Estonian coding school kood/Jõhvi has chosen long-time entrepreneur and industry expert Lauri Haav to lead its international expansion. The school launched in Estonia 3 years ago to innovate education and rapidly supply skilled professionals to the market.
“We have developed a school model with a self-learning model in Estonia, and we see the potential for exporting this innovation to other markets, which is why we invited Lauri Haav, with experience in international business management, to lead our new chapter of growth. If we are successful in this, it will bring additional funds to make coding education in Estonia as well,” said Taavet Hinrikus, chairman of the board at kood/Jõhvi and one of the founders of fintech company Wise.
Taavet Hinrikus lauded the school’s success over the past three years, attracting significant international interest. “Over 12 000 applicants, 600 learners, 100 new programmers on the market – these are just the first figures that confirm that there is both an interest to learn and a need to hire good programmers on the Estonian market,” Hinrikus remarked.
Lauri Haav emphasized the growing technology sector in Estonia, driving the economy forward even amidst a general economic downturn. However, the education system struggles to produce enough developers to meet the demand.
“Many countries share this challenge, the cost-effective retraining offered by kood/Jõhvi could be part of the solution,” Haav noted. “Estonia’s reputation as a leader in digital innovation further strengthens the export potential of our model. Leveraging best practices from a market leader like Estonia, particularly in the realm of IT, holds promise,” he added.
We have developed a school model with a self-learning model in Estonia and we see the potential for exporting this innovation to other markets.
Taavet Hinrikus, chairman of the board at kood/Jõhvi and one of the founders of fintech company Wise
Lauri Haav, who has in-depth knowledge of international markets and over two decades of experience in sales and growth in tech companies, joins kood/Jõhvi from the anti-money laundering startup Salv team. Lauri’s previous work experience has been in the management of the Estonian e-residency program and in the financial technology company Monese.
Over 30 companies and private donors fund the school, including many Estonian startups and unicorns, who are ready to employ students and support them while they study. The school has been financially supported by SEB, Wise, Bolt, LHV, Veriff, Proekspert, Swedbank, Viru Keemia Grupp, Pipedrive, Glia, Textmagic, Microsoft Estonia, Superangel, Startup Estonia, Heateo Educational Fund, Estonian Founders’ Society and many other companies.
The initiators of the idea and the founders of kood/Jõhvi are Estonian entrepreneurs Marek Kiisa, Martin Villig, Taavet Hinrikus, Ede Tamkivi, Maarja Pehk, Rainer Sternfeld, Mari-Liis Kitter and Merlin Seeman.
GOOD TO KNOW
- kood/Jõhvi was established in autumn 2021, kood/Jõhvi is an international coding school catering to learners aged 18 and above seeking avenues for self-development or career transition.
- Currently, 600 students are enrolled across four cohorts, with the first 100 graduates already making strides in the job market.
- Additionally, kood/Jõhvi has incubated its first startups, namely MindSee and strikt.tech.
- The student body, with an average age of 27, comprises individuals from 24 different nationalities, with women constituting 20% of the student population.