CodeLab Unifesp

What CodeLab Unifesp does

CodeLab-Unifesp is a university extension project (projeto de extensão) housed within the Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Founded in 2018, it organizes undergraduate and graduate computing students into development teams that build free, open-source software addressing social demands sourced through UNIFESP's Agits innovation agency and the Professional Master's in Technological Innovation (PIT). The portfolio comprises two core software lines — PlaSMeDIS, a role-based moderated social platform for safe health information exchange (customized as IBEApp for IBEAC's early childhood community and as TEApp for a virtual learning community on autism inclusion), and Transporte PcD, software that maps disability classifications to public transportation vehicle adaptations in partnership with EMTU. A parallel educational program, CodeLab Teen, delivers programming and Arduino robotics workshops at partner public schools with a mandated minimum 50% female participation to encourage girls into computing.

The group operates without commercial revenue: all software is provided at no cost under open-source licenses distributed via the UnifespCodeLab GitHub organization, and operating funds flow from FAPESP research grants (covering CodeLab Teen) and UNIFESP institutional resources. Faculty oversight is provided by Profa. Dra. Denise Stringhini, Profa. Dra. Fernanda Quelho Rossi, Profa. Dra. Thaína Aparecida de Azevedo Tosta, and collaborating Prof. Dr. Tiago de Oliveira, with student coordinators leading each development team. Approximately 60+ participants are listed across current and former members.

Customer and partner relationships are institutional and non-transactional: IBEAC co-developed IBEApp, EMTU co-developed Transporte PcD for the Vale do Paraíba and Litoral Norte region, and two São José dos Campos public schools host CodeLab Teen workshops. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on UNIFESP's institutional channels (Agits, CAEC) for project origination and organic social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, GitHub) for visibility. There is no pricing model, no SaaS offering, and no equity or external investment structure — the entity is government-owned as an extension of a federal public university.

Name

CodeLab Unifesp

Legal name

CodeLab-Unifesp (Projeto de Extensão da Universidade Federal de São Paulo)

Website

https://codelab-unifesp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CodeLab-Unifesp is a UNIFESP academic extension project in São José dos Campos, Brazil, where computing students build free, open-source software for social purposes — including the PlaSMeDIS health platform, Transporte PcD transit-accessibility software, and CodeLab Teen programming and Arduino workshops for public school students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Open-Source Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Coding & Programming Learning Platforms (EDAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Introductory Coding (Block-Based & Beginner) (EDAMACAA), Executive Functioning & Behavioral Support Tools (ADHD, SEL/Behavior Tracking, Routines) (EDAFAKAG)

Keywords

• Open-source social software
• Community health platforms
• Public transit accessibility
• Educational programming workshops
• Arduino robotics education

Headquarters

HQ city

São José dos Campos

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-Profit Academic Extension: CodeLab-Unifesp is a university extension project (projeto de extensão universitária) that develops free, open-source software for social purposes. All software is provided at no cost to partner organizations and the community. Funding comes from FAPESP support and UNIFESP institutional resources. No commercial revenue is generated.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CodeLab-Unifesp develops free, open-source software for social purposes within UNIFESP's university extension program. Its portfolio includes PlaSMeDIS, a moderated social platform for health information dissemination (with customized versions IBEApp for early childhood communities and TEApp for autism-spectrum inclusion in higher education), and Transporte PcD, software mapping disability classifications to public transportation adaptations. It also runs CodeLab Teen, delivering programming and Arduino robotics workshops to public school students.

Product overview

CodeLab Unifesp is a university extension group at UNIFESP's Institute of Science and Technology that develops free, open-source software for social purposes. The portfolio consists of two core software products: PlaSMeDIS (a moderated social platform for health information dissemination, available in specialized versions IBEApp for early childhood support and TEApp for autism learning communities), and Transporte PcD (public transit accessibility software for disabled users). Additionally, the CodeLab Teen education program operates in parallel, offering programming and Arduino workshops for public school students with a focus on gender diversity in computing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlaSMeDIS: Plataforma Social Moderada para a Disseminação de Informação sobre Saúde - A closed social interaction platform facilitating communities to find health professionals in a safe environment free from misinformation.
• Transporte PcD
• IBEApp
• TEApp
• CodeLab Teen - Programação
• CodeLab Teen - Arduino

Products and services

• PlaSMeDIS (Plataforma Social Moderada para a Disseminação de Informação sobre Saúde) Closed, role-based social interaction platform that facilitates safe communication between communities needing interaction with healthcare professionals, free from misinformation. Targeted at civil society organizations and healthcare communities served through UNIFESP's Agits pipeline.
• IBEApp Domain-customized version of PlaSMeDIS built for IBEAC (Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos e Apoio Comunitário Queiróz Filho), enabling information exchange between pregnant women, new mothers, specialists, volunteers, parents, grandparents, and family members involved with the Centro de Excelência em Primeira Infância (CEPI).
• TEApp Adapted PlaSMeDIS version creating a Virtual Learning Community (CVA) that connects higher education professors with ASD specialists to support appropriate inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in higher education.
• Transporte PcD Software that improves adequacy of metropolitan public transportation for users with disabilities (PcD) by mapping passenger disability classifications (ICD) to required vehicle adaptations and transit offerings, used by EMTU in the São Paulo metropolitan region.
• CodeLab Teen - Programação In-person programming workshops for public school students teaching fundamental programming concepts, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with emphasis on encouraging girls to pursue computing careers. Delivered at Escola Estadual Olímpio Catão in São José dos Campos.
• CodeLab Teen - Arduino In-person electronics and robotics workshops introducing public school students to Arduino-based projects and interactive programming, including preparation for Arduino-powered boat competitions. Delivered at Escola Estadual Elmano Ferreira Veloso in São José dos Campos with minimum 50% female participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• PlaSMeDIS/IBEApp platform in final testing phase with IBEAC for early childhood development community support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IBEAC - Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos e Apoio Comunitário Queiróz FilhocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Long-standing cooperation with IBEAC, a social organization based in São Paulo with national operations. Students developed PlaSMeDIS platform for the Centro de Excelência em Primeira Infância (CEPI) project to enable communication between pregnant women, new mothers, specialists, and family members. The customized version is called IBEApp and is in final testing phase. Project registered as CodeLab-Unifesp - IBEAC with SIEX code 14089.
• EMTU - Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de São PaulocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with EMTU for the Transporte PcD project to improve public transportation accessibility for users with disabilities in the Vale do Paraíba and Litoral Norte metropolitan region. The project maps disability classifications to necessary transit adaptations. EMTU provides data and requirements through student Felipe Bugarin Guerra who represents EMTU in the project.
• Escola Estadual Olímpio CatãocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial partnership with this public school in São José dos Campos for CodeLab Teen - Programming workshops. Workshops teach fundamental programming concepts to students with guaranteed minimum 50% female participation to encourage girls in computing. Project coordinated by Profa. Dra. Thaína Tosta with FAPESP support, registered as SIEX 23881.
• Escola Estadual Elmano Ferreira VelosocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with this public school in São José dos Campos for CodeLab Teen - Arduino workshops. Workshops teach electronics and robotics through Arduino with 50% minimum female participation and 50% male participation. Students build Arduino-powered boats for competitions. Coordinated by Profa. Dra. Thaína Tosta and Profa. Dra. Fernanda Quelho Rossi with FAPESP support, registered as SIEX 23881.
• Agits - Agência de Inovação Tecnológica e Social da UnifespcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgits serves as the innovation and social technology agency of UNIFESP that connects external community demands to university extension projects. Projects developed by CodeLab-Unifesp are brought primarily through Agits, making it a core pipeline partner for project opportunities.
• PIT - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação TecnológicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional Master's program in Interdisciplinary Technological Innovation at UNIFESP São José dos Campos. Students from this program bring project demands and participate in CodeLab projects, such as Felipe Bugarin Guerra's work on Transporte PcD.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thoughtworks (Social Impact programs): A global technology consultancy with longstanding social-impact programs building software for nonprofits and underserved communities. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp in using professional software practices to deliver tools for social-purpose organizations.
• Mozilla Foundation: A large established foundation stewarding open-source software (Firefox) with explicit social-impact and internet-health missions. Comparable in the open-source-for-social-good ethos that CodeLab Unifesp applies to its portfolio.
• MIT Media Lab: A large university research lab developing technologies for social, educational, and accessibility purposes. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp as a university-based interdisciplinary group producing software and learning tools with social impact.
• Stanford HCI Group: University research group producing human-centered technology for education, accessibility, and social good. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's emphasis on user-centered design and assistive applications for underserved populations.

Regional players

• LabHacker (Câmara dos Deputados): Brazilian civic-tech lab inside the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies that develops open-source tools for legislative transparency and public engagement. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's university-based social software development with public-sector partnerships in Brazil.
• ITA - Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (Extension Programs): A Brazilian federal university running student-driven extension projects with social and technological aims. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp as a peer Brazilian federal university extension initiative producing socially-oriented technology projects.
• Centro de Estudos de Inclusão Digital (CEID): A Brazilian organization focused on digital inclusion and accessibility technology for people with disabilities. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's Transporte PcD project, which maps disability classifications to transportation accessibility in the same regional context.

Direct peers

• Ushahidi: Open-source platform originally built for crisis mapping and now used for civic and community reporting. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's PlaSMeDIS as both produce open-source, community-targeted social platforms addressing information gaps.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: A UK-based nonprofit promoting open data and open-source tools for civic and social impact. Comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's commitment to free, open-source delivery and its social-impact use cases in health and accessibility.
• Code for America: A US-based nonprofit that builds open-source digital tools addressing civic and social problems in partnership with governments and communities. Closely comparable to CodeLab Unifesp's mission of producing free, open-source software in response to community and public-sector demands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/UnifespCodeLab
• Facebookfacebook.com/CodelabUnifesp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/codelab-unifesp
• Instagraminstagram.com/codelab.unifesp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 CodeLab Unifesp