AI hackathon winnersStudent teams turning AI tools into practical products under real deadlines.
A2SV Impact
A2SV builds long-term technology capacity through rigorous education, product work, and global opportunity.
Community
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Software engineers and tech entrepreneurs across 22 countries
Offers
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Offers earned by the community
Products
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Products incubated
Reach
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Countries represented in A2SV hackathons
Where Our Engineers Work
A2SV graduates join world-class engineering teams around the globe.
Google
Bloomberg
Meta
Amazon
Palantir
Databricks
and more
Impact in Action
Real moments from A2SV's journey across Africa.
Builder recognitionCelebrating participants who completed the path from idea to working prototype.
Global ecosystem presenceA2SV builders and partners representing African tech ambition on global stages.
Country expansionGrowing the education model through universities and local ecosystem partners.
Global partnership roomsA2SV leadership building relationships with diaspora, investor, and ecosystem partners.
Institutional partnershipsPartnerships that make free, rigorous technology education easier to scale.
Key Milestones
From a dorm room idea to a continent-wide movement.
2019
A2SV started in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 22 students in the first cohort.
2020
First A2SV graduates hired at Google, proving the model works.
2021
First major wave of A2SV graduates placed at top tech companies worldwide.
2022
Expanded beyond Ethiopia, launched the first cross-border cohorts.
2023
Received funding from Google.org. Hosted Africa's largest Generative AI hackathon.
2024
Builders from 48 African countries took part in A2SV hackathons.
2025
Moved headquarters to Kigali, Rwanda. Continued scaling operations across Africa.
5 Years of Impact Report
Our full report documenting A2SV's journey, outcomes, and vision.
Stories from the Work
Three perspectives on the people, systems, and operating choices behind A2SV.
Field Note
Partner with Us to Cultivate the Next Generation of African Innovators
The history and story of A2SV - from training 5 students to over 800 across 20 African countries. An interview with Emre Varol on Africa's tech talent pipeline.
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Field Note
Bringing African Tech Talent Together through the AI for Impact Hackathon
An interview about A2SV's hackathon initiative - fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across African tech communities through generative AI.
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Field Note
Mahlet Dereje Haile: Working at Google and Databricks Allowed Me to Collaborate with Highly Intelligent People
Mahlet Dereje Haile, a standout member of A2SV's first cohort, shares her journey from Addis Ababa University to internships at Google London and Databricks Amsterdam.
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How $2,500 Creates a World-Class Software Engineer
$2,500
That's what it costs to take a talented student from fundamentals to job-ready through A2SV. A traditional CS degree in the US or Europe costs $50,000 to $200,000.
Our program runs 1,000+ hours of intensive training per year. Students build technical depth, problem-solving skills, and professional discipline through a rigorous curriculum designed to meet the hiring standards of Google, Amazon, and Bloomberg. Our alumni return as developers, mentors, and leads, bringing firsthand industry experience back into the A2SV ecosystem.
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