Experience you can actually talk about
Zunft is an incubator for junior IT specialists. You join a small team, work on a real project for three to four months, and go through the same process a working team uses — sprints, code review, demos. You finish with something you can present and defend.
Two people run this in their spare time. Read about the organisers
First cohort starts mid-October.
Exact dates are set once the group is formed.
- Free
- Fully online
- In English
- 3–4 months
How a sprint works
Four rituals repeat every sprint. They are the difference between this and a pet project.
Every pull request
Code review
Nothing is merged without another person reading it. Reading someone else's code is a skill, and this is where it gets trained.
Once per sprint
Defend your decision
Five minutes, out loud: why this approach, what you rejected. The closest practice to a technical interview.
End of each sprint
Demo
You show what works, not slides.
After the demo
Retro
What blocked the team and why. This is where it comes out that someone was stuck for three days without saying so.
What you will build
One real project for the whole cohort. It stays public, so you always have a real link to show.
For mentors
We need people with commercial experience to look at what our teams build and tell them the truth about it. Pick a format that fits how you actually work.
Open hours
A fixed slot each week. Teams come prepared with a specific question: screens, architecture, code. You look and give direct feedback.
Code review
You read pull requests and technical decisions asynchronously, in your own time. No calls required.
Leading a project
If you have a product idea and want to try being the person who runs a team. The product stays yours.
Guest session
One talk or workshop for the whole cohort.
Who is behind this
There is no company behind this yet. It is the two of us, building it in our spare time.
This is the first cohort, so we are learning how to run it at the same time as you are going through it. We would rather say that openly than pretend otherwise.
More about us
Ukrainian IT Cluster and TechIn Academy are our partners. Some of our meetings happen there.
Questions
What does it cost?
Nothing. This is the first cohort and there are no payments of any kind.
Is it online?
Fully online. Some meetings happen with our partner Ukrainian IT Cluster.
Does location matter?
No. The only practical limit is that your working hours overlap with the rest of your team.
What language?
English, for everything, in this cohort. Later cohorts will run in German.
Will you help me find a job?
We give no guarantees, and anyone who does is misleading you. What we do give: a project worth talking about, practice defending technical decisions, and people who have seen you work. On this market that last one often matters more than a CV.
Do I need a portfolio?
Yes. Show us what you have built on your own. It does not need to be polished or deployed.
What happens to my data?
We use your form answers only for selection and for communication inside the program. We do not pass them to anyone. If you ask us to delete them, we delete them.
Applications for the first cohort are open
Participant
For people who can already build things and now need the team part.
Mentor
For people with commercial experience who can give regular feedback.