IRIM - Croatian Makers

What IRIM - Croatian Makers does

IRIM (Institut za razvoj i inovativnost mladih), operating publicly as Croatian Makers, is a Croatian nonprofit association founded in 2014 by Nenad and Rujana Bakić and headquartered in Zagreb. The organization runs the largest non-governmental educational program in the European Union, delivering free STEM education to more than 400,000 children and youth across Croatia, with active programs also in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Switzerland, plus competition participation extending to Germany and Sri Lanka through the MakeX ecosystem.

The core offering is the Croatian Makers Liga, the EU's largest school robotics and programming competition, featuring 12,000+ students, 650+ schools, and 5,900 robots across 39+ regional centers, alongside four product pillars: digital literacy (micro:bit-based K-8 coding and STEM auto mobile workshops), robotics (Croatian Makers Liga, MakeX advanced competition, HuskyLens AI-camera integration), creativity (the Izradi! educational web portal with course tracking and certifications), and popularization (a mobile workshop vehicle and library network). Technical infrastructure comprises third-party hardware — micro:bit, mBot, Arduino, Dasduino/Neuron IoT boards, 3D printers, HuskyLens AI cameras — combined with two IRIM-developed assets: the AQ:bit air-quality measurement device for citizen science and the Izradi!/Neuron online platforms for learning management and competition administration. Programs extend to vocational secondary schools through the Junior Engineer Academy (first network outside Germany, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom Stiftung), and to libraries in 170+ locations across four countries through the Digitalni građanin and Digitalne knjižnice za lokalni razvoj initiatives.

IRIM is a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit, with no disclosed revenue figures and no commercial pricing; all programs are provided free of charge to participants. The capital stack is dominated by the founding Bakić family's recurring personal financing, complemented by institutional grants — most notably $650,000 cumulatively from Google.org ($250,000 in 2018, $400,000 in 2020), a $200,000+ 2017 Indiegogo "STEM Revolution" crowdfunding campaign (the most successful Croatian crowdfunding event), and long-term corporate support from Hrvatski Telekom, Hyundai, SAP, Rimac, INA, and others — overlaid with EU structural fund co-financing (ESF, Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, Norwegian government). The go-to-market model is community- and institution-led: direct partnerships with 600+ schools, 170+ libraries, and ministries, complemented by media coverage, public competitions, and the STEM auto traveling workshop. There is no paid customer channel; "customers" are schoolchildren, teachers, and institutions, while the actual counterparties and revenue sources are philanthropic donors, corporate sponsors, and EU/national grant programs.

Name

IRIM - Croatian Makers

Legal name

Institut za razvoj i inovativnost mladih (IRIM)

Website

https://croatianmakers.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRIM – Croatian Makers is a Croatian nonprofit founded in 2014 that runs the EU's largest non-governmental STEM education program, delivering free robotics, programming, and digital literacy to 400,000+ children across 600+ schools and 170+ libraries, primarily through the Croatian Makers robotics league, mobile STEM workshops, and the Izradi! e-learning platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL), Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG), Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX) (EDAMADAE), Teacher Training & Curriculum Providers (Robotics/Maker Education) (EDAMADAM), IoT, Sensors & Embedded Systems (Arduino/Raspberry Pi) Programs (EDAMADAI)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Robotics competitions
• Digital literacy training
• Teacher training services
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: IRIM is a non-profit organization primarily funded by donations from founders Nenad and Rujana Bakić, corporate donors, and citizens. It also successfully applies for national and European development funds.
2. EU and National Fund Grants: IRIM competes for and receives funding from European structural funds (ESF), Swiss-Croatian cooperation funds, and Croatian government ministry grants for STEM education projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRIM - Croatian Makers operates the largest non-governmental educational program in the EU, delivering free STEM education (robotics, programming, digital literacy, IoT, and AI) to children and youth across Croatia and the region. The organization equips schools and libraries with educational hardware (micro:bit, mBot, Arduino, 3D printers, HuskyLens AI cameras, the in-house AQ:bit air-quality sensor), trains teachers, runs the Croatian Makers robotics league, and operates the STEM auto mobile workshop that visits rural and underserved communities.

Product overview

IRIM - Croatian Makers operates as a comprehensive STEM education ecosystem featuring Croatian Makers Liga as the flagship robotics competition (largest in EU with 12,000+ children, 650 schools), supported by mobile STEM auto workshops, digital literacy programs with micro:bit, the Izradi! educational web portal, and specialized projects including AI education (HuskyLens cameras), IoT programs (Generacija NOW), and Junior Engineer Academy for vocational schools. The portfolio includes citizen science initiatives with underwater robots and partnerships with major organizations like Google, Hrvatski Telekom, and Deutsche Telekom Stiftung.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Croatian Makers liga: Croatian Makers league - a robotics and programming competition for elementary school children, the largest such competition in the EU with over 600 participating institutions.
• STEM auto
• Izradi!
• Generacija NOW
• Junior Engineer Academy
• Digitalni građanin
• STEM revolucija
• ProMikro
• Vibe coding liga Hrvatske

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ children and youth reached across all programs
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CARNETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroatian Academic and Research Network partnered with IRIM and Ministry of Education on the ProMikro project to distribute micro:bits to all 6th grade students.
• Ministarstvo znanosti i obrazovanja (MZO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Science and Education partnered with IRIM on ProMikro project and supports multiple IRIM programs.
• Fakultet elektrotehnike i računarstva (FER)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb collaborates on STEM revolucija u zajednici project involving socially useful learning.
• Micro:bit FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRIM became a regional partner of the Micro:bit Foundation, enabling first-wave adoption of micro:bit technology in Croatian education.
• Deutsche Telekom StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman foundation that developed Junior Engineer Academy. Croatia became the first country outside Germany to implement the program through IRIM.
• Norwegian Embassy / The European Wergeland CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian partners in the AI in STEM Education project, providing best practice exchange and collaboration.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• micro:bit Educational Foundation: Global nonprofit behind the micro:bit hardware and free educational resources, directly comparable to IRIM's core micro:bit-based digital literacy and STEM programs. IRIM is a regional partner of the Foundation.
• RoboCup Junior: International robotics competition initiative for students up to age 19, organizing regional, national, and world championships. Comparable competition-based robotics STEM engagement model.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): US-founded global nonprofit running FIRST LEGO League, FTC, and FRC robotics competitions for K-12 students. Direct comparable to the Croatian Makers Liga in terms of structured robotics competitions and teacher/mentor training.
• Code Club: Network of free, volunteer-led coding clubs for children aged 9–13, run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Highly comparable operating model: free extracurricular STEM/programming clubs with teacher/mentor volunteer base.
• Code.org: US-based nonprofit advocating for and providing free computer science curriculum in K-12 schools. Comparable mission (universal access to CS/STEM education) and free delivery model, but US-centric and digital-curriculum focused rather than hardware/robotics.
• CoderDojo: Global volunteer-led community of free coding clubs for young people (now part of Raspberry Pi Foundation). Closely analogous model to Croatian Makers' free community-led STEM workshops and equipment donation programs.

Broad incumbents

• VEX Robotics: Global educational robotics platform running VEX IQ, VEX V5, and VEX AI competitions. Comparable competition robotics focus, though commercial (kit sales + competition fees) rather than donation-funded like Croatian Makers.
• Lego Education: Commercial arm of the LEGO Group providing STEM, robotics (SPIKE, Mindstorms), and maker education kits and curricula to schools globally. Broad incumbent in K-12 STEM education market overlapping Croatian Makers' domain.
• Raspberry Pi Foundation: UK-based nonprofit promoting computing education through low-cost hardware and free curricula, including the CoderDojo coding club network. Comparable mission and reach, with a much larger international footprint and product line.

Emerging players

• Wonder Workshop: US ed-tech company producing Dash, Dot, and Cue educational robots plus curriculum for K-12. Comparable in delivering robotics/AI education products to elementary schools, though narrower product focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CroatianMakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irim
• Instagraminstagram.com/croatianmakers

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 IRIM - Croatian Makers