Melanie Kovacs

Every since I was a child, I saw potential in people and wanted to help them fulfill it. In 2016, I co-founded Master21 Academy, the first company to offer coding boot camps in Switzerland. It’s our purpose to spread joyful learning.

Why I started Master21? In 2014, after business school in Zurich and Madrid, facilitating educational programs such as Startup Weekends, I was working as a client partner at a digital agency. In that role, I felt the need to translate between software developers and clients. To do so, I decided to learn to “speak tech”, meaning learning to program. However, the class I took was too theoretical. That’s why, I decided to start Master21 and offer classes that were hands-on, relevant and joyful. Turns out, others had that need too. So far, 450+ people joined our programs.

Today, we support digital leaders to transform their companies by creating joyful learning experiences.

In 2018, I was recognized as a 30 under 30 by Forbes DACH, with the Female Innovation Recognition Award and had the honor to give a talk at TEDxHSG.

Since entrepreneurial communities, education and women in tech are causes close to my heart, I serve on the board of the Impact Hub Zürich Association, the education commission of ICT Switzerland and as a judge for the Swiss Economic Awards.

When I don’t work, I love to move, dance, meditate, cook, be in the mountains or at the lake, read or spend time with friends. I see my purpose as connecting people to joyful learning experiences.