What Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado does

Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado is a Brazilian non-profit educational program operated by Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado under a flagship partnership with Apple. Established in 2013 in Porto Alegre in collaboration with PUCRS, the program now operates physical academy locations in Campinas, Manaus, and Porto Alegre, with the parent institute headquartered in Brasília. It trains undergraduate and graduate students from any academic background to become iOS developers, with a secondary Capacitação Online program opening the curriculum to career changers and tech-curious professionals nationwide. Curriculum is delivered through Challenge Based Learning methodology, covers programming, design, business, and professional skills, and uses the Swift programming language as the foundation for building applications across the iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS ecosystems. Participants develop a complete app from concept to App Store publication as their portfolio output.

The underlying technology stack is Apple's official developer ecosystem, including Xcode, Swift, and Apple platform SDKs. The program is free for all participants, who instead receive a financial aid stipend comparable to a science initiation scholarship. The business model is structurally non-commercial: the program is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) through Lei nº 8.248/1991 (Informatics Law) and coordinated by Softex under the Residência em TIC initiative (TIC 01, 02, and 21). There is no tuition, no fee-for-service, and no disclosed commercial revenue. Distribution is via direct application through annual selection cycles, with awareness generated through Instagram, LinkedIn, and participation in Apple events (WWDC, Swift Student Challenge) and Campus Mobile.

Notable outcomes include 1,500+ apps published on the App Store by graduates globally, 160+ companies founded by alumni, and representation from 51 nationalities across the global network. The program has received recognition including the Swift Student Challenge (2026) and Campus Mobile Diversidade prize (2025). The Academy operates as part of the broader Apple Developer Academy network spanning 13+ countries and 20+ locations, including Indonesia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the United States.

Name

Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado

Legal name

Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado

Website

https://developeracademy.eldorado.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado is a Brazilian non-profit that runs Apple's free, government-funded developer training programs in Campinas, Manaus, and Porto Alegre, teaching undergraduate, graduate, and career-change students to build Swift applications across the Apple ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Developer Training and Technology Education

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI)

Keywords

• Mobile app training
• Developer education
• Software development training
• Technology education programs
• Apple platform development

Headquarters

HQ city

Brasília

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Training Program (Residência em TIC): The program is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) through the Lei nº 8.248/1991 ( Informatics Law), coordinated by Softex under the Residência em TIC initiative. No revenue is generated from participants — the program is free and includes a financial aid stipend comparable to a science initiation scholarship for selected students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado delivers free, multi-format training programs that teach students to develop applications for Apple platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS) using the Swift programming language. Offerings span a two-year Regular Program, a five-week Foundations Program, a 120-hour online Capacitação em Aplicativos Móveis, and an alumni Residency Program, all using Challenge Based Learning methodology. The program is operated by the nonprofit Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado in partnership with Apple and is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Product overview

Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado offers a portfolio of educational programs focused on training developers for Apple platforms. The main offerings include the Regular Program (a 2-year in-person intensive training covering programming, design, business, and professional skills) and the Foundations Program (a 5-week intensive bootcamp). Additionally, there is an online mobile app training in Swift (120h/7 weeks) and a residency program for alumni. All programs use Swift as the primary programming language and prepare participants for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apple Developer Academy Regular Program A long-duration (approximately 2 years) in-person educational program training students from diverse fields to develop products for Apple platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS), covering programming, design, business, and professional skills using the Challenge Based Learning methodology. Delivered free of charge with a financial aid stipend; program hours can count toward university internship equivalence.
• Apple Developer Academy Foundations Program A quick, intensive 5-week training program (15 hours weekly) for developing applications for the Apple ecosystem, focused on students who want to create their first application. Delivered in-person or remote depending on location.
• Capacitação Online em Aplicativos Móveis (Online Mobile App Training) A free remote program with live online classes and practical activities, providing mentorship from market professionals and teaching the Swift programming language for mobile development. Delivered over 120 hours across 7 weeks, with a certificate of completion and an app built from scratch as the capstone project.
• Programa de Residência (Residency Program) A software development residency program for former participants of the Apple Developer Academy, providing immersion in real projects of major private-sector companies under continued mentorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ apps created and published on the App Store by Academy graduates globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AppleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerApple partnered with Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado to create Apple Developer Academy locations in Brazil. Apple provides official curricula, tools, developer ecosystem access, and brand partnership. The academies train students in Swift and Apple platform development using Apple's official development frameworks and guidelines.
• PUCRS (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPUCRS is the institutional partner for the Apple Developer Academy Porto Alegre location. The program is hosted at PUCRS's Tecnopuc campus. The partnership began in 2013 when the first Developer Academy in Brazil was established by Eldorado and PUCRS in partnership with Apple.
• SoftexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoftex coordinates the Residência em TIC (TIC 01, 02, and 21) initiative, under which the Developer Academy operates. The project is supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) with resources from Lei nº 8.248/1991.
• TIC em TrilhasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIC em Trilhas is a partner program that provides free 100% online preparatory courses for Academy candidates. It offers introductory and advanced courses in programming and design to help applicants prepare for the selection process.
• Global Apple Developer Academy NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Apple Developer Academy has expanded to over 13 countries and 20+ locations globally since the first Brazilian academy was inaugurated in 2013. The global network includes academies in Indonesia (Bali, Batam, Central Jakarta, Surabaya, Tangerang), Italy (Naples), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), South Korea (Pohang), and the United States (Detroit), plus 10 locations across Brazil.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Digital House: Latin American coding bootcamp with operations in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and other LATAM countries. Comparable because it directly competes in the Brazilian market for the same career-changer and tech-training customer, though it operates primarily in Argentina/Brazil/Mexico rather than the global Apple partnership niche.

Direct peers

• Le Wagon: Global coding bootcamp offering 9- to 24-week full-stack and data programs across 40+ cities. Comparable because it serves career-changers and students with intensive, mentor-led software development training with similar cohort sizes and time-to-employment outcomes.
• Flatiron School: U.S.-based immersive software engineering and cybersecurity bootcamp with income-share agreement options. Comparable due to similar cohort-based, mentor-led software development curriculum and outcomes-focused value proposition.
• Ironhack: Global coding and UX/UI bootcamp with strong Latin American operations. Comparable due to similar bootcamp format, career-changer focus, and direct competition for the same Brazilian and Latin American tech-training market.
• 42 (École 42): Tuition-free, peer-to-peer software engineering school founded by Xavier Niel. Highly comparable because it offers a free, no-prerequisites software engineering education model that competes for similar non-traditional students and competes for the same government and corporate funding pots in some markets.
• Holberton School: Software engineering school with deferred-tuition / ISA model that trains full-stack developers. Comparable as a tuition-deferred/free coding school targeting career-changers and underrepresented students, with a similarly project-based, mentor-driven pedagogy.
• Apple Developer Academy Naples (University of Naples Federico II): Runs the same Apple Developer Academy program in Italy, also a free, Apple-curriculum-based developer training program in partnership with Apple. Directly comparable because it operates under the identical Apple-anchored model serving students with the same Swift curriculum.
• Apple Developer Academy Indonesia (NARAYANA): Operates the Apple Developer Academy across multiple Indonesian cities (Bali, Batam, Central Jakarta, Surabaya, Tangerang), using the same Apple-curriculum, free, multi-format model. Directly comparable due to identical program structure, Apple partnership, and tier-2 emerging-market positioning.

Emerging players

• Rocketseat: Leading Brazilian online developer training platform (full-stack, React, Node.js, mobile). Comparable as a Brazilian tech education provider targeting career changers and developers with project-based curricula, though online-only and commercial rather than government-funded.

Broad incumbents

• General Assembly: Established global tech training provider (now part of Adecco) offering bootcamps, short courses, and corporate training. Comparable as a broad-incumbent alternative offering similar software development training, though typically paid and broader in scope than the Academy's Apple-specific curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apple-developer-academy-instituto-eldorado
• Instagraminstagram.com/academypoa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Apple Developer Academy @ Instituto Eldorado