minas programam

What minas programam does

Minas Programam (Instituto Minas Programam) is a Brazilian nonprofit educational initiative founded in 2015 by Ariane Cor, Fernanda Balbino, and Bárbara Paes, headquartered at Ação Educativa's premises in São Paulo. Its stated mission is to challenge gender and racial stereotypes that shape women's relationship with science, technology, and computing, and it does so by delivering free programming courses, workshops, study groups, a podcast, and educational guides to women and girls (cis, trans) and non-binary people, with explicit prioritization of Black and Indigenous women. Core educational products include the 'Curso de Introdução à Programação' (90+ hours of live classes covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript and programming logic), an intermediate 'Curso Fundamentos da Programação' for ex-alunas, the 'Programa de Formação em Tecnologia, Justiça Social e Direitos Digitais' for young Black and Indigenous women aged 15–25 from public schools, the 'WordPretas' WordPress workshop, the 'Daqui pra frente' university-access guide, and the Podcast Minas Programam featuring Black women in technology. The organization has also produced peer-reviewed research on technology-facilitated gender-based violence against Black Brazilian women via the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN, 2024–2025), presented at Mozilla Festival 2025.

The business model is non-commercial: Minas Programam generates no revenue from participants — all courses, workshops, and content are free. Operating capital comes from grants and donations from feminist and social impact foundations, with named core funders including Frida | Fundo Feminista Jovem and Fundação Tide Setubal, and strategic co-development partners such as PretaLab (Olabi), MariaLab, Galpão ZL, Ação Educativa, and Preta e Acadêmica. Distribution is direct-to-learner via the organization's website and a hybrid online/in-person course model that reaches participants from all regions of Brazil despite the São Paulo headquarters. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), a blog, a Buttondown newsletter, and earned media coverage in Forbes, Folha de São Paulo, UOL, and Estadão. Since 2015, the initiative has trained 300+ women and reached 2,000+ people across all activities; 60% of former students work in programming or technology. The organization is led by a small team of approximately 17 employees and is currently executing an announced closure cycle beginning September 2025, with final deliverables including a retrospective, the alumni-only course, the FIRN research publication, and the 'Daqui pra frente' guide.

Name

minas programam

Legal name

Instituto Minas Programam

Website

https://minasprogramam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minas Programam is a Brazilian nonprofit founded in 2015 that delivers free programming courses, workshops, research, and a podcast to women and girls, with priority for Black and Indigenous participants, entirely funded by grants from feminist and social impact foundations; the organization is currently executing an announced closure cycle from September 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Training Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Computer Training (61142), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Free programming education
• Women in technology training
• Nonprofit coding courses
• Digital rights education
• Antiracist technology pedagogy

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and donations: As a non-profit initiative, Minas Programam operates entirely on grant funding and donations from feminist and social impact foundations. All courses and activities are provided free of charge to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Minas Programam is a nonprofit educational initiative that delivers free programming courses (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, programming logic), intermediate programming training for alumni, a guide on university access for Black youth, a training program on technology, social justice and digital rights, WordPress workshops, and a podcast featuring Black women in technology. All offerings are free to participants and prioritize Black and Indigenous women and girls in Brazil.

Product overview

Minas Programam (Instituto Minas Programam) is a nonprofit educational initiative founded in 2015 that offers a portfolio of programs to challenge gender and race stereotypes in technology. The core offerings include: the Introduction to Programming Course (teaching HTML, CSS, JavaScript fundamentals), the intermediate Programming Fundamentals Course for ex-students, the 'daqui pra frente' university access guide, a Training Program on Technology and Social Justice for young Black and Indigenous women, the Minas Programam Podcast featuring Black women in technology, and WordPretas WordPress workshops. Additional offerings include research publications on technology and gender violence, study groups, and mentorship support for starting similar initiatives. All programs are free and prioritize Black and Indigenous women.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Curso de Introdução à Programação (Introduction to Programming Course) A free introductory programming course teaching programming logic and frontend development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) with over 90 hours of live classes, designed for girls, women (cis or trans) and non-binary people, especially those who are Black or Indigenous, with no prior programming knowledge required.
• Curso Fundamentos da Programação (Programming Fundamentals Course) An intermediate-level programming course for alumni of the Introduction to Programming course, focusing on deepening knowledge in programming logic topics.
• Daqui pra frente (University Access Guide) An illustrated guide produced by the Minas Programam team for Black girls and youth, containing information about university access, staying in school, choosing courses, organizing study routines, and featuring interviews with contemporary Black scientists and professionals.
• Programa de Formação em Tecnologia, Justiça Social e Direitos Digitais A free training program for young Black and Indigenous women aged 15-25 from public schools, focused on sharing knowledge about technology, digital rights, and social justice from an anti-racist and feminist perspective.
• Podcast Minas Programam A podcast featuring conversations with Black Brazilian women who are researchers, activists, and technologists using digital technologies to fight for social justice.
• WordPretas (WordPress Workshop) A WordPress workshop training Black women who are entrepreneurs, independent professionals, artists, or members of organizations in creating and managing their own websites.
• Pesquisa sobre Violência de Gênero Facilitada pela Tecnologia Research conducted between April 2024 and March 2025 on the impacts of technology-facilitated gender violence on Brazilian Black women's experiences, part of the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN).

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of alumni work with programming or technology
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Third edition participant (April 2024 - March 2025). Collaborative research network conducting studies on feminist internet issues. Minas Programam conducted research on technology-facilitated gender-based violence against Black Brazilian women as part of this network.
• Galpão ZLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Galpão ZL in the execution and design of projects and workshops.
• PretaLabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanheiro organization in executing projects. PretaLab is part of Olabi and focuses on Black women's technology education.
• MariaLabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in technology and diversity initiatives.
• OlabiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Olabi's PretaLab project for the WordPretas WordPress workshop for Black women in Rio de Janeiro.
• Ação EducativaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization providing headquarters premises in São Paulo for Minas Programam activities and course gatherings.
• Preta e AcadêmicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack women scientists collective who collaborated on projects and content creation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Laboratoria: Latin American tech bootcamp that trains underserved women in web development and connects them with jobs in the technology sector. Operates across multiple Latin American countries with a similar mission of inserting women from disadvantaged backgrounds into tech careers, though it charges employers rather than learners and has a paid employment-driven model.
• Olabi: Brazilian organization that hosts PretaLab and runs technology and innovation programs with a diversity focus. Comparable as a Brazilian non-profit using technology education to advance diversity outcomes, and a documented Minas Programam partner.
• PretaLab: Brazilian initiative under Olabi focused on technology education for Black women, explicitly partnering with Minas Programam on the WordPretas workshop. The two organizations have a documented collaborative relationship and serve overlapping audiences of Black women entering tech, making PretaLab the most directly comparable peer in mission and methodology.
• PrograMaria: Brazilian community and event series promoting women in technology through workshops, talks, and mentorship. Comparable in mission of supporting women in tech and community-led delivery, though organized as an event-based community rather than formal multi-week courses.
• PyLadies Brasil: Brazilian chapter of the global PyLadies movement, organizing mentorship and study groups for women learning Python and programming. Comparable in targeting women entering programming and operating through community-led models, though focused specifically on Python and grassroots meetups rather than formal course cohorts.
• Reprograma: Brazilian non-profit that offers free web development training to women seeking to enter the technology industry. Directly comparable to Minas Programam in mission (women's tech education), free delivery model, and target audience of women entering tech, though Reprograma focuses on broader female inclusion rather than explicitly on Black and Indigenous women.
• MariaLab: Brazilian organization partnering with Minas Programam on technology and diversity initiatives. Both organizations focus on women's participation in technology and have collaborated on projects, making MariaLab a directly comparable peer in the Brazilian women-in-tech ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Girls Who Code: US-based non-profit running coding education programs for girls and non-binary students across the US. Comparable as a large-scale women's/girls' coding education initiative, though US-focused, broader in demographic scope, and operating at significantly larger scale than Minas Programam.

Emerging players

• Black Girls Code: US-based non-profit teaching programming to Black girls and young women of color. Highly comparable in mission of training Black women and girls in technology, though it operates at much larger scale in the US and uses an afterschool/workshop model rather than Minas Programam's intensive multi-week course format.

Others

• Associação Acorde: Brazilian social organization working on education and social justice from an anti-racist perspective, operating in adjacent space to Minas Programam's anti-racist and feminist pedagogical approach. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but ecosystem-relevant as a Brazilian organization working on intersectional education outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/minasprogramam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIXBQxnLSfGzNqG-AtsjDxQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/minasprogramam
• Instagraminstagram.com/minasprogramam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minasprogramam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about minas programam