Codes for Kids: an EduTech Success Story

Tanveer found Berlin’s startup ecosystem to be very welcoming and full of like-minded, ambitious founders and says that, in her experience, a hard-working mindset opens many doors – and she quickly understood which doors to knock on first. With the help of IHK’s Digital Education Lab and start-up counselling services, she has managed to secure support from coaching and funding programs, allowing her to expand quickly. Yet, navigating the bureaucracy between the Gründungszuschuss, IBB and BAFA Coaching Bonus and BAFA Transfer Bonuses has left Tanveer wanting more: “The system is not unfriendly, it is just not mature enough. The relevant institutions are disconnected, and even the departments themselves do not have it figured out how the complexity works. I don’t have access to all the information because I only get the information that I ask for, and even finding a tax advisor who speaks English was very difficult”.

Berlin’s cultural diversity inspires Tanveer, and her training center is a hub of the international community: parents from Russia, India, Australia, China, America, France, and Spain want their kids to learn the basics of coding. The moment when a child presents their own work to a whole classroom is a key motivator: “It is validating to see that I am adding value to someone’s life. I am convinced I have drastically changed the future prospects for this child”. 

To unwind after work, Sama Tanveer loves to cook with old friends, and that she is able to do that in Berlin is another part of her story that proves the attractiveness of the city’s tech industry for international talent. About 20 of her co-students from her university in Pakistan have also moved to Berlin to build their future in the IT sector – a truly personal global connection.