcome-based Income Share Agreement (ISA), the first of its kind in Malaysia, under which students pay RM 3,000 upfront and repay tuition only after securing employment paying at least RM 30,000 per year, with traditional upfront tuition also available. Shorter certificate programs and a free introductory Forward Leap coding course serve as a top-of-funnel acquisition channel, while Corporate Training and CorpPass Online extend the offering to enterprise upskilling. The company monetizes through direct-to-consumer enrollment via forward.edu.my, consultative learning-advisor support, and a separate enterprise field-sales motion.
Forward School has assembled a network of 30+ hiring partners across the Malaysian tech ecosystem (including ViTrox, Greatech, Clarivate, CoinGecko, Silverlake Symmetry, Hiredly, and others) to support graduate placement, and the institution is positioning its ISA + employer-network combination as a differentiator against traditional higher education and standalone bootcamps. As of the available data, revenue is undisclosed, headcount is in the 11-50 range, and the only known external capital is a $500,000 seed round in February 2020.
Forward School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forward School
- Legal name
- Forwardemy Sdn Bhd
- Website
- https://forwardschool.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Forward School (Forward College) is a Penang, Malaysia-based private technology education institution offering a 24-month Applied Software Engineering diploma, part-time certificates in data analytics, data science, and deep learning, plus corporate training, serving aspiring tech professionals, career changers, and Malaysian enterprises.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forward School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technology Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD), Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI)
Keywords
Where Forward School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- George Town
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forward School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition - Diploma Programs: Full-time 24-month Applied Software Engineering diploma program with tuition fees, partially offset by Income Share Agreement option.
- Tuition - Certificate Programs: Part-time certificate programs in Data Analytics (4 months), Applied Data Science (2 months), and Applied Deep Learning (2 months).
- Income Share Agreement (ISA): Students pay RM 3,000 upfront and repay tuition only after securing employment earning at least RM 30,000 per year, reducing upfront barriers while aligning college success with graduate outcomes.
- Corporate Training: Enterprise workforce training services for organizations seeking to upskill employees in digital and technology skills.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Income Share Agreement for Applied Software Engineering Diploma |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Forward School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forward College operates a technology and future skills college in Penang, Malaysia, delivering a 24-month full-time Applied Software Engineering diploma (NitroDegree) and part-time certificate programs in Data Analytics (4 months), Applied Data Science (2 months), and Applied Deep Learning (2 months). It also offers enterprise Corporate Training and CorpPass Online workforce upskilling programs, and supports students via career coaching, mentorship, and a network of 30+ hiring partners. The full-time diploma is available with Malaysia's first Income Share Agreement, where students pay RM 3,000 upfront and repay tuition only after securing employment earning at least RM 30,000 per year.
Product overview
Forward College is a technology and future skills educational institution offering a portfolio of programs spanning full-time diplomas and part-time certificates. The core educational offerings include the 24-month Applied Software Engineering NitroDegree (full-time diploma), Data Analytics (part-time certificate), Applied Data Science (part-time certificate), and Applied Deep Learning (part-time certificate). Beyond individual learning, the institution provides enterprise solutions through Corporate Training and CorpPass Online programs for workforce upskilling. Supporting offerings include the Forward Leap Program for exploratory free coding classes and an Income Share Agreement payment model for the diploma program. The institution positions itself as bridging the gap between education and employment by connecting students with a network of hiring partners across the region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Applied Software Engineering (NitroDegree) A 24-month full-time on-campus diploma program designed to equip students with industry-ready software engineering skills. Available with an Income Share Agreement where students pay RM 3,000 upfront and repay tuition after securing employment earning at least RM 30,000 per year. Targeted at beginners including recent high school graduates and career changers.
- Data Analytics Certificate A 4-month part-time certificate program combining self-paced learning with 8 online live sessions, designed for beginners to gain foundational data analytics skills.
- Applied Data Science Certificate A 2-month part-time certificate program delivered via online live sessions, targeting intermediate-level learners to develop applied data science competencies.
- Applied Deep Learning Certificate A 2-month part-time certificate program delivered via online live sessions, designed for advanced learners to master applied deep learning techniques.
- Corporate Training An enterprise workforce training solution providing organizations with cutting-edge digital skills training and top talent recruitment services to future-proof their workforce.
- CorpPass Online An online corporate upskilling program enabling organizations to train their workforce in technology and future skills remotely.
- Forward Leap Program A free introductory coding program that allows individuals to explore whether a career in coding is right for them by learning basic web development skills.
Quantifiable outcome
- Income Share Agreement: RM 3,000 upfront, pay tuition only when earning RM 30,000+/year
Companies that use Forward School
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forward School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Forward School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ExperiorcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- PayexcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- UXAcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- EasyStorecoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- OperioncoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- LintraMaxcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- SpeedhomecoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- GreatechcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- EasyParcelcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- Fave+coreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- ClarivatecoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- CoinGeckocoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- EasyworkcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- ViTroxcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- Silverlake SymmetrycoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- CloudatikcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- ExaBytescoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- SophiccoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- HiredlycoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
- Informa TechcoreHiring partner that recruits graduates from Forward College programs for employment opportunities
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forward School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Coursera: Global online learning platform offering tech, data, and deep learning certificates/specializations from universities and companies; relevant adjacent incumbent that competes for the same working-professional segment seeking credentials in data analytics, data science, and deep learning.
- General Assembly: Global incumbent in tech and data bootcamps (now part of Adecco) offering full-time and part-time programs with employer partnerships; comparable on product category and learner outcomes story, but operates at much broader scale and across multiple geographies including APAC.
Direct peers
- Le Wagon: Global coding and data bootcamp with multiple Southeast Asia campuses running full-time and part-time tracks in web development and data science; directly comparable on curriculum, learner type, and bootcamp-to-hiring-partner model.
- NEXT Academy: Malaysia-based full-stack and data coding bootcamp operating part-time and full-time tracks for career changers; directly comparable on geography (Malaysia), target learner, and program structure.
- Purwadhika: Indonesia-based digital school running full-time and part-time programs in software engineering, data science, and web development with job-placement support; closely mirrors Forward College's program stack and employer-network model.
- RevoU: Indonesia-based tech career bootcamp offering intensive full-time and part-time programs in software engineering, data, and product management with similar employer-partner placement model; directly comparable on curriculum shape, target learner (career changers), and Southeast Asia geography.
- BloomTech (formerly Lambda School): Pioneer of ISA-financed software engineering and data programs with employer hiring network; closest analog to Forward College's ISA-plus-hiring-partner model, though operating at much larger scale primarily in the US.
- KodeCamp: Malaysia-based online tech bootcamp offering full-stack, data, and product programs with career services; comparable on Malaysia geography, learner segment, and online delivery model.
- Hacktiv8: Indonesia-headquartered full-stack and data science bootcamp with ISA-like financing and an employer hiring network; competes for the same career-changer segment in Southeast Asia and offers comparable practitioner-taught curriculum.
- Holberton School: Project-based software engineering school with ISA financing model and multi-month full-time programs; closely comparable on financing model (ISA), curriculum philosophy (project-based, peer learning), and target learner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forward School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forward School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Forward School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forward School 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 Forward School
What does Forward School do?
Forward College operates a technology and future skills college in Penang, Malaysia, delivering a 24-month full-time Applied Software Engineering diploma (NitroDegree) and part-time certificate programs in Data Analytics (4 months), Applied Data Science (2 months), and Applied Deep Learning (2 months). It also offers enterprise Corporate Training and CorpPass Online workforce upskilling programs, and supports students via career coaching, mentorship, and a network of 30+ hiring partners. The full-time diploma is available with Malaysia's first Income Share Agreement, where students pay RM 3,000 upfront and repay tuition only after securing employment earning at least RM 30,000 per year.
Is Forward School a public or private company?
Forward School is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forward School founded?
Forward School was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forward School based?
Forward School is headquartered in George Town, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does Forward School make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition - Diploma Programs are the primary driver. The others are tuition - Certificate Programs, income Share Agreement (ISA) and corporate Training.
Who are Forward School's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Coursera and General Assembly. Direct peers are Le Wagon, NEXT Academy, Purwadhika, RevoU, BloomTech (formerly Lambda School), KodeCamp, Hacktiv8 and Holberton School.
Does Forward School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forward School.
What industry is Forward School in?
Forward School's product category is Technology Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAEAF, Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities, with a secondary code of EDAAAEAD, Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.