Hacker School
Hacker School is a Hamburg-based nonprofit gGmbH that delivers free online programming courses to German school classes (grades 6–11) using volunteer IT professionals from corporate and university partners, funded by corporate donations and sponsorships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hacker School does
Hacker School gGmbH is a Hamburg-headquartered German nonprofit (gemeinnützige GmbH) founded in 2014 that delivers free programming courses to school classes in grades 6 through 11 across multiple German states. Its core product, branded Hacker School @yourschool, runs online via Zoom in small groups of approximately six students per Inspirer and covers MakeCode Arcade (block-based game development for grades 6-7), HTML/CSS web development (grades 7-9), Python (grades 8-11) and an AI literacy excursion module. Course delivery is led by volunteer IT professionals called 'Inspirers' who are drawn from sponsoring companies (adesso, Mercedes-Benz, TK, Rossmann, Accenture, Airbus, Sopra Steria, Hapag-Lloyd, Aurubis, Beiersdorf, PTA, iexecutives) and from university practicum partnerships with HSBA, Universität Marburg, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg and Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The organization also runs Freizeitkurse (weekend leisure courses), CITY Hacker School high-density regional events (e.g., Kaiserslautern reaching 1,000+ youth in one week), and a turnkey Girls'Day package for corporate partners.
Hacker School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hacker School
- Legal name
- Hacker School gGmbH
- Website
- https://hacker-school.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hacker School is a Hamburg-based nonprofit gGmbH that delivers free online programming courses to German school classes (grades 6–11) using volunteer IT professionals from corporate and university partners, funded by corporate donations and sponsorships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hacker School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Programming Education
- NAICS
- Computer Training (61142), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++) (EDAMACAB)
Keywords
Where Hacker School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hacker School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Corporate Donations and Sponsorship: Companies support Hacker School financially through donations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility or ESG commitments. Donations are voluntary and not required for participation in the corporate volunteering program. Companies can use donations for external communication as engaged companies for digital education.
- Founding Partner Contributions: Funding partnerships with companies (Förderpartner) who provide financial support to enable the free school programming courses. Partners include companies like adesso, Mercedes-Benz, TK, Rossmann, iexecutives, Aurubis, Beiersdorf, PTA, Accenture, Hapag-Lloyd, Sopra Steria, Airbus.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hacker School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hacker School is a German nonprofit (gGmbH) that delivers free online programming courses to school classes (grades 6-11) using volunteer IT professionals (Inspirers) from corporate and university partners. Courses cover game development (MakeCode Arcade), web development (HTML/CSS), Python, and AI literacy, delivered via Zoom in small groups of approximately 6 students. The offering is funded by corporate donations and foundation sponsorships and is provided at no cost to schools or students.
Product overview
Hacker School is a nonprofit organization (gGmbH) headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, that operates as a platform connecting IT professionals (volunteers called 'Inspirers') with schoolchildren for free programming education. The primary product is Hacker School @yourschool, offering online programming courses for school classes (grades 6-11) in game development (MakeCode Arcade), web development (HTML/CSS), and Python programming, delivered via Zoom in small groups of approximately 6 students per Inspirer. An AI excursion module provides foundational AI literacy. The university partnership module enables IT students to gain teaching experience as volunteer Inspirers. Additional offerings include leisure courses for weekend learning and a dedicated Girls'Day package with event support. All courses are coordinated through a partner portal and require no prior programming knowledge from students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- @yourschool: Online programming courses for school classes conducted remotely via Zoom, where volunteer IT professionals teach programming to students in small groups
Products and services
- Hacker School @yourschool Free online programming courses for school classes (grades 6-11) delivered by volunteer IT professionals (Inspirers) via Zoom. Courses cover game development with MakeCode Arcade, web development with HTML/CSS, Python programming, and an optional AI excursion module. Delivered in small groups of approximately 6 students per Inspirer with Hacker School course leadership present.
- Freizeitkurse (Leisure Courses) Weekend programming courses for children and youth offered through Hacker School's general program portfolio, enabling youth to explore programming topics outside school hours.
- University Partnership Module A practicum module that enables university students to serve as Inspirers for school programming courses. Includes onboarding, course materials, and 4-hour remote teaching assignments in small groups. Can be integrated into university curricula as an elective, project, or extracurricular activity at partner institutions (e.g., HSBA, Universität Marburg, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Ruhr-Universität Bochum).
- Girls'Day Package A comprehensive package for Girls'Day events offered to companies, including a ready-made event concept, Inspirer preparation, participant management, and listing on the Girls'Day Radar platform. Companies may be asked for an optional cost-covering donation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1000 youth reached in one week at CITY Hacker School events
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hacker School
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hacker School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Hacker School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- adessocoreCorporate sponsor and supporter of Hacker School programming courses for schools. Provides IT employee volunteers as Inspirer for programming courses.
- Mercedes-BenzcoreCorporate sponsor providing IT employee volunteers as Inspirer for programming courses at schools.
- TK (Techniker Krankenkasse)supportingCorporate sponsor of Hacker School initiatives.
- RossmannsupportingCorporate sponsor of Hacker School programming education initiatives.
- iexecutivessupportingCorporate sponsor supporting Hacker School's digital education mission.
- AurubissupportingCorporate sponsor providing support for free programming courses at schools.
- BeiersdorfsupportingCorporate sponsor of Hacker School's digital education programs.
- PTAsupportingCorporate sponsor supporting Hacker School initiatives.
- AccenturecoreCorporate sponsor providing IT professional volunteers as Inspirer for programming courses.
- Hapag-LloydsupportingCorporate sponsor of Hacker School's programming education initiatives.
- Sopra SteriasupportingCorporate sponsor supporting Hacker School's mission.
- AirbussupportingCorporate sponsor providing support for free programming courses.
- HSBA Hamburg School of Business AdministrationcoreUniversity partner with multi-faceted cooperation where students serve as Inspirer in a practical module. Described as 'gelebte Twin Transformation' combining digital and sustainable transformation.
- Universität MarburgcoreUniversity partner where students participate as Inspirer in a practical module, gaining teaching experience while inspiring school students about programming.
- Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-SiegsupportingUniversity partner where informatics students serve as Inspirer, learning communication skills as a key competency.
- Ruhr-Universität BochumcoreUniversity partner where faculty integrates Hacker School module for soft skills development (communication, presentation, knowledge transfer) and student recruitment.
- Hochschule Kaiserslautern and RPTUsupportingUniversity partners hosting CITY Hacker School event where IT students and staff support programming courses for all 7th grade classes in the city.
- ZoomcoreVideo conferencing platform used for all online programming courses. Hosting in Germany. Browser-based usage possible without software installation.
- pretixsupportingTicketing platform used for Inspirer onboarding session registration. GDPR compliant, hosted in German data centers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hacker School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ReDI School of Digital Integration: Berlin-based non-profit offering free digital and coding education, primarily to newcomers and underrepresented groups, using volunteer tech professionals. Closely comparable to Hacker School in mission (digital inclusion), volunteer-driven delivery, and non-profit funding model, though ReDI targets adults rather than school children.
- Junge Tüftler: German non-profit providing STEM and digital making education for children and youth, often in school settings, with a focus on creative technology projects. Highly comparable to Hacker School in target audience (K–12), delivery format (in-school workshops), and non-profit structure.
- Girls Who Code: US-based non-profit dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology by teaching girls coding skills through after-school programs and summer immersion. Directly comparable to Hacker School's focus on girls and disadvantaged youth in IT, with similar free, cohort-based course delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: Major US-based non-profit focused on expanding access to computer science in K–12 schools through free curricula and volunteer-led Hour of Code events. Comparable to Hacker School in mission (broadening K–12 access to coding) and volunteer-driven outreach, though at significantly larger scale and global reach.
- Scratch Foundation: MIT-hosted non-profit behind the Scratch block-based programming platform, widely used to teach children coding concepts. Comparable as a foundational tool in K–12 programming education; Hacker School uses a similar block-based environment (MakeCode Arcade) in its younger-grade courses.
- Initiative D21: Germany's largest non-profit partnership for the information society, promoting digital education and inclusion through public-private collaboration. Comparable as a German digital-education umbrella organization that convenes corporate partners, though broader in scope than Hacker School's school programming focus.
- Codecademy: For-profit online platform teaching programming skills (including Python and web development) to individuals and enterprise customers. Comparable to Hacker School in curriculum content (Python, HTML/CSS) but differs fundamentally in business model (paid B2C/B2B vs. free nonprofit).
Others
- SAP Young Thinkers: Corporate-led initiative by SAP providing digital education and coding workshops for school students, often through employee volunteering. Comparable as a corporate-sponsored K–12 digital education program in Germany, though run as a CSR initiative rather than an independent non-profit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hacker School social profiles
Digital presenceHacker School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hacker School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hacker School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hacker School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hacker School
What does Hacker School do?
Hacker School is a German nonprofit (gGmbH) that delivers free online programming courses to school classes (grades 6-11) using volunteer IT professionals (Inspirers) from corporate and university partners. Courses cover game development (MakeCode Arcade), web development (HTML/CSS), Python, and AI literacy, delivered via Zoom in small groups of approximately 6 students. The offering is funded by corporate donations and foundation sponsorships and is provided at no cost to schools or students.
Is Hacker School a public or private company?
Hacker School is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hacker School founded?
Hacker School was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hacker School based?
Hacker School is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Hacker School make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Corporate Donations and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are founding Partner Contributions.
Who are Hacker School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ReDI School of Digital Integration, Junge Tüftler and Girls Who Code. Broad incumbents are Code.org, Scratch Foundation, Initiative D21 and Codecademy. SAP Young Thinkers is listed as an others.
Does Hacker School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hacker School.
What industry is Hacker School in?
Hacker School's product category is Youth Programming Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMACAB, Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++). Its NAICS code is 61142 and its SIC code is 8200.