Empowering kids with code

Imagine this: one million children learning to code every year. This is the ambition driving Dr Julia Freudenberg, CEO of Hacker School, a Hamburg-based non-profit organisation determined to make programming accessible to all children and teenagers. In recognition of her work, she was named Female Impact Entrepreneur of the Year at the German Startup Awards.

"Every young person should have the chance to programme at least once before deciding on a career," she said. Hacker School wants to open doors to future opportunities and ensure pupils are prepared for a digital world – no matter what path they choose.

Building bridges between classrooms and companies, the Hacker School brings real-world IT professionals into lessons as 'inspirers' – role models who prove that coding is for everyone. Through in-person and online courses, Hacker School runs programmes dedicated to schools and collaborates with businesses and universities to promote digital education and social impact initiatives. Companies support employee volunteering as part of their social impact strategies, while universities offer students the opportunity to contribute as inspirers in exchange for academic credit. 

Crossing borders to Austria 

When Hacker School celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, it set its sights on international growth, with Austria as the first target market, as Stefanie Susser, a former German Hacker School employee moved to Austria. Despite the shared language, the team soon confronted unfamiliar territory. How do you navigate a different legal system? How do you find the right partners in an unexplored market? 

"I could not find such detailed information by searching the internet, especially in a region completely unknown to me," Freudenberg recalled. She turned to Enterprise Europe Network partner Tutech Innovation in Hamburg, where expert Tim Zebahl recognised a perfect opportunity for cross-border collaboration.

Zebahl prepared a profile for the organisation and introduced the school to Romana Schwab at the Network partner Innovation Salzburg – kicking off a comprehensive support process.

Schwab guided the team through company formation, kept in close contact with Stefanie Susser, managing director of Hacker School Austria, and invited her to networking events. She also connected the team with funding initiatives as well as with regional and national stakeholders. 

One stand-out link was to MINT Salzburg, a regional initiative that encourages young people to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. This channel opened doors to local school authorities and institutions interested in hosting Hacker School courses. Hacker School was also connected to EdTech Austria, a nationwide network that supports companies in developing and applying digital education technologies.

With Innovation Salzburg’s help, the Austrian branch established itself as a non-profit limited corporation, the best legal fit for its mission. "Even with our experience in Germany, understanding how non-profits work in Austria was crucial. We needed lawyers, tax advisers – the right experts – and thanks to Romana everything went smoothly," noted Susser. 

Creating lasting impact

Since launching in Austria, Hacker School has taught 3 300 children and teenagers in the country, across almost every region. The branch now employs five people and is rapidly expanding, with an ambitious goal to teach 100 000 children a year.

Back in Germany, the organisation reached 27 000 children in 2024 and partnered with more than 370 schools. The next step is to maximise its domestic impact by working directly with education ministries.

"Our model is about prototyping: trying, failing, reinventing, doing it better. It is really great to have this interaction between Austria and Germany, so we can prototype in both countries and therefore speed up the process," said Freudenberg.

The partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network continues to flourish as Hacker School explores further expansion into Europe and Africa. "Our support has a beginning, but it does not have an end. Whenever Hacker School needs something, we use our ‘Network’ to make it happen," concluded Schwab.