15.03.2017

This is one of the most innovative startups in Africa

Developer

What started as a small, Durban-based tech firm has grown into a company that not only caught the attention of Google and Facebook but is now considered one of the most innovative startups in Africa.

Hyperion Development’s standout achievements since its inception include being awarded R3.27 million in funding from Facebook in October 2016, seeing over 8,000 students graduate from its courses since 2012, and becoming the leading training provider in Python in South Africa.

Facebook’s funding builds on a funding award and partnership with Google, making it the first South African start-up to be financially backed and supported by both Facebook and Google.

The need for developers

Now headquartered in Cape Town, part of Hyperion’s success can be attributed to the high demand for developers in Africa.

“One of the rarest skills to find in South Africa are software developers,” said Hyperion.

“Besides Pythin, much-needed programming skills are PHP and the Microsoft suite of languages, including .Net and C#.”

Mobile developer skills are also on the rise, with companies offering thousands of developer positions due to the short supply of suitable candidates in South Africa.

“Hyperion bridges this gap and is paving the way in growing the amount of developers in Africa.”

The company can achieve this through its online education system which uses Dropbox to provide students with text files and marking. This removes the need for a constant Internet connection – something the “whole online education industry has not managed to achieve”. “

Through educational partnerships established with the British Computing Society and the University of Cambridge, Hyperion has adapted overseas education in cutting-edge tech skills to what Africa needs,” it said.

Corporate training

Hyperion has also branched out into Corporate Training for current and new employees, providing them the opportunity to upskill in software development areas such as Python, Java, and Data Science.

“Our B-BBEE Level 1 company offers training in the form of workshops, blended learning, as well as full online with courses tailored to the organisation’s needs,” said Hyperion.

Organisations which have employed these services include CapaCITI, CSIR, SEACOM, DotModus, and the Department of Education.

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