Ahmad Marafi

CODED has become the premier coding academy in the Middle East, having graduated over 4,500 students since its establishment in 2015.

What motivated you to set up the CODED Academy?

We started CODED in 2015 to cultivate the next generation of coders locally and regionally. Countless ambitious people in this region with innovative ideas want to build a business but lack the necessary skills to do so. Many of them end up dealing with third-party companies and development shops to write the code for them. We are all about empowering them and providing them with the foundational skillsets that would allow them to turn their ideas into reality. We teach them coding so that they become producers of technology rather than users.

CODED Academy was the first coding academy in the region. What has been the impact of its trajectory?

Since our launch, we have graduated well over 4,500 students. Many have embarked on their entrepreneurial journeys, establishing their start-ups, while others have secured jobs in the IT industry. Additionally, some are working as freelancers, developing apps and websites for their clients. We are happy with what we have achieved in eight years. What fills us with the most pride is that we have succeeded in creating a home for Kuwait’s coding and start-up enthusiasts at CODED’s HQ.

How does CODED keep up with all the changes in technologies and sectors?

We have a data bootcamp where we focus on mostly teaching people in the Fintech sector how to handle the latest data science tools. Many people signing up for the bootcamp are from the Kuwaiti banking sector. We teach different concepts to upskill them, given that they already have the basic knowledge. They can then use machine learning to make predictions based on historic data rather than just using Excel functions. This is what we mostly focus on, and we continue to improve our content cohort after cohort to ensure we are always up to date with new developments. If there is a new tool being introduced in the US or European markets, we always make sure to add it to our courses.

Can you elaborate on the recently held Kuwait Hackathon?

The idea behind the hackathon is to bring all talented individuals together in one place. It was Kuwait’s first cybersecurity hackathon focusing on people interested in cybersecurity and ethical hacking. We gave them a set of challenges to solve through a “Capture the Flag” setup. The event was organized by CODED and the National Cybersecurity Center under the Ministry of Interior and was under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Zain, KFH, and MyFatoorah were the sponsors.

Do you plan to expand to other countries or consolidate your presence in Kuwait?

The idea here is to grow locally and regionally, and expanding internationally is even a possibility; however, at the moment, we are mostly focusing on this region. There has been great interest within the GCC for our programs and bootcamps. At the beginning of 2015, we had to work hard to educate people on the importance of coding. Today, everyone knows about AI, ChatGPT, what they are capable of, and the journey of the latest tools. Everyone wants to venture into the world of machine learning and data science, given that they now see the possibility of using these tools and how they can help. The interest is there. Demand is significantly higher than it was in 2015, and it is up to us now to kind of create additional programs to cover further segments and get more people into our programs and bootcamps.