9jacodekids Academy, a Nigerian STEM education platform, has raised $350,000 in its seed funding round to keep equipping kids with tech skills and expand its operations across the country.
9jacodekids Academy is Nigeria’s leading STEM education institute providing coding and robotics for kids aged 4 to 16 years old. The startup was founded with a mission of raising the next generation of technopreneurs by teaching kids STEM skills in coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Its classes include weekend coding courses, holiday coding camps, and STEM workshops.
Since its inception, the startup has taught over 5,000 students within and outside Nigeria to develop core coding skills in web design, mobile app design, game design, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
The startup said it plans to use the fresh funding to double down its efforts and bring coding classes to more children across Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Ugochukwu Nkwocha, Founder & CEO of 9jacodekids Academy, said,
“We plan to use this money to spread out across various parts of Nigeria starting with Lagos as we are currently in physical operation only in Port Harcourt city.”
9jacodekids Academy has featured in Ultima’s second season of Lion’s Den, a business reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs across Nigeria the opportunity to pitch their business to 5 successful Nigerian investors (referred to as Lions), this year. These Lions are looking to invest in enterprising and ambitious Nigerian entrepreneurs to assist them in fulfilling their dreams. If they see the potential in the entrepreneurs’ business, idea, or products, they invest in the business, in exchange for some equity in the business.
9jacodekids Academy’s first funding round saw participation from new investor and partner Bolaji Balogun, the CEO of Chapel Hill Denham, who was one of the Lions in the Den.