Fondacija Petlja

What Fondacija Petlja does

Fondacija Petlja is a Serbian non-profit foundation headquartered in Belgrade (Koste Glavinića 2, Savski Venac) whose mission is to improve algorithmic literacy across Serbian primary and secondary education. It operates a multi-platform educational ecosystem anchored by three core products: net.kabinet (a structured curriculum platform following the official Serbian national syllabus from elementary school through specialized IT high school tracks), BubbleBee (a programming practice portal with automated code testing across Python, C++, C#, JavaScript, and Scratch), and Takprog (competition infrastructure for Serbian informatics olympiads developed with the Mathematical Society of Serbia). Supporting platforms include Algora (community forum), Zbornica (teacher resources), and Arena (automated judging for competitions). The portfolio spans 50+ courses, problem collections, competition archives, and programs such as the international Bubble Cup team competition (held since 2013 with Microsoft support), the rasPETLJAvanje four-month mentorship program for students aged 11–18, and free summer/winter programming schools in Sremska Mitrovica.

The foundation's technology stack centers on an automated code-testing engine that evaluates user-submitted solutions across multiple programming languages with detailed explanations, integrated with algorithmic problem collections and competition judging. Newer courses (2025–2026) cover contemporary topics including data analysis with Python/Jupyter, IoT/ML/AI/robotics, and C# for electrical engineering tracks. All educational content is released for free under Creative Commons licensing and is delivered directly through petlja.org with no intermediary resellers.

The business model is non-transactional: every course, lesson, problem collection, competition, and video is free to users. The foundation is funded by donations and grants from corporate partners — Microsoft, A1 Srbija, 3Lateral, Inspira Group, and Tenstorrent are publicly listed "golden partners" — supplemented by individual donors and a 2017 partnership agreement with Serbia's Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. Reach metrics include 100,000 active users in the trailing three months, 18,000 course participants in the current school year, and 500,000 lessons completed in 2025. The foundation has trained 350+ informatics teachers and 450+ primary school teachers in micro:bit implementation, embedding its materials into classroom instruction nationwide.

Name

Fondacija Petlja

Legal name

Fondacija Petlja

Website

https://petlja.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondacija Petlja is a Serbian non-profit foundation that delivers free programming and computer science education to elementary and secondary school students and teachers through its net.kabinet, BubbleBee, and Takprog platforms, supported by donations and corporate grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Computer Science Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Computer Training (61142), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education (SPED), IEP & Accessibility/Assistive Technology (EDAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

Keywords

• Programming education
• Algorithmic literacy
• Computer science curriculum
• Competitive programming
• Educational technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Belgrade

HQ country

Serbia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fondacija Petlja provides free online programming education and algorithmic literacy resources for Serbian primary and secondary school students, teachers, and competition participants. Its core offering is a suite of educational platforms (net.kabinet, BubbleBee, Takprog, Algora, Arena, Zbornica) that deliver curriculum-aligned courses, algorithmic problem collections with automated code testing, competition infrastructure, and teacher support materials, all offered at no cost to users.

Product overview

Fondacija Petlja operates a multi-platform educational ecosystem for algorithmic literacy in Serbia, built around three foundational portals: BubbleBee (the original programming learning and practice portal), net.kabinet (the primary educational platform with structured materials across all grades of primary and secondary education), and Takprog (competition infrastructure for Serbian programming contests). Supporting these core platforms are Algora (teacher-student discussion forum), Zbornica (teacher resources and methodological guides), and Arena (automated judging system for competitive programming). The portfolio includes specialized courses like Budi Data Driven (data analysis with Python/Jupyter) and Programiranje 4 (C# for electrical engineering schools), algorithmic problem collections with automatic testing, and competition archives for both elementary and secondary schools. Key programs include Bubble Cup (international team programming competition), rasPETLJAvanje (online mentorship program), and Petljina škola programiranja (summer programming camp). All materials are free and released under Creative Commons licensing, with content available in Serbian following the official national curriculum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BubbleBee: Portal for learning and practicing programming, originally developed by Microsoft Development Center Serbia employees and now integrated into Petlja's offerings.
• Takprog
• net.kabinet
• Bubble Cup
• rasPETLJAvanje

Products and services

• net.kabinet Online platform providing educational materials for learning computer science and programming across all grades of primary and secondary education in Serbia, following the official national curriculum. Available in Serbian language.
• BubbleBee Educational portal for learning and practicing programming through interactive courses, automated code testing, and competitive programming exercises. Originally developed by Microsoft Development Center Serbia employees and integrated into Petlja's offerings.
• Takprog Infrastructure platform supporting programming competitions for secondary school students in Serbia, organized by the Serbian Mathematical Society.
• Algora Discussion forum for teachers and students to ask questions, share suggestions, and provide mutual support for learning programming.
• Zbornica Portal dedicated to primary and secondary school teachers with teaching materials, video tutorials, and methodological guides.
• Arena Automated judging system for testing and evaluating solutions to programming problems during competitions.
• Bubble Cup International team-based algorithmic programming competition for high school students and university students, organized by Petlja with Microsoft support.
• Algorithmic Problem Collections (Metodičke zbirke algoritamskih zadataka) Collections of algorithmic programming problems with automatic testing, detailed solutions, and theoretical explanations for learning programming through practice.
• Competition Problem Archive (Zbirka zadataka sa prethodnih takmičenja) Archive of past competition problems from Serbian informatics competitions for both elementary and secondary schools with solutions.
• Budi Data Driven Interactive course dedicated to learning data processing, analysis, and visualization using Python programming language and Jupyter environment, covering art, public health, ecology, and sports data.
• Programiranje 4 (Programming 4) Programming course for 4th grade electrical engineering school students covering C# programming, object-oriented programming, and Windows application development using Visual Studio Community Edition.
• rasPETLJAvanje Free online four-month mentorship program supporting programming learning for students aged 11-18, with interactive courses, practice problems, and lecture recordings.
• Petljina škola programiranja (Petlja Programming School) Free educational programming camp for talented elementary school students (ages 11-15) featuring Python and Pygame learning, mini video game creation, sports, and industry guest speakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 active users in last 3 months
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Code.org: Non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in K-12 schools, offering free curriculum, teacher training, and the Hour of Code — the closest analog to Petlja in mission, model (free, non-profit, K-12 focused), and approach (curriculum-aligned, teacher-training driven).
• Scratch Foundation: MIT-hosted free block-based programming platform for children and teens with a large global community. Highly comparable as a free, creative programming learning environment targeted at the same elementary/middle school age range as Petlja.
• Brilliant: Interactive STEM and programming learning platform with auto-graded problems and guided courses. Comparable in offering interactive, auto-evaluated problem collections with detailed explanations for STEM/CS learners.
• Khan Academy: Non-profit offering free online courses across subjects including programming and computer science. Comparable in being a free, comprehensive, multi-grade online educational platform with strong teacher adoption and international reach.
• Tynker: K-12 coding education platform offering programming curricula, teacher tools, and competitions for schools. Directly comparable in targeting the same K-12 audience for programming/CS education with curriculum, teacher support, and competitions.
• freeCodeCamp: Non-profit offering free, self-paced programming education with a strong community and certification tracks. Comparable in providing free, high-quality programming content with a community forum and structured learning paths.
• CK-12 Foundation: Non-profit providing free, customizable K-12 STEM educational content and textbooks. Comparable in offering free, curriculum-aligned K-12 STEM content and teacher resources as a non-profit foundation.
• Codecademy: Interactive online platform for learning programming languages with structured curricula and practice environments. Comparable in offering multi-language (Python, C++, JavaScript) programming courses with auto-graded exercises, though operated as a commercial rather than non-profit entity.
• OpenStax (Rice University): Non-profit publisher of free, peer-reviewed K-12 and postsecondary textbooks. Comparable as a mission-aligned non-profit producing free, high-quality educational content under permissive licensing.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Large-scale online education platform partnering with universities and companies to deliver courses including programming and CS specializations. Comparable as an incumbent online learning content platform, but operates as a broad commercial platform rather than a focused K-12 programming foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/loop-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Fondacija Petlja