2021 was an eventful and difficult year. At RapidIteration, we continued serving our clients, welcomed new ones and made plans for the next stage of the company.
We gained a couple of clients without a dedicated business development effort. We also learned that taking on too much, or agreeing to work without a sustainable budget, puts pressure on the team. As we grow, we want to be more deliberate about the commitments we make.
Everyone at RapidIteration values learning and growth. I encourage the team to invest in their own development, both for the work we do together and for their individual careers. That commitment helps us keep up with changes in our field.
We added six people to our executive leadership team, bringing a range of technical and management skills. We also expanded our services to include software development, ICT consulting and staff augmentation for medium and large businesses, building on our earlier focus on startups.
In 2022, we plan to continue learning, serve more businesses and develop YaganKar and CodeWeekend for new audiences and regions.
CodeWeekend
Through our CodeWeekend initiative, we started a new coding bootcamp cohort with 75 students. The program is designed to help participants prepare for remote or in-person work as web developers.
MIT Technology Review featured CodeWeekend in an article about our work in Afghanistan, the challenges facing participants and ways to support the program. The Italian publication TPI also covered our work.
This year, we plan to explore new chapters, start another bootcamp cohort around mid-year and build partnerships that support the program.
YaganKar
We are helping freelancers find work through yagankar.com, starting in Afghanistan and planning to extend the service to refugees elsewhere.
YaganKar now has more than 300 registered freelancers, with over 80% joining during 2021. Registration has grown, but we still have work to do to help more people find jobs. We are investigating how to improve that part of the service.
In 2022, we aim to expand beyond Afghanistan. We are also considering whether the YaganKar name fits that broader audience.
New Website
We ended the year by launching a new RapidIteration website. Thank you to the product team for the design, development and coordination that brought it together. Please take a look and send us your comments or suggestions.
RapidIteration - New Website
Wishing you all the best for the new year. I hope we have the chance to meet or work together in 2022.