In a country where thousands of teenagers are learning to code through bootcamps, and YouTube videos, very few ever get the chance to take their skills beyond the classroom.
Xelaris, a Nigerian edtech startup, is aiming to change that. The company is helping teenage coders make the leap from tutorials to real-world tech products, with microgrants, mentorship, and a bold shift in mindset.
At the centre of this mission are Sam Eseyin and Malik Gwandu, the founders of Xelaris, with very different paths but a shared commitment: nurturing a generation of young African builders who don’t just know how to code, but who can create tools that matter.
Here, Techparley provides a closer look at the founders shaping Xelaris, and the vision they’re building for Africa’s teenage tech talent.
Meet Sam Eseyin
For over a decade, Sam Eseyin has worked at the intersection of education and innovation, carving out a name for himself as one of Nigeria’s leading advocates for early tech literacy.
Sam is a Graduate of the National Open University, where he studied Computer Science. As co-founder of Xelaris, Sam is championing a bold new vision: one where kids don’t just learn to code, they build tools that people actually use.
“We saw that students could build websites or understood APIs,” Sam said, while speaking about Xelaris. “But most had never launched a product or felt the excitement of real users relying on their work.”
Before co-founding Xelaris, Sam bootstrapped Ideal Robotics with just $500 and turned it into one of Nigeria’s largest K–12 STEM education providers, working with more than 60 schools and reaching thousands of children across the country.
Through Ideal Robotics, he introduced CodeQuest, an annual inter-school coding competition, and played a critical role in getting 60% of his partner schools to adopt coding into their core curriculum.
Sam’s expertise spans business development, curriculum design, and grassroots tech evangelism, with partnerships forged alongside organisations like Flexisaf, Aviion, and the Discovery Museum.
Now with Xelaris, Sam is shifting the emphasis from education to execution. By offering microgrants and mentorship, he’s helping young coders experience the full journey of product development, from idea to deployment.
Meet Malik Gwandu
At the heart of Xelaris user-centred approach is Malik Gwandu, a product designer and creative technologist with an eye for elegant problem-solving.
Malik has worked across multiple international startups, including Andela, Reply Pro, and Pico (YC W24), bringing deep experience in human-centred design and rapid prototyping to the table.
“We’re looking for students who can identify genuine problems, ones they care deeply about, and tackle them with thoughtful, tech-driven solutions,” Malik said.
“The foundation in AI, software engineering, or blockchain gives them powerful tools, but the real skill is knowing how to apply them.”
Malik has worked remotely with global product teams, refined design systems, and guided young professionals through mentoring roles at Springboard.
At Xelaris, he leads product design strategy and plays a key role in shaping Florence’s activities, from user flow to interface.
Inside Xelaris: The Edtech Startup Behind Florence
Through its newly launched accelerator program called Florence, Xelaris is helping teenage coders aged 13 to 17 move beyond tutorials to building and shipping real tech products.
According to the founders, Florence offers selected participants $500 microgrants, one-on-one mentorship from experienced engineers, and a curriculum centred on product execution.
Students are guided through a journey of identifying real problems, designing viable solutions, and launching their own tools into the world. Each cohort ends with a live demo day where the teens present their work to an audience of investors, tech professionals, and educators.
For Malik, Florence is more than a programme, it’s a call to action for a new generation of African makers.
“We want Florence to be the launchpad for the next generation of teen builders,” he said. “Not just students who know how to code, but those who know how to create things that matter.”
Riding the Global Wave of Youth Coding Education
The global market for youth coding education is expanding rapidly, with the online coding-for-kids segment valued at $5.44 billion in 2025, and projected to reach over $11.6 billion by 2029, according to market analysts.
This growth, experts say, is being fuelled by increased demand for STEM-based learning, gamified educational platforms, and earlier exposure to emerging technologies.
According to industry leaders, Xelaris stands out for its blend of funding, mentorship, and product development support, a rare offering for teenagers in the global edtech space.
While initiatives like Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Junior and Kairos Fellowship aim to promote youth innovation, experts say Florence by Xelaris offers a more hands-on model that could position African teen coders for long-term impact.
