Hello Ruby

What Hello Ruby does

Hello Ruby Oy is a Helsinki-based educational content company that teaches computational thinking and computer science to children ages 5 and older through story-driven, unplugged, screen-free learning materials. Its core product set includes four illustrated children's books (Adventures in Coding, Journey Inside the Computer, Expedition to the Internet, Robot's First Day of School), a library of 150+ free digital and outdoor play activities, the Love Letters to Computers online course for educators, and a Physical Playground initiative anchored by the world's first computer science themed outdoor playground in Helsinki (2024). The underlying methodology is a character-based CS abstraction system (e.g., Ruby, CPU as a busy boss, RAM as forgetful memory, Penguins for Linux) combined with hands-on activities and curriculum aligned to CSTA K-12 CS and TEKS standards, designed to be delivered by non-technical adults.

Name

Hello Ruby

Legal name

Hello Ruby Oy

Website

https://helloruby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hello Ruby is a Helsinki-based education company that teaches computational thinking to children ages 5+ through illustrated books, 150+ unplugged play activities, educator professional development, and computer science themed playgrounds, distributed via a publisher network in 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Computer Science Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (61142), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parent-Facing Home Learning & Family Engagement Apps (EDACANAK), Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK)

Keywords

• Children's programming books
• Computational thinking education
• Educator professional development
• Playful computer science
• K-12 coding curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Children's Books Sales: Hello Ruby publishes illustrated children's books about computers and programming (Adventures in Coding, Journey Inside the Computer, Expedition to the Internet, Robot's First Day of School) sold through publishers in 30+ languages and retailers like Macmillan Books. Books retail at $10-25 and represent the primary consumer product. The first book raised USD 380,000 via Kickstarter in February 2014.
2. Professional Development for Educators: Hello Ruby offers fee-based professional development workshops for teachers and educators. The Texas Playful Computing Workshop provides 30 hours of training for K-8 educators with materials kits, TEKS-aligned lesson plans, and a $350 stipend upon completion. Funded through WeTeach_CS at UT Austin, this represents a B2B revenue stream from educational institutions and government programs.
3. Love Letters to Computers Online Course: A self-paced online course with 10 video episodes, educator's journals, and 33 lesson plans. Mix of Scratch programming, unplugged activities, and optional hardware. Revenue model is subscription or one-time access for educators and schools.
4. Publisher Licensing: Hello Ruby licenses its brand, books, and materials to publishers in 30+ countries. Publishers receive localized websites (helloruby.com/pl, /nl, /lv, /jp, /kr, /se, /fi), brand guidelines, translation guidelines, marketing assets, and ongoing support. This creates recurring licensing revenue and expands global reach without direct investment.
5. Playground Design & Consulting: Hello Ruby partners with cities, museums, and foundations to design and develop computer science themed playgrounds. The Ruoholahti Computer Playground in Helsinki (2024) serves as the flagship. The company provides design principles, play structures, educational tools, and curriculum. The ambition is 50 cities across 5 continents by 2036.
6. Speaking & Event Fees: Founder Linda Liukas charges speaking fees for keynotes at conferences (TEDxCERN, Nordic Business Forum, Slush, Bonnier GRID) and book promotional events. Events include book readings/signings, workshops with kids, teacher training sessions, and virtual meetups. Publishers coordinate and often fund speaking tours in their markets.
7. Free Digital Activities (Lead Generation): Hello Ruby provides 150+ free digital and outdoor activities (helloruby.com/play) to drive brand awareness, generate leads for book sales, and support educators. This free content library positions Hello Ruby as the category leader and creates demand for paid books, courses, and professional development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hello Ruby is an educational content company that sells a series of illustrated children's books and accompanying digital activities that teach computational thinking and computer science concepts to children ages 5+ through a story-first, character-driven pedagogy. Beyond consumer books, the company delivers fee-based professional development workshops and online courses for K-8 educators, licenses its brand and books to a 30+ country publisher network, and provides playground design and consulting services to cities and institutions (e.g., the Ruoholahti Computer Playground in Helsinki, 2024).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hello Ruby Book 1: Adventures in Coding An illustrated children's book that introduces programming concepts through the story of Ruby, a curious girl. Retail price approximately $10-25 depending on format and publisher. Available in 30+ languages through global publisher network.
• Hello Ruby Book 2: Journey Inside the Computer An illustrated children's book that teaches children about computer hardware, software, and how a computer works using the Ruby character and tactile/unplugged activities. Retail price approximately $10-25.
• Hello Ruby Book 3: Expedition to the Internet An illustrated children's book that introduces children to internet, networking, and data concepts through the Ruby character. Retail price approximately $10-25.
• Hello Ruby Book 4: Robot's First Day of School Illustrated children's book in the Hello Ruby series that explores robotics, AI, and computational thinking through Ruby's adventures. Sold through global publisher network.
• Love Letters to Computers (Online Course) A self-paced online course for educators and schools with 10 video episodes, educator's journals, and 33 lesson plans that mix Scratch programming, unplugged activities, and optional hardware. Aligned to CSTA K-12 CS standards and emerging AI frameworks.
• Texas Playful Computing Workshop (K-8 Educator PD) A 30-hour professional development program for K-8 educators delivered over 6 Fridays, providing Hello Ruby materials kits (books, teacher journal, student passport, Play-Doh, chalk, posters), TEKS-aligned lesson plans, and a $350 stipend upon completion. Fully funded through WeTeach_CS at UT Austin, with selection by lottery.
• Ruoholahti Computer Playground (Helsinki) A computer science themed outdoor playground in Helsinki's Ruoholahti district, the world's first of its kind. Includes six play structures that physically translate computing concepts (input/output, data, logic gates, algorithms) into play experiences for children.

Quantifiable outcome

• All respondents rated Hello Ruby professional development courses 5/5 overall
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• WeTeach_CS at UT Austin (Texas Advanced Computing Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026WeTeach_CS at UT Austin funds and co-administers the Texas Playful Computing Workshop for K-8 educators. The partnership provides full funding including educator stipends ($350 each), materials kits, professional development credits (30 hours), and institutional credibility. The workshop is offered as part of UT Austin's teacher professional development program, with selection through lottery and official registration via the UT Austin system.
• City of HelsinkiflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The City of Helsinki partnered with Hello Ruby to design and build the Ruoholahti Computer Playground (2024), the world's first computer science themed playground. The partnership included landscape architecture (Näkymä) and play equipment fabrication (Monstrum, Copenhagen). The playground serves as flagship demonstration site for the global playground initiative (goal: 50 cities by 2036).
• Macmillan BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Macmillan Books serves as the primary US publisher and distributor for Hello Ruby books. The partnership enables global retail distribution through major bookstores and online retailers. Macmillan publishes the English-language editions including Adventures in Coding, Journey Inside the Computer, and Expedition to the Internet.
• Regional Publishers (30+ countries)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHello Ruby has established publisher partnerships in 30+ countries including Finland, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Latvia, Japan, Korea, and the United States. Each publisher receives a localized website (helloruby.com/pl, /nl, /lv, /jp, /kr, /se, /fi), comprehensive brand guidelines, translation guidelines, marketing assets, and ongoing support. Publishers handle local translation, publication, marketing, and distribution.
• Landscape Architects NäkymäcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandscape architecture firm (led by Ana & Tiina) responsible for the design and planning of the Ruoholahti Computer Playground in Helsinki.
• Monstrum (Copenhagen)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlay equipment manufacturer from Copenhagen responsible for fabricating the custom computer science themed play structures at Ruoholahti Computer Playground, including the six-metre Computer Tower, Giant Keyboard, and other specialized equipment.
• New York Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC Department of Education partners with Hello Ruby for computational thinking and playful computing professional development for educators. Part of CS4All initiative to bring computer science to all NYC public schools.
• San Francisco Unified School DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFUSD partners with Hello Ruby for playful computing curriculum and teacher training programs, integrating computational thinking into district curricula.
• Victoria Department of Education (Australia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVictoria DoE partners with Hello Ruby for computer science education integration and professional development for Australian educators.
• Ministry of Education of GeorgiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Education of Georgia partners with Hello Ruby for computational thinking curriculum and teacher training programs in Georgia's public schools.
• University of HelsinkimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHello Ruby partnered with University of Helsinki's Technology Education module (EDUK0123) to develop and deliver the Playful Foundations of Computer Science 7-week course for future educators. Course explores algorithms, data, hardware, networks, and machine learning through playful methods. All respondents rated it 5/5 overall.
• Tampere UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTampere University collaborated with Hello Ruby on teacher education and honorary doctorate recognition for Linda Liukas.
• Zurich Teacher Training UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich Teacher Training University partnered with Hello Ruby for teacher education programs in computational thinking and playful computing.
• Copenhagen Teacher Training UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopenhagen Teacher Training University partnered with Hello Ruby for teacher education in computational thinking methodologies.
• Rails Girls (Co-founded by Linda Liukas)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRails Girls is a global non-profit foundation co-founded by Linda Liukas that teaches programming to women around the globe. Operating in 270+ cities, Rails Girls serves as a key community amplifier for Hello Ruby's brand and mission. The shared founder creates deep alignment between both organizations' goals of democratizing technology education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tynker: Commercial K-12 coding curriculum and self-paced platform serving schools, districts, and consumers with courses, lesson plans, and teacher tools. Direct commercial competitor to Hello Ruby in children's coding/CS education.
• Osmo: Tangram-and-iPad based learning system blending physical pieces with on-screen interactivity for early-childhood subjects including coding, math, and spelling. Shares Hello Ruby's tactile-plus-narrative approach to early STEM learning.
• Kodable: K-5 computer science curriculum with a self-paced platform, teacher lesson plans, and district licenses. Targets the same elementary CS classroom segment as Hello Ruby's Playful Computing Workshop and Love Letters course.
• Kano Computing: Build-it-yourself computer kits and coding software for children, sold as physical STEM products globally. Comparable in spirit to Hello Ruby's character-based, tactile CS learning products, though device-centric rather than unplugged.
• Scratch (MIT Media Lab): Free block-based programming platform and educator community for ages 8-16 developed by MIT. Competes for the same K-8 CS-for-kids audience as Hello Ruby, anchored in teacher-friendly curriculum guides and Creative Computing workshops.
• CS Unplugged: Open-collection of free, screen-free CS activities for K-12 classrooms that teach computational thinking through games and puzzles. Closest philosophical peer to Hello Ruby's unplugged pedagogy and tactile CS activities.
• Code.org: Non-profit providing free K-12 computer science curriculum, teacher professional development, and the Hour of Code, with explicit unplugged and classroom-ready activities. Closest mission peer to Hello Ruby, though substantially larger and centered in the US.
• CoderDojo (Raspberry Pi Foundation): Global network of free volunteer-led coding clubs for children aged 7-17. Shares Hello Ruby's mission of democratizing CS for young learners and matches the international community-driven footprint.

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: Established STEM/STEAM kit maker with classroom robotics, construction sets, and teacher PD across K-12. Overlaps with Hello Ruby's physical-play CS positioning but as part of a much larger portfolio and at a bigger price-point.

Emerging players

• Barefoot Computing (British Telecom): UK-based free primary-school CS program with unplugged activities, lesson plans, and teacher CPD, sponsored by BT. Matches Hello Ruby's K-5 teacher PD + unplugged activity model in a UK-only geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hellorubyworld
• GitHubgithub.com/orgs/hello-ruby
• Facebookfacebook.com/hellorubyworld
• Instagraminstagram.com/helloruby.world
• Pinterestpinterest.com/lindaliukas/hello-ruby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Hello Ruby