Code First Girls
Founded 2019 · 236 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Code First Girls is a global provider of free coding courses for women, aiming to close the gender gap in tech through education and employment opportunities. The organization has taught over 300,000 women to code and aims to create one million opportunities in the next five years.
Also known as Code First Girls · Code First Teams
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Code First Girls is a coding education provider whose stated mission is to close the gender gap in technology by linking free education to employment. Its learner offering is tiered: self-paced Tech Taster introductory courses covering core tech topics, career development and tech concepts with certification on completion; Coding Kickstarter foundation classes in Python, Data & SQL, C# and JavaScript for those upskilling or reskilling; and advanced programmes. The advanced tier comprises the CFGdegree, a 16-week intensive course covering software or data engineering, data science, full-stack development and product management, and +Masters, a four-week extension offering specialisation in DevOps and cloud, AI/ML, data analysis, cyber security and vulnerability research. A Mid-Level Accelerator, also 16 weeks, targets junior or entry-level technologists with at least 1.5 years of experience in Python, JavaScript or Java who want to progress to mid-level technical roles.
Courses are free to candidates; advanced programmes are funded by sponsoring companies, with company-sponsored, consultant placement and education-only routes available. Alongside the Code First Girls learner brand, the company operates Code First Teams, which provides employee training and workforce opportunities for businesses. The company positions its curriculum as mapped to in-demand job pathways, listing target roles such as software engineer, software architect, software developer, QA engineer/tester, data engineer, big data engineer, data warehouse engineer, data scientist, data modeler and research scientist.
Business model
Education is delivered free to learners, with costs underwritten by employer partners and sponsoring companies that use the programmes to attract, train and hire diverse tech talent; the company also sells employee training to businesses through its Code First Teams brand.
Employer- and sponsor-funded: companies pay for talent attraction, training, deployment and retention solutions, including sponsored places on advanced programmes and workforce transformation and employee-training engagements, rather than learners paying tuition.
Traction
The website reports more than 300,000 free learning opportunities delivered to women, a community spanning over 100 countries, more than 130 global employer partners, a 96% job placement rate and a 98% job retention rate.
Latest developments
Applications are open for the Mid-Level Accelerator, a 16-week programme for junior and entry-level technologists with at least 1.5 years of experience progressing toward mid-level technical roles.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Positions itself as the largest provider of free coding education to women globally, backed by more than 130 employer partners.
The company describes itself as the largest provider of free coding education to women globally, citing a community of over 300,000, one of the world's largest data sets on diverse technology talent used to inform attraction and retention solutions, and a curriculum tied directly to job pathways that produces job-ready candidates in as little as 16 weeks.
Technology
Curriculum spans Python, SQL and data, C#, JavaScript and Java, with advanced tracks in software and data engineering, data science, full-stack development, product management, DevOps and cloud, AI/ML, data analysis, cyber security and vulnerability research, delivered via self-paced learning and instructor-led intensive courses.
Go-to-market
Direct recruitment of learners into free courses through its website and community, combined with enterprise sales to employer partners who sponsor cohorts, hire graduates and commission internal employee training.
Two sides: learners, including university graduates, career switchers, tech returners, parents and junior technologists seeking mid-level progression; and employers ranging from large enterprises to SMEs seeking diverse technology hires and internal upskilling.
Geography
Community members in over 100 countries, with candidate attraction and training delivered for organisations across Europe, the USA, India, the Middle East and Africa.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
5 people who came through Code First Girls went on to found or lead other companies.
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Code First Girlscodefirstgirls.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Code First Girls do?
- Code First Girls delivers free coding courses and job-linked tech training for women, funded by employer partners.
- Who are Code First Girls's investors?
- Code First Girls's investors include Samos Investments.