What Leva Foundation does

Leva Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation founded in 2014 and headquartered in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape, that operates four core programmes designed to move people from learning into earning. The foundation serves unemployed youth, informal traders, hospitality job seekers, school-aged learners, and corporate partners seeking BBBEE-compliant CSI outcomes across 25 countries. Leva has reached 350,000+ learners and engaged 3,500+ schools and organisations globally. The organisation is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation (930046308) and Non-Profit Organisation (127-307) in South Africa, with subsidiary LEVA Investments holding a Level 1 BBBEE rating.

The foundation's programme portfolio comprises Tangible Africa (an unplugged coding education platform using physical tokens, grid mats, and a mobile companion app to teach computational thinking without computers, internet, or electricity, co-developed with Nelson Mandela University's Computing Sciences Department), WORK 4 A LIVING (a job-readiness curriculum preparing school-leavers for workplace expectations), Red Band Barista Academy (a 5-week barista training programme reporting approximately 90% graduate employment rate, operating through multiple academies and direct employer placements), and ReTrade (a programme supporting informal traders with pricing, stock management, and customer service skills). Tangible Africa also offers a WhatsApp chatbot distributing free CAPS-aligned coding and robotics lessons for Grades R-7, and physical coding kits ranging from R200 grid mats to R12,000 Braille-inclusive kits for visually impaired learners.

Leva Foundation generates revenue through individual donations, corporate CSI partnerships (offering BBBEE credits and measurable outcomes), and institutional programme funding from foundations. Notable partners and funders include Henley Business School, Mergon Foundation, Allan Gray, Woodlands Dairy, AWS, and Nelson Mandela University. The foundation operates through a community-led go-to-market motion leveraging partnerships with schools, communities, corporates, and academic institutions, and distributes services through direct engagement, regional coordinators, teacher ambassadors, and coding clubs. Recent strategic milestones include acceptance into the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship (2026) and the AWS/Deloitte Social Entrepreneur Accelerator (2025).

Name

Leva Foundation

Legal name

Leva Foundation

Website

https://levafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leva Foundation is a South African non-profit that operates four programmes—Tangible Africa coding education, Red Band barista training, WORK 4 A LIVING job readiness, and ReTrade informal trader support—to help individuals enter and remain in the economy across 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Workforce development
• Skills training
• Education programmes
• Economic inclusion
• Nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Uitenhage

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Direct Contributions: Individual and organizational donations received through bank transfers (South Africa ZAR and US bank accounts). Donors receive PBO documentation, tax certificates, and donation letters.
2. Corporate and CSI Partnerships: Corporate social investment partnerships where companies fund specific programmes in exchange for BBBEE credits, measurable outcomes, and reporting.
3. Programme Funding: Foundation and institutional funding to support specific programmes and pathways into the economy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leva Foundation operates a portfolio of programmes that build practical pathways into work and income for underserved populations. Core offerings include Tangible Africa (unplugged coding education for schools), Red Band Barista Academy (5-week hospitality job training with direct placement), WORK 4 A LIVING (work-readiness preparation for youth), and ReTrade (business skills support for informal traders). The foundation also sells physical Tangible coding kits to schools and educators.

Product overview

Leva Foundation operates a multi-programme platform focused on economic inclusion through skills development. The core portfolio comprises four distinct programmes: Tangible Africa (coding education via games and kits), Red Band/Red Band Barista Academy (hospitality job training and placement), WORK 4 A LIVING (job readiness preparation), and ReTrade (informal business development). Tangible Africa functions as both a digital platform (mobile apps, Progressive Web App, WhatsApp chatbot) and physical product line (coding kits), while Red Band operates through academies with industry employer partnerships. These programmes work as a progression pathway, with Tangible building foundational thinking skills, WORK 4 A LIVING preparing youth for employment, and Red Band/ReTrade providing direct route-to-income opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tangible Africa A coding education platform that teaches children computational thinking through offline-friendly games using physical tokens and mobile apps, designed for schools without computers, internet, or electricity.
• WORK 4 A LIVING A job readiness programme that prepares young people for the reality of work by teaching workplace skills, expectations, and how to find and succeed in employment.
• Red Band Barista Academy A 5-week barista training programme that trains and places unemployed people directly into jobs in the hospitality industry, with approximately 90% employment rate, delivered through academies and Red Band Skills Bars.
• ReTrade A programme that helps informal traders grow their businesses by building practical skills in pricing, stock management, and customer service to achieve stable, sustainable income.
• Tangible Coding Kits Physical coding kits including Grid Mat, Tactile Coding Kit, Boats Coding Kit, Rangers Coding Kit, Blind Kit with Braille tokens, and Maths and Coding Kit for classroom use, sold to schools and educators.
• Tangible Design Thinking Course An 8-week design thinking course for Grades 4 to 9 that teaches innovation through problem identification, empathy, brainstorming, prototyping, and app development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350,000+ learners reached across 12 countries
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: South Africa-based non-profit solving youth unemployment through work-readiness training and direct employer placement. Most directly comparable to LEVA's WORK 4 A LIVING and Red Band programmes in mission, target population, and outcome-based delivery model.
• Nal'ibali: South African literacy-focused NPO operating through schools, teacher networks, and community reading clubs. Comparable in non-profit school-distribution model, teacher ambassador networks, and CSR-driven funding, paralleling LEVA's Tangible Africa distribution.
• Generation: Global non-profit providing short, employer-aligned training programmes with high placement rates for unemployed youth. Closely comparable to LEVA's Red Band model of compressed training plus direct job placement, though Generation operates at significantly larger scale across multiple sectors.
• YES (Youth Employment Service): South African initiative connecting unemployed youth with quality work experience and corporate sponsorship. Comparable in target demographic, B-BBEE-aligned funding model, and focus on transitioning youth into formal employment, paralleling LEVA's BBBEE-driven corporate partnership approach.
• Afrika Tikkun: South African NPO delivering education, skills development, and employment pathways to underprivileged youth through centres of excellence. Comparable holistic approach combining education (ECD through tertiary) with workforce readiness, similar to LEVA's pipeline model.

Others

• Injini: Africa's first EdTech accelerator, which has hosted LEVA's Tangible Africa in its Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. Comparable as an African EdTech ecosystem enabler; relevant as a peer given shared programme cohort and investor exposure in education technology.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Pan-African philanthropy funding African entrepreneurship across all 54 African countries. Comparable as a large-scale African foundation pursuing economic inclusion outcomes; not a direct competitor but operates in adjacent impact-investment and capacity-building space.
• TechnoServe: Global non-profit working with enterprising individuals in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Comparable in poverty-alleviation mission and ReTrade-adjacent informal-economy support, though broader in scope across agriculture and SME development.

Emerging players

• Code for Africa: Pan-African civic technology and digital literacy initiative focused on data-driven journalism and tech skills. Comparable in digital-skills mission across African markets and non-profit distribution model, though focused on older learners and journalism-adjacent use cases rather than school-age coding.
• African Leadership Academy: Pan-African leadership and tertiary education institution developing African youth for universities and careers. Comparable in mission of preparing African youth for economic participation and in operating across multiple African countries, though serving an older and more selective cohort than LEVA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@levafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/levafoundation
• Xx.com/LevaFoundation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Leva Foundation