What IT Varsity does

IT Varsity is an accredited online education institute headquartered in Durban, South Africa, that delivers coding, software development, digital entrepreneurship, and digital marketing training to a primarily South African learner base. The platform is built on a Moodle-based learning management system that combines pre-recorded video courses, live weekly Zoom mentorship sessions, online chat support, and a project-based pedagogy in which over 75% of learning time is devoted to building real software. Curriculum spans HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python (with FastAPI), React, React Native, Java (Spring Boot), and AI tooling, with the flagship being a portfolio of 1-year accredited programs aligned to South Africa's National Qualifications Framework at Levels 4 and 5 (SAQA IDs 48872 and 121164) under MICT SETA accreditation (ACC/2012/05/775).

The product portfolio is structured in three tiers: (i) four flagship 1-year accredited qualifications (Certified Front End and Mobile App Developer, Python Full Stack Developer, Java Full Stack Developer, and Digital Entrepreneurship), priced at R24,995 with flexible per-module, quarterly, or one-time payment options; (ii) short bootcamps in Python, React, JavaScript, Digital Marketing, Copywriting, Graphic Design, Business Startup, and AI Academy at price points from R1,250 to R5,385; and (iii) youth/children sub-brands including CompuKids (game and mobile app development for ages 6-18) and Coding for Teens / IT Pathways (Grades 8-11, leading to NQF Level 4 and 5 qualifications). Free introductory products (Lockdown 21-Day Coding Challenge, Mum's Taxi, Youth Career Guide, App Empire, Moodle tutorials) function as funnel entry points.

IT Varsity operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model, selling exclusively through its own website (itvarsity.org) with payment via EFT and PayFast. Customer acquisition relies on the founder's organic social media presence (TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, X), content marketing via blog and podcast, referral partnerships with the Youth Employment Service (YES) and Youth@Work for unemployed-youth placement, and community outreach through organizations such as The Valley Trust and the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. An 80% bursary is offered on the Digital Entrepreneurship course to widen access. The company also owns the sub-brand CompuKids and acquired the award-winning app company Xander in January 2020 to consolidate instructor credibility and intellectual property. The business is privately held and founder-operated, with no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

IT Varsity

Legal name

IT varsity

Website

https://itvarsity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IT Varsity is an accredited online coding and digital entrepreneurship institute based in Durban, South Africa, offering MICT SETA-accredited NQF Level 4 and 5 qualifications, short bootcamps, and kids' tech programs to unemployed youth, career changers, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Vocational Coding Education

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Online coding education
• Accredited coding courses
• App development training
• Digital entrepreneurship programs
• Youth tech bootcamps

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition Fees: Revenue from selling accredited coding and tech courses. Students pay per module, per month, quarterly, or as a full-course one-time payment. Pricing ranges from free introductory courses to R24,995 for full 1-year programs.
2. Bootcamp Fees: Shorter intensive bootcamp programs (2-4 months) sold at fixed prices, e.g., Python Bootcamp R5,385, JavaScript Bootcamp R1,250, Digital Marketing Bootcamp R1,750.
3. Books and Digital Products: Sale of educational books such as 'Snags to Riches – 6 Skills to Turn Problems Into Profits'.
4. Bursary and Accessibility Programs: 80% bursaries available for the Digital Entrepreneurship course (reducing cost from R24,995 to R7,200) enabling wider access to unemployed youth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IT Varsity is an accredited online education institute that sells coding, app development, and digital entrepreneurship courses directly to individual learners via its own e-commerce website. It delivers three flagship 1-year NQF-accredited certification programs (Front End and Mobile App Developer, Python Full Stack, Java Full Stack) plus a Digital Entrepreneurship certificate, supported by short bootcamps, free introductory courses, and youth programs under the Apptrepreneur, Coding for Teens and CompuKids sub-brands. Courses are delivered through a Moodle-based LMS with pre-recorded video lessons, live Zoom mentorship from industry developers, and an ePortfolio system, with students earning nationally recognized MICT SETA qualifications.

Product overview

IT Varsity is an online education platform offering coding and technology courses. The portfolio includes three main 1-year accredited certification programs: Certified Front End and Mobile App Developer (React/React Native), Digital Entrepreneurship (NQF Level 4), Python Full Stack Developer, and Java Full Stack Developer. These core programs are supplemented by multiple short bootcamp courses (Python, React, JavaScript, Digital Marketing, Graphic Design, Business Startup, AI Academy) ranging from 4 weeks to 2 months. For youth education, IT Varsity operates CompuKids and Coding for Teens (IT Pathways) sub-brands offering game development, mobile app development, and full coding curricula for ages 6-18. Free resources include the Lockdown 21 Day Coding Challenge, Youth Career Guide with ChatGPT training, Mum's Taxi coding challenge, App Empire course, and Instructional Design with Moodle tutorials. All programs feature 1-on-1 mentorship from industry professionals and result in accredited NQF qualifications or completion certificates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CompuKids: Children's coding education program for ages 6-18, teaching game development and mobile app development skills.
• Xander

Products and services

• Certified Front End and Mobile App Developer A 1-year accredited beginner-to-advanced course (NQF Level 5) covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GitHub, WordPress, Bootstrap, React, and React Native. Students learn front-end and mobile app development with mentorship from senior developers and earn a National Certificate in Systems Development (SAQA ID: 48872) upon completion. The course includes building 25 projects as part of the curriculum.
• Certificate in Digital Entrepreneurship A 1-year NQF Level 4 certificate program (SAQA ID: 121164, 143 Credits) training students to become digital entrepreneurs. Covers digital marketing, content marketing, graphic design, photography/video editing, and sales funnels, with personal 1-on-1 mentorship and active support launching a business. 80% bursary available reducing cost to R7,200.
• Certified Python Full Stack Software Developer A 1-year accredited course training students to become certified Python Full Stack Software Developers. Covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GitHub, WordPress, Python, FastAPI, and SQLAlchemy with 1-on-1 mentorship from senior developers. Awards a National Certificate in Systems Development (SAQA ID: 48872) upon completion.
• Certified Java Full Stack Software Developer A 1-year accredited course covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GitHub, WordPress, Java, Spring Boot and Hibernate. Students learn Java full stack development with the Spring Boot Framework under mentorship of senior developers. Awards a National Certificate in Systems Development (SAQA ID: 48872) upon completion.
• Apptrepreneur An accredited 1-year App Development course (NQF Level 5, 131 credits) preparing students for careers in App Development, coding, and Web Design. Awarded by MICT SETA upon completion (SAQA ID: 48872). Co-designed by Bilal and Maseehullah Kathrada.
• Python Bootcamp A 2-month intensive Python programming bootcamp covering Python basics, data types, object-oriented programming, error handling, APIs, and AI-powered apps. Students build 15 complete projects including a Face Detector (OpenCV), Weather Forecast app, Flask Web App, and AI Chat Bot. Complete Bootcamp priced at R5,385.
• React Bootcamp An intensive React development course covering React basics, components, states, state management, Tailwind CSS, React Router, fetching data from APIs, performance optimization, and deployment using Firebase and Netlify. Students build 10 complete projects.
• JavaScript Bootcamp A 4-week JavaScript programming course covering basics, syntax, conditionals, loops, functions, arrays, DOM manipulation, events, error handling, asynchronous JavaScript, and Fetch API. Students build 4 complete apps including a Login form, Calculator, Countdown Timer, and World Clock. Priced at R1,250 (15% discount).
• Digital Marketing Bootcamp A 7-week digital marketing course covering digital and content marketing, SEO, social media marketing, sales funnels, and digital marketing strategies. Priced at R1,750.
• Advanced Digital Marketing An advanced course covering SEO fundamentals, keyword research, content optimization, email marketing and automation, building backlinks, and technical SEO. Priced at R1,750.
• Copywriting and Storytelling A course teaching persuasive writing and storytelling techniques for marketing. Covers headline crafting, emotional triggers, CTAs, platform-specific copywriting, and visual integration. Priced at R2,750.
• Graphic Design with Canva A 1-month Canva course covering graphic design fundamentals, branding strategy, and real-world projects including logos, catalogs, ads, social posts, flyers, web banners, business cards, and packaging stickers. Also includes video editing with Canva. Priced at R2,800.
• Business Startup Bootcamp A 6-week intensive online business course covering idea generation, business planning, registration, product development, marketing, sales funnels, and content marketing. Mentored by Bilal Kathrada. Promotional price R750 (50% off from R1,495).
• AI Academy 2026 A 6-week AI business course teaching how to use AI to build and launch a business. Covers AI setup, prompting for content creation, automation of admin tasks (emails, proposals, document summaries), marketing automation, consulting business setup, and getting clients. No coding required.
• Coding for Teens (IT Pathways) An accredited coding and technology curriculum for high school learners (Grades 8-11, ages 14-18). Level 1-2 leads to Certified Python Programmer (NQF Level 4), Level 3-4 leads to Diploma in Python Full Stack Development (NQF Level 5). Monthly fee R500, annual R6,000. Includes progress tracking for schools, teachers, and parents.
• Game Development Level 1 A game development course for kids ages 6-18 teaching fundamentals of coding and game development using the visual coding platform Scratch. Students build 3 unique games (Cat and Ball, Ghost Hunt, Traffic). Includes online assessments and challenges. Priced at R295 for unlimited access.
• Mobile App Development Level 1 A mobile app development course for ages 6-18 teaching cross-platform app development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Students build 3 mobile apps: Image Gallery, Superhero Catalogue, and Pine City Zoo tour guide app. Priced at R295 for unlimited access.
• CompuKids Game Development Bootcamp (in-person) An in-person weekend bootcamp for kids ages 8-18 teaching them to design and code their own video games from scratch while using AI as a learning and research tool. 4-hour session at Innovate Durban Co-Lab, Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Center. Priced at R500 per student per session.
• CompuKids Virtual Classes Weekly live virtual coding and tech classes for kids covering coding, robotics, AI, graphic design, animation, photography, digital marketing, content creation, app development, web design, and more. Classes held Tuesdays 16:00-17:00. Priced at R500 per month.
• Youth Career Guide A free 1-hour course teaching how to use Bilal's 4-Step Framework combined with ChatGPT to uncover passion and choose a career. Beginner difficulty, no prerequisites beyond basic understanding of mobile phones and internet.
• Lockdown 21 Day Coding Challenge A free coding tutorial series released during the COVID-19 lockdown for people with no coding experience. 25 lessons building a complete quiz app from scratch using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Mum's Taxi Coding Challenge A free coding challenge course teaching how to build a complete trip calculator app. Covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and design principles. Difficulty level marked as Easy.
• App Empire A free course teaching the process for picking and launching successful app ideas. Covers app business models, app marketing, and identifying winning ideas. Part of the Apptrepreneur course.
• Instructional Design with Moodle A free tutorial series teaching educators how to become Moodle Masters. 11 lessons covering activities, resources, pages, lessons, forums, glossaries, and embedding videos.
• Snags to Riches (Book) A book titled 'Snags to Riches - 6 Skills to Turn Problems Into Profits' by Bilal Kathrada, sold through the IT Varsity e-commerce checkout.
• Book a Consultation A consultation service for prospective students covering NQF Level 4 and Level 5 course applications, bursary inquiries, and general questions about IT Varsity's programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduate employability: students transition from no coding experience to job-ready or freelance-ready developers in 12 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Youth Employment Service (YES) / Youth@WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIT varsity partnered with the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative to train unemployed youth in app development, coding, and web development. Through the Youth@Work program, graduates of IT varsity's courses are placed into jobs, internships, or vacation work. This is a key differentiator providing employment pathways for graduates.
• MICT SETAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIT varsity is accredited by the MICT SETA (Media, Information and Communication Technology Sector Education and Training Authority), accreditation number ACC/2012/05/775. MICT SETA is a government body that quality-assures vocational education and training. This accreditation enables IT varsity to award NQF-recognized qualifications.
• The Valley TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Valley Trust, established in 1953 in Botha's Hill, aims to uplift the Valley of a Thousand Hills community. IT varsity conducted workshops at The Valley Trust, joined by guests from Tic-It Telecoms and Tic-AI, to provide tech education to the local community.
• SA Chamber of Commerce UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIT varsity partnered with the SA Chamber of Commerce UK and YES4YOUTH to unite against youth unemployment, providing international visibility and potential cross-border opportunities for South African graduates.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Global online learning marketplace offering university-affiliated and industry coding credentials. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same online coding-education category, though IT Varsity's NQF accreditation differentiates its South African offering.
• Udemy: Global online course marketplace with extensive catalog of coding, digital marketing, and business courses from individual instructors. Comparable as a broad incumbent in online course delivery, though lacking IT Varsity's accredited qualification pathway.

Direct peers

• WeThinkCode_: South African non-profit tech training program sponsored by major employers. Directly comparable given shared South African geography, employer-aligned outcomes, and similar youth-targeting mission.
• CodeSpace Academy: Cape Town-based coding school offering full-stack and software development programs. Directly comparable as another South African coding education provider targeting similar career-launcher outcomes with project-based curricula.
• HyperionDev: South African coding bootcamp offering online and cohort-based software development courses with mentorship. Closest direct peer given shared geography, similar developer-training product, and identical target audience (career changers and youth).
• Moringa School: Nairobi-based coding bootcamp offering full-stack and data science programs across East Africa. Comparable as an emerging-market coding bootcamp targeting similar career-changer segments with project-based learning and mentorship.
• ALX Africa: Africa-focused technology training program (backed by the Holberton School model) offering software engineering and cloud computing pathways. Highly comparable given shared African geography, similar career-launcher positioning, and competing for the same unemployed-youth demographic.
• Umuzi: South African digital skills academy offering programs in web development, data, and design with strong employer placement. Comparable given shared geography, youth focus, and outcome-driven (employment) model.
• Codecademy: Online interactive coding education platform offering courses in Python, JavaScript, web development, and data science. Comparable as a self-paced curriculum + structured learning platform targeting the same career-launcher audience.
• freeCodeCamp: Free, open-source coding education platform with certifications in responsive web design, JavaScript, and data science. Directly comparable as a coding-curriculum provider targeting the same entry-to-job-ready learner segment, though delivered free vs. paid.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ITVarsity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/it-varsity
• Instagraminstagram.com/bilalkat
• Facebookfacebook.com/itvarsity

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IT Varsity