• Michał Tucki as the Country Manager, ex-operations manager of Bolt Poland, will be responsible for the development of Mate academy in Poland. The company plans to increase the Polish part of the team to 20 employees by the end of the year, including local coordinators, mentors, and support managers.
• From the beginning, students will have access to frontend technology, which offers learning such programming languages as HTML/CSS, Javascript, React/Redux, and Algorithms. All training materials on the platform are available in Polish and English. Also, everyone will be able to take a basic course for free.

About Mate academy

• Mate academy trains students from the UK, Asia, and Europe. More than 2000 students have already been employed around the world. The startup’s graduates find jobs in well-known companies including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. 
• The product’s business model is based on an Income Share Agreement with the client. This format allows students to study programming for free and get assistance in the process of finding a job, in exchange for paying 12% of their monthly salary for three years only after employment. 

“Mate academy is a student’s friend who guides them all the way to their first job in IT. We are on our way to an ambitious mission – to teach programming to 1 million people worldwide and help them get their first job in IT. As part of the study for international groups, our team has already been working with students from all over the globe. Realizing the potential of the Polish market is the next step. Strategically, we aim to become one of the leaders among edtech players in Poland. By the end of 2023, we plan to train and employ 1000 locals,“

Roman Apostol, CEO, and co-founder of Mate academy, says.

• In November 2021, Mate academy raised a $1.9 million investment from Wise (Transferwise), Teleport, Pipedrive, and Bolt. The round was supported by Horizon Capital and existing investors TA Ventures and Flyer One Ventures. The startup was aimed to spend the funds on the expansion in the American and Polish markets.

Previously, Mate Academy’s representative told AIN.Capital about the company’s so-called “no boolshit” corporate culture, what does it consist of and how it works for business. You can read the full story here.

• Among the investors are co-founders of Wise (Transferwise), Teleport, Pipedrive, and Bolt. The round was supported by Horizon Capital and existing investors TA Ventures and Flyer One Ventures, which invested in the startup in 2019.
• According to the startup’s representatives, the funds raised will go toward expansion in the American and Polish markets.
• Mate Academy is an online academy for IT professions that provides a four-month programming course in exchange for a percentage of salary after employment. The students of the academy learn Java, Front-end, Full Stack Web, and UI/UX Design. In exchange for free courses, students pay 17% of their salary after employment for two years.
• After the seed round in 2019, Mate Academy’s revenue grew 20-fold. Currently, the online academy has 1,300 employed students and 60 employees.

What is Mate academy?

Mate academy is an online platform for programming learning and finding your first job in IT. It was founded by three Ukrainians – Max Lysak, Anna Apostol, and Roman Apostol.

Training lasts for 4-5 months and takes place online. In the portfolio of Mate academy you can find such courses: Java, Front-end, Full Stack Web, UI/UX Design.

“The peculiarity of the platform is that students pay for their studies only in case of employment, paying a percentage of a new salary. During the existence of the Mate academy, more than 200 students got a job.”

Where will the attracted funds be spent?

The team will spend the money to launch new curricula, as well as expanding student enrollments throughout Ukraine. In 2019, Mate academy plans to launch Python, .NET, Data Science, and Mobile courses. In addition, there is a plan to train and find a job for 1,000 students.

“Our mission is to create all the necessary conditions so that capable Ukrainians could receive the necessary resources to reach their full potential. We believe that the more educated and talented specialists there are in the country, the more rapid the positive changes in society will occur. Therefore, we want to create a modern alternative to education and train thousands, and eventually tens of thousands of people a year. We believe that with such a strategic partner as Genesis Investments we will be able to realize our mission as much as possible,” says Roman Apostol, CEO of Mate academy.

Genesis Investments notes that for the company this investment is entering a new market.

“We believe that Ukraine can become one of the world’s IT leaders. For this, we need to significantly improve the quality of specialists’ education. Mate academy model completely fulfills this task. First, they select the best students, regardless of their financial situation. Secondly, the company itself is interested in having demanded specialists on the market after the courses,” says Vitaly Laptenok, CEO of Genesis Investments.