Turn Your MVP Idea Into Reality While Mentoring the Next Generation
You bring the product vision. Code Kenya supplies talented interns, project management, and daily standups. Ship your side project without burning nights and weekends.
Host Engineer / Startup
Brings product vision and technical leadership
Code Kenya Interns
Execute build with PM support and daily standups
Shipped MVP
Working product in 7 weeks with full handover
How it works
Step 1
Bring your idea
Share your MVP concept and requirements. We help scope it into a 7-week project with clear deliverables.
Step 2
Code Kenya scopes and matches interns
Our Product Managers assesses complexity and pairs you with 2–4 trained interns who fit your tech stack and timeline.
Step 3
7-week build with PM and daily standups
Interns execute daily sprints with guidance from our PM. You provide async reviews and technical direction.
Step 4
Ship, debrief and handover
Demo day, code handover, and documentation. Your MVP is live and ready for next steps.
Why host interns?
Ship side-project ideas without burning nights/weekends
Stop letting great ideas collect dust. Get a team to build your MVP while you maintain work-life balance and provide strategic direction.
Give back to the next generation of engineers with paid, real-world experience
Support the next generation of tech talent. Your project gives interns paid work experience, mentorship, and portfolio pieces that will land them interviews and job opportunities in the future.
Practice technical leadership and mentorship
Develop your leadership skills by guiding a small team. Build that "Founder experience" high growth startups love.
Who this is for
Ideal partners
You're an altruistic, risk-tolerant builder who cares about mentorship and learning as much as shipping. You also want to cut the development time of your MVP without breaking the bank while providing a real professional experience opportunity for your interns.
- You have a real product idea you are excited about
- You are comfortable with iteration and learning curves
- You value mentorship and helping others grow
- You can dedicate at least an hour per week to meet and mentor your interns
Not a fit if...
You want a perfect YC-ready product with zero tolerance for learning curves or experimentation.
- You expect a perfect, YC-ready product for under $1,000
- You need enterprise-grade code with zero bugs.
- You cannot tolerate any experimentation or mistakes
- You are totally unavailable
Intern tiers
Standard interns
Bootcamp graduates (18+) earlier in their journey, building foundational skills through real projects.
- •Ideal for straightforward MVPs and CRUD apps
- •Eager to learn and implement best practices
- •Stronger with clear guidance and scoped tasks
- •Great for simpler tech stacks (React, Node, Python)
Elite interns
Career-breakers, laid-off upskillers, 4yr degree holders or experienced engineers(2+ years) wanting to contribute while building portfolios.
- •Suitable for more complex MVPs and architectures
- •Can work more independently with less guidance
- •Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
- •Experience with modern frameworks and tools
Pricing
Per intern, per cohort
≈ 2 months from cohort start to end
* Paid per milestone or upfront as per your preference. Refunds available for incomplete milestones.
Scale your team
Need more hands on deck? Add multiple interns to accelerate your build.
- •2–3 interns for full-stack apps with more features
- •4+ interns for complex platforms or multiple workstreams
- •Same $375 per-intern rate applies
Future subsidies
We're actively seeking grants and funding to lower costs for hosts.
- •Scholarships for social-impact projects
- •Discounts for repeat hosts and referrals
- •Goal: make hosting more accessible to everyone
7-week timeline
Week 0
Intake & scoping
We discuss your idea, define scope, and match you with the right intern team based on skills and availability.
Weeks 1–2
Discovery & design
Interns research, wireframe, and set up the dev environment. You review and approve the technical approach.
Weeks 3–6
Build & iterate
Daily standups, weekly demos, and iterative builds. You provide async feedback and technical guidance.
Week 7
Demo & handover
Final demo, code handover, documentation, and debrief. Your MVP is ready to launch or iterate further.
Week 0
Intake & scoping
We discuss your idea, define scope, and match you with the right intern team based on skills and availability.
Weeks 1–2
Discovery & design
Interns research, wireframe, and set up the dev environment. You review and approve the technical approach.
Weeks 3–6
Build & iterate
Daily standups, weekly demos, and iterative builds. You provide async feedback and technical guidance.
Week 7
Demo & handover
Final demo, code handover, documentation, and debrief. Your MVP is ready to launch or iterate further.
Frequently asked questions
You do. All intellectual property, code, and deliverables belong to you as the host engineer. Interns and Code Kenya retain no rights to your project.
Ready to host interns for your MVP?
Join a community of builders who are shipping side projects while mentoring the next generation of engineers across the world. Apply below to get matched with your intern team. You can also email us at codekenya2@gmail.com to apply.