kood/Jõhvi – Entrepreneurship Promoter 2025

On 1 November, at the annual Entrepreneurship Award Gala, kood/Jõhvi was announced as the Entrepreneurship Promoter of 2025. The award was accepted by //kood and kood/Jõhvi co-founder Mari-Liis Kitter.

Photo: Rene Riisalu

In accepting the award, Mari-Liis thanked the students, partners and employers: “kood/Jõhvi was created in response to the needs of entrepreneurs and we are grateful to everyone who has supported us and hired our students.”

The gala video provides a closer look at the award ceremony and Mari-Liis’s remarks on stage.

kood/Jõhvi began in 2021, when Estonian tech companies faced a common challenge – a significant shortage of software developers. Instead of waiting for a solution, they decided to create one. This led to the birth of a coding school offering practical, intensive training without teachers or lectures. Sutyding takes place through projects and teamwork, giving students real workplace experience from the very beginning.

Over the years, //kood has grown rapidly: today, the school operates in three locations in Estonia (Jõhvi, Võru and Paide) and has welcomed more than a thousand students aged 18–60. Beyond Estonia, the growing network of students and partners in Ukraine, Finland and Kenya shows that the //kood education model addresses a global challenge, not just a local one: the need for practical and accessible IT education.

This award belongs to the entire //kood community – the team, students, alumni, partners and all supporters who believe in lifelong, practical learning and the possibilities technology offers.

This acknowledgement reaffirms the importance of practical and regionally accessible technology education in Estonia.

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//kood was founded in Jõhvi, Estonia in 2021, with the aim of making technology education accessible to everyone. Now, students can study in Jõhvi, Võru and Paide. Its 12–15 month curriculum is based on self-directed and peer-to-peer learning, covering full-stack software development, teamwork and problem solving. Students can later specialise in fields such as cybersecurity, data analysis, mobile applications, and AI.

So far, //kood has welcomed more than 1,200 students in Estonia with over 350 graduates – nearly two-thirds of whom are now working in the technology sector. Students represent over 30 different nationalities and 21% are women. You can find the //kood peer-to-peer learning method and curriculum also in Finland, Ukraine and Kenya.

In 2025, the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications recognised //kood as one of the best entrepreneurship promoters in the country.

The accessibility of IT education is supported by Skaala, Swedbank, Wise, Kaamos, LHV, SEB, Barrus, SA Võrumaa Arenduskeskus, SA Järvamaa, ESTDEV and others.