What Itgirls does

ITgirls (legal entity: Lena und Laura John ITgirls GbR) is a Hamburg-based women-in-tech content and community platform founded in 2020 by sisters Lena and Laura John, originally launched as "CodeBabes" before rebranding in 2021. The company operates three core offerings: an educational blog covering IT career paths, coding tutorials, and emerging technology topics including AI; the "ITgirls Talk" podcast featuring interviews with women working in IT; and the ITgirls Network, which connects users with partner mentoring and educational organizations such as CoffeeCodeBreak, HackerSchool, Women in Tech e.V., and YouCodeGirls. The platform does not build proprietary technology — it functions as a content hub and community orchestrator targeting women and girls considering tech careers, while also serving as an employer-branding and diversity-recruiting channel for corporate sponsors.

The business model is sponsorship- and partnership-driven. Consumers access all content for free; revenue (undisclosed) is generated through corporate partners including ABOUT YOU, Adobe, BCG Platinion, Beiersdorf, Deutsche Telekom, Kühne Logistics University, Universität Hamburg, and Randstad Digital, who leverage the platform for employer branding and early-stage female tech talent pipelines. The core team consists of the two founders plus approximately ten contributing team members, most of whom hold day jobs at major tech employers and contribute content and community management in a part-time/volunteer capacity.

Operationally, ITgirls uses no proprietary technology stack beyond a standard website, social media accounts, and the rapidmail email service provider for its monthly newsletter. Distribution is entirely organic — blog SEO, social media engagement on Instagram/TikTok/LinkedIn, podcast syndication via Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and earned media coverage in publications such as Handelsblatt, Horizont, and CIO Magazin. The company is privately held as a German partnership (GbR), has no disclosed funding rounds, and is concentrated geographically in the DACH region while reaching audiences globally through its digital channels.

Name

Itgirls

Legal name

Lena und Laura John ITgirls GbR

Website

https://itgirls.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ITgirls is a Hamburg-based women-in-tech content and community platform founded in 2020, operating a free educational blog, podcast, and partner network to encourage women into IT careers, funded through corporate sponsorships for employer branding and diversity recruiting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech Career Education and Community

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (61142)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Women in tech community
• Tech career education
• Women tech podcast
• Career guidance blog
• Diversity tech advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Partnership/Sponsorship Revenue: The organization appears to generate revenue through partnerships with corporate sponsors including ABOUT YOU, Adobe, BCG Platinion, Beiersdorf, Deutsche Telekom, and others who support the initiative's mission to increase women in tech.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ITgirls is a free content and community platform aimed at encouraging women and girls to enter the tech industry. Its core offerings are an educational blog covering IT topics, coding, AI, and career transitions; the ITgirls Talk podcast featuring interviews with women working in IT; and a curated network directory linking visitors to partner mentoring and training programs such as CoffeeCodeBreak, HackerSchool, Women in Tech e.V., and YouCodeGirls. The platform is free for end users and is sustained through corporate sponsorship partnerships.

Product overview

ITgirls is a content and community platform focused on encouraging and supporting women to enter the tech industry. The platform consists of three core offerings: an educational blog featuring articles on technology topics, coding tutorials, and career guidance; the ITgirls Talk podcast with interviews from women in IT; and a network connecting users with partner mentoring and educational organizations. The platform does not offer a software product but serves as an educational resource and community hub for career guidance in technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ITgirls Talk: The company's podcast featuring interviews with women from the IT industry, available on Spotify and Apple Podcast

Products and services

• ITgirls Blog Educational blog featuring articles on tech topics, coding tutorials, career advice, and interviews with women in IT; covers AI trends, software development, cloud computing, data science, blockchain, and career transitions into tech. Target audience is women and girls exploring or pursuing careers in technology.
• ITgirls Talk Podcast Podcast featuring interviews with women from the IT industry, providing career stories, technical insights, and inspiration for women looking to enter or advance in the tech sector; available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Target audience is women interested in tech careers.
• ITgirls Network A curated directory connecting women interested in tech with partner organizations including CoffeeCodeBreak (mentoring), HackerSchool (programming courses), Women in Tech e.V., YouCodeGirls, IT-Executive Club, and CIRCLE consulting. Target audience is women seeking mentoring and training pathways into tech.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ABOUT YOUcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerABOUT YOU is a fast-growing European e-commerce company and Hamburg's first unicorn. As a fashion and technology company, they support ITgirls as part of their employer branding and diversity initiatives to attract female tech talent.
• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdobe is a global technology company known for creative software solutions. They support ITgirls as part of their commitment to equal opportunities and continuous development, offering opportunities at their Hamburg office.
• BCG PlatinioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCG Platinion is a digital strategy and technology consulting firm. They collaborate with ITgirls on initiatives like the Female Talent Mentoring Program and provide internship and career opportunities for women in tech.
• BeiersdorfcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBeiersdorf is a global skincare company with headquarters in Hamburg. Their IT department supports ITgirls as part of their digital transformation and diversity efforts, offering career opportunities in IT.
• Kühne Logistics University (KLU)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerKLU is a leading private Hamburg university offering programs in Business Analytics and Data Science. They partner with ITgirls to promote tech education and provide scholarship opportunities.
• Universität HamburgsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversität Hamburg is the largest university in northern Germany. They collaborate with ITgirls to promote IT studies and career paths, offering various IT-related positions.
• Randstad DigitalsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRandstad Digital is a leading partner for digital transformation and innovative IT solutions. They support ITgirls initiatives and offer diverse career opportunities in digital innovation.
• Deutsche TelekomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading telecommunications companies. They partner with ITgirls to promote IT careers to women and offer apprenticeships and training programs in IT.
• CoffeeCodeBreakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffeeCodeBreak is a mentoring and networking platform for women interested in or already in the tech industry. Nearly 50 tech experts offer personal exchanges through their platform.
• HackerSchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHackerSchool was founded to inspire children and teenagers to program. They offer programming courses online on weekends and during the week in schools, targeting children regardless of gender and background.
• Women in Tech e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen in Tech e.V. is a non-profit association with the goal of recruiting, promoting, and making women in technical professions more visible. Part of a global movement focused on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
• CIRCLEsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRCLE Consulting e.V. is a student consulting organization focused on economically and ecologically sustainable, innovative Hamburg business. They aim to attract digital talents across all disciplines.
• YouCodeGirlssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouCodeGirls is an initiative launched in October 2020 to inspire girls and young women about coding. They develop a digital learning platform for women to upskill in coding according to their needs.
• IT-Executive ClubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IT-Executive Club is a networking platform for CIOs and CDOs of international companies and Hamburg firms, connecting over 150 decision-makers in IT and digitalization.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HackerSchool: German non-profit offering programming courses for children and teenagers online and in schools, targeting kids regardless of gender. Overlaps in mission to expand tech access to underrepresented groups; listed as a core partner.
• Women in Tech e.V. Germany-based non-profit association focused on recruiting, promoting, and making women in technical professions more visible in DACH. Most directly comparable mission and geography, and listed as a core network partner of ITgirls.
• YouCodeGirls: German initiative launched in 2020 to inspire girls and young women about coding, operating a digital learning platform for women to upskill. Closely overlapping audience and educational mission within Germany.
• CoffeeCodeBreak: DACH mentoring and networking platform for women interested in or already in tech, with ~50 expert mentors offering personal exchanges. Direct overlap in audience and mission; listed as a core partner of ITgirls.

Broad incumbents

• Girls Who Code: US-based large-scale non-profit running summer immersion programs, clubs, and college-loops to close the gender gap in tech. Comparable mission at much larger scale; a leading benchmark for the women-in-tech education category globally.
• Women Who Code: Global non-profit community with hundreds of thousands of members focused on women in technical careers through events, job board, and content. Operates at materially larger scale and global footprint than ITgirls but shares the same mission and community-led model.
• AnitaB.org: Global non-profit advancing women in computing through Top Companies for Women Technologists program, conferences, and community. Comparable mission with global scale and a more enterprise/employer-focused monetization angle.

Regional players

• Code First Girls: UK-focused social enterprise delivering coding courses and tech education to women, partnering with employers for talent pipelines. Comparable employer-partner monetization model but operates in the UK rather than DACH.
• Tech Talent Charter: UK-based industry-led membership body for organizations committed to increasing diversity in tech talent. Comparable mission of mobilizing employers to address the gender gap, but operates regionally in the UK rather than DACH.

Others

• CIRCLE Consulting e.V. Hamburg-based student consulting organization focused on digital talent attraction across disciplines. Adjacent player in the same Hamburg talent/diversity ecosystem and listed as a supporting partner of ITgirls.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/lenaitgirls
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=K_olgGoBtDE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itgirlsde
• Instagraminstagram.com/itgirls.de
• TikToktiktok.com/@itgirls.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Itgirls