YSYS
YSYS is a London-based community organization founded in 2017 that accelerates diverse founders and tech talent through free programmes, scholarships, mentorship, and paid D&I workshops for organizations across the UK tech ecosystem.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What YSYS does
YSYS is a London-based community organization founded in 2017 by Deborah Okenla that accelerates diverse founders and tech talent through community-driven programmes. The organization targets underrepresented groups in the UK and European tech ecosystem, serving three primary audiences: diverse tech talent seeking careers (via scholarships, recruitment events, and skills training), diverse early-stage founders seeking to launch startups (via mentorship, investor office hours, and a co-working community campus in Canary Wharf), and organizations seeking to develop diversity and inclusion practices (via paid D&I workshops). Its core products are the Talent Programme, Founder Programme, Community Programme, D&I Workshops, the Google UX Design Certificate Scholarship (fully funding 50 diverse individuals per cohort), and the FoundersDoor Library (100+ video classes). The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a Wix-hosted website, a Slack community of 500+ members, and the FoundersDoor Library hosted on Softr.io. There is no disclosed proprietary technology or software product.
YSYS operates a hybrid business model that combines free community programming with monetized corporate services and partnership revenue. The Talent, Founder, and Community programmes, plus the Google UX scholarship and FoundersDoor Library, are offered free of charge to participants. Monetized streams are D&I Workshops delivered as quote-based multi-year custom engagements to startups, VCs, accelerators, and tech companies (clients include Tech Nation, Beringea, Geovation, EIT Urban Mobility), and partnership/sponsorship revenue from major tech employers and investors including Google, Atomico, Niantic, LinkedIn, Financial Times, Spotify, Nationwide, BP Ventures, BGV, Innovate UK, and the Mayor of London. Distribution is primarily UK-domestic, delivered through the website, in-person events (meetups, panel talks, social activities, recruitment events), and the Canary Wharf community campus. YSYS markets through organic social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram), a Medium blog, an email newsletter, Eventbrite event listings, and earned media in major publications.
YSYS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YSYS
- Legal name
- YSYS Consultancy Ltd
- Website
- https://thisisysys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- YSYS is a London-based community organization founded in 2017 that accelerates diverse founders and tech talent through free programmes, scholarships, mentorship, and paid D&I workshops for organizations across the UK tech ecosystem.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YSYS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community & Diversity Programmes
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Career Networks (BPAMABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Learning Management (LMS) & Talent Development (BPACAPAG)
Keywords
Where YSYS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
YSYS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- D&I Workshop Services: YSYS delivers paid Diversity and Inclusion Workshops to startups, VCs, accelerators, entrepreneurial hubs, and growth tech companies. Workshops are interactive and practical, teaching social justice frameworks including access, equity, rights, and participation.
- Partnership & Sponsorship Revenue: YSYS generates revenue through partnerships with organizations including Google, Atomico, Niantic, and other tech companies who sponsor programmes and community initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Community membership and core programmes are free |
| Other | Multi-year contract | D&I Workshop custom engagement |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
YSYS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YSYS is a community-driven organisation that accelerates diverse founders and talent in the UK tech ecosystem through structured programmes, scholarships, recruitment events, and co-working space. It also delivers paid diversity and inclusion workshops to startups, VCs, accelerators, and tech companies, supported by an ecosystem of employer and investor partners including Google, Atomico, LinkedIn, and the Mayor of London.
Product overview
YSYS is a community-driven platform that accelerates diverse founders and talent through integrated programmes and advocates for an inclusive startup ecosystem. The offering consists of five interconnected programmes: the Talent Programme (career development and recruitment events for diverse tech talent), Founders Programme (startup acceleration via video content and mentorship), Community Programme (networking events and social activities), D&I Workshops (customised diversity training for organisations), and the Google UX Design Certificate Scholarship (free UX training in partnership with Google). The flagship FoundersDoor Library serves as a digital knowledge resource supporting all programmes. YSYS operates primarily as a service and community platform rather than a software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- YSYS Talent Programme A free career development programme supporting diverse talent to break into the UK tech industry through industry-led skills training, recruitment events with employer partners, and a supportive community network. Targeted at underrepresented individuals pursuing careers in UX design, software engineering, and product roles.
- YSYS Founders Programme (FoundersDoor) A free accelerator programme helping early-stage founders from underrepresented backgrounds launch and grow startups. Includes access to the FoundersDoor Library of 100+ video classes, ecosystem partnerships, investor office hours, mentorship from VCs, and co-working space at the YSYS community campus in Canary Wharf, London.
- YSYS Community Programme A free community platform connecting founders, talent, investors, and aspiring individuals through social activities (sip and paint, bowling, hiking), industry meetups, panel talks, and exclusive events. Built around a 500+ member Slack community of tech enthusiasts.
- YSYS D&I Workshops Paid, interactive diversity and inclusion workshops delivered to startups, VCs, accelerators, entrepreneurial hubs, and growth tech companies. Workshops teach social justice frameworks (access, equity, rights, participation) and include customised Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans. Delivered as multi-year custom engagements booked via Calendly.
- Google UX Design Certificate Scholarship A fully funded scholarship programme offering Google's UX Design Certificate to 50 diverse individuals per cohort in the UK, including mentorship, portfolio building, employer showcase opportunities, and recruitment event access with YSYS employer partners.
- FoundersDoor Library A free digital library of over 100 curated video classes taught by diverse domain experts in the European startup ecosystem, covering topics such as startup validation, investment raising, scaling growth, pitch techniques, and value propositions. Hosted on Softr at foundersdoorlibrary.softr.io.
Quantifiable outcome
- Programme alumni have secured tech roles at partner companies including SPARCK as Product Designer and UX/UI Designer positions
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use YSYS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
YSYS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
YSYS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GooglecoreGoogle partners with YSYS to deliver the Google UX Design Certificate Scholarship, fully funding 50 diverse individuals per cohort. YSYS provides programme management, mentorship, community support, and employer connections for graduates.
- LinkedIncoreLinkedIn partners with YSYS as an employer partner, participating in recruitment events and providing talent with insights into company culture and hiring processes.
- NianticcoreNiantic launched 'Niantic Office Hours' with YSYS, opening doors to the community through panel discussions and workshops about unconventional routes into the gaming/tech industry.
- Financial TimescoreFinancial Times participates as an employer partner, connecting with YSYS talent through recruitment events and providing industry insights and opportunities to community members.
- Mayor of LondoncoreThe Mayor of London's office partners with YSYS to support diversity initiatives in London's tech ecosystem, providing legitimacy and reach for community programmes.
- NationwideminorNationwide participates as an employer partner with YSYS, connecting with diverse tech talent through recruitment events.
- SpotifyminorSpotify partners with YSYS as part of their employer network, providing recruitment event participation and potential employment opportunities for community members.
- EIT Urban MobilityminorEIT Urban Mobility partners with YSYS as an ecosystem partner, providing programme opportunities for founders in the mobility/transport sector.
- WestminsterminorWestminster City Council partners with YSYS, likely as part of local government initiatives to support diverse founders and talent in the Westminster area.
- Hogan LovellsminorHogan Lovells participates as an ecosystem partner, likely providing legal guidance and mentorship to YSYS founders on startup matters.
- CREATE JobsminorCREATE Jobs partners with YSYS as an employer partner, connecting with talent for recruitment and providing job opportunities to community members.
- Tech NationcoreTech Nation engaged YSYS for D&I workshops and diversity action planning. The engagement has been impactful, providing insights and actions for weaving diversity into Tech Nation's programmes.
- GeovationminorGeovation, a proptech/urban innovation accelerator, engages YSYS for D&I workshops to support inclusive practices in their ecosystem.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
YSYS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Black Girls in Tech: UK-based community-driven organization accelerating Black women into tech careers through training, mentorship, and employer engagement. Operates an essentially identical model to YSYS — community programmes, recruitment events, corporate partnerships — and serves a directly overlapping segment of underrepresented UK tech talent.
- CodeFirstGirls: UK-based social impact organization running coding courses, mentorship programmes, and recruitment events aimed at getting more women into software and tech roles. Directly comparable on talent development curriculum, employer-partner recruitment model, and free-to-talent pricing.
- Hatch Enterprise: UK-based non-profit supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs through incubator programmes, mentorship, and enterprise support. Closely matches YSYS's FoundersDoor offering around startup launch, mentorship access, and ecosystem navigation for diverse founders.
- Diversifying.io: UK-focused community and content platform helping underrepresented talent break into tech via programmes, mentorship, and partner opportunities. Closest direct competitor to YSYS's Talent Programme on segment, geography, and delivery model.
Emerging players
- Colorful Ventures: Early-stage venture fund and ecosystem initiative focused on underrepresented founders. Operates complementary programmes (mentorship, community, accelerator-style support) targeting diverse founders and overlaps with YSYS's Founders Programme cohort.
- Included VC: Global non-profit fellowship and community for VCs and allocators from under-represented backgrounds. Overlaps with YSYS in serving underrepresented ecosystem actors, but is positioned as talent development for the venture side rather than founders/talent.
- Ada Ventures: Early-stage European VC firm investing specifically in diverse founders. Comparable ecosystem role to YSYS in supporting underrepresented UK/European founders, but as a fund rather than a non-equity community platform.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: Global startup accelerator offering mentorship-driven programmes, investor access, and founder communities. Broader incumbent operating in the same accelerator/programme space as YSYS FoundersDoor but at vastly greater scale and without the underrepresented-founder specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
YSYS social profiles
Digital presenceYSYS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YSYS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
YSYS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YSYS 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 YSYS
What does YSYS do?
YSYS is a community-driven organisation that accelerates diverse founders and talent in the UK tech ecosystem through structured programmes, scholarships, recruitment events, and co-working space. It also delivers paid diversity and inclusion workshops to startups, VCs, accelerators, and tech companies, supported by an ecosystem of employer and investor partners including Google, Atomico, LinkedIn, and the Mayor of London.
Is YSYS a public or private company?
YSYS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was YSYS founded?
YSYS was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is YSYS based?
YSYS is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does YSYS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. D&I Workshop Services are the primary driver. The others are partnership & Sponsorship Revenue.
Who are YSYS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Black Girls in Tech, CodeFirstGirls, Hatch Enterprise and Diversifying.io. Emerging players are Colorful Ventures, Included VC and Ada Ventures. Techstars is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does YSYS have an API?
No public API is recorded for YSYS.
What industry is YSYS in?
YSYS's product category is Community & Diversity Programmes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAB, Professional & Career Networks, with a secondary code of BPACAPAG, Learning Management (LMS) & Talent Development. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 7361.