The Founder Redefining How the World Learns – Exclusive Interview with Wala Kasmi

Wala Kasmi is a multi-awarded entrepreneur, computer science engineer, and global leader recognized for her pioneering work in reimagining education for the future of work. She is the founder and CEO of ClassX, a global platform that transforms underused spaces into hubs for in-person learning, connecting instructors, learners, and venues to create vibrant communities of skill-building and collaboration.

Wala Kasmi, CEO

Who is Wala Kasmi?

I like to introduce myself as a Life Hacker and Founder. As a life hacker, I do not learn by observing life from a distance. I learn by living it fully. I move, try, fail forward, and decode the patterns that reveal themselves only when you are immersed in the flow. As a founder, my mission is to turn these lived insights into systems that help people rise. I did that through WeCode, which trained thousands across Africa, and through ClassX, which I built while living as a nomad between Silicon Valley, Bali and Montreal.

At home, I am warm and grounded. I love cooking for my family and friends. I enjoy hosting people, reading for hours and spending time in the spa. In business, my energy shifts. I am bold, intuitive and visionary. I love selling big ideas, influencing systems and innovating for the good.

Something interesting about me is that when I was a kid, everyone thought I would become a lawyer. I grew up playing in the courtroom where my mother worked as a manager. I spent my childhood surrounded by law books and judges. My father was a history teacher, so our home was filled with stories of civilizations, revolutions and the people who built the world around us. From a very young age, I understood something that shaped my entire life. Everything we see in the world was created by ordinary people. Laws, institutions, companies and technologies all began with someone who simply decided to build. This belief still guides everything I do today.

What first inspired you to launch ClassX, and what problem are you solving in the learning space?

My passion has always been to build systemic solutions. I have never been interested in fixing small pieces. I am obsessed with understanding entire systems and redesigning them so they can serve people better. After years of creating successful programs within WeCode, I started asking myself a very simple question. If my courses were producing better results than many traditional degrees, what would it take to replace the higher education system itself. How do we build something new, something modern, something that matches the way people learn today.

The spark arrived during a trip to Cairo. I was in an Uber ride, and the driver explained that he did not own the car. He was simply connected to it through an app. That moment shifted everything in my mind. If technology can match a driver to a car in seconds, why can we not match instructors to classrooms, match learners to practical training, and match unused spaces to real educational needs.

That single idea opened the path for ClassX. A city-based, human-centered, AI-assisted learning system where people learn in person, complete their courses, and rise with real skills. A modern alternative to the old industrial education model. A system built for today and ready for the future.

How does ClassX ensure learners go beyond “watching videos” and actually complete their courses?

ClassX works because learning happens in real life, with real people, in real spaces. Completion naturally rises when humans learn together. Online courses leave people alone in front of a screen and the completion rate stays around ten percent. In our case, the completion rate goes above eighty-five percent because the entire experience is designed for human accountability and real progress.

Learners walk into a physical space where an instructor guides them and a community surrounds them. They work on real projects, ask questions, share ideas and feel supported every step of the way. Instructors are not content creators. They are mentors, experts and leaders who take the group through a clear and meaningful learning journey.

Technology also plays an important role. Our AI tools help match each learner to the right class, support instructors in planning better sessions and simplify the operational parts that usually slow down the learning process.

We do not teach for passive consumption. We teach for real transformation. Learners complete their courses because they feel seen, supported and connected, and because learning becomes a shared human experience rather than a lonely task.

What makes your model of turning underused spaces into learning hubs unique and effective?

Most cities are full of beautiful rooms that stay empty for most of the day. Offices, classrooms, coworking spaces and studios often sit unused even during regular working hours. ClassX activates these spaces and turns them into vibrant learning hubs, creating value from what already exists instead of building new infrastructure.

What makes our model unique is the way we blend space, community and technology into one experience. First, we use a city-based network logic. We transform available rooms into micro learning centers where people can gather and grow. Second, we use AI to match instructors, venues and learners in a way that increases attendance, improves outcomes and generates value for every stakeholder. Third, the experience is human and community-centered, which is why people show up, engage, collaborate, and complete their training.

We also give learners something they have been missing for decades. The freedom to build their own path. A student can open the platform, type what they want to learn, select their city and instantly discover available classes in their area. It feels as natural as searching for an Airbnb experience. They can follow their interests, their passion, their purpose and learn at any age and at any moment in their life.

ClassX goes beyond major and minor. It goes beyond the one-size-fits-all model that belongs to the past. We combine the power of traditional learning, with real presence and human accountability, and the flexibility of online learning, with choice, autonomy, and on-demand access. This creates a lifelong learning journey rather than a single college chapter.

This blend of community, technology, underused physical spaces and personal freedom creates a model that is easy to deploy, scalable across cities and truly effective for anyone who wants real results and real transformation.

Who is your ideal client or partner, and how do you collaborate with them?

Our ideal partners are corporations, institutions and governments that understand they have a strategic role to play in the future of work. The world is entering a major workforce transition driven by artificial intelligence, and companies are reshaping entire departments while at the same time facing a growing shortage of skilled workers in fields that support the AI infrastructure. HVAC technicians, electricians, equipment operators and advanced maintenance specialists are needed now more than ever.

Instead of ending entire roles, companies have the opportunity to sponsor the reskilling of their employees and transition them into future-ready positions inside the same organization. This requires a broader vision, one that goes beyond financial statements and traditional benefit structures. It is a long-term investment in people, in adaptability, and in a stronger and more resilient workforce. Companies that choose this path will lead the next decade of innovation.

ClassX helps activate this shift. We build reskilling programs in collaboration with enterprises, provide the learning hubs across the city, supply the expert instructors and use AI to match employees with the right training path. The experience is in person, structured and focused on real skills that create immediate value for both the company and the worker.

We also collaborate with governments that want to support local talent, help regions stay competitive and build training pipelines that prepare citizens for emerging industries. Together, we create learning ecosystems that keep people employed, help companies stay ahead and turn cities into engines of continuous growth.

Can you share a success story that shows the real impact of your work?

One of the stories that marked me the most is the journey of Intissar, a young woman from Sirte in Libya. She grew up in a city destroyed by war and joined one of our programs with a simple dream. She wanted to create a safe place where children could continue learning using technology even in the hardest moments. After her training, she launched a small school in her neighborhood. Years later, I traveled to Sirte to visit the new location. What I found was extraordinary. She now employs fifty women and supports more than four hundred and fifty children and youth every year. She built a space that is safe, protected and digitally connected so kids do not stop learning even during times of conflict. A program that started with one learner became a powerful engine for education and resilience. This was possible through a collaboration with the Government that supported youth-led initiatives.

The impact continued in other regions through partnerships with companies. One example is our work with Google, where we helped train and certify three thousand seven hundred people in a single month. These programs opened real opportunities for young people and helped entire regions access the digital economy.

What stays with me the most is what happens in between these stories. During my travels, I often meet young people in airports or coworking spaces, and they come to say thank you. Many tell me that their life began to change after taking a simple course with us years ago. Some found their first job, others launched their own projects, others used the skills to support their families. These moments remind me that education multiplies quietly. You plant a seed and it grows in places you never expect.

For me, this is the real impact. When you give people knowledge, community and the right environment, they rise. And when they rise, they lift entire societies with them.

What are the biggest misconceptions people have about modern education, and how do you challenge them?

One of the biggest misconceptions is the belief that human beings arrived on earth designed for a one-size-fits-all system. People often assume the structure we use today is natural or scientific, when in reality it was created during the Industrial Revolution to mimic factories. The goal at that time was efficiency, uniformity and discipline. The entire model was shaped by Horace Mann in 1836, a single man who wanted to democratize education. He is still called the father of the modern school. And every time I hear the word modern in this context, I cannot help but smile. What modern are we talking about. The world has changed, technology has changed and human beings themselves have changed.

Another misconception is the idea that learning ends at twenty-two with a diploma. This belief limits people and keeps societies stuck in an old story. Learning is not a chapter. It is a lifelong journey that grows with your passion, your purpose and your environment.

ClassX challenges these beliefs by building a system designed for the human being of today. Instead of shaping learners to fit a model built for factories, we place the learner at the center of the experience. We give people freedom to design their own path, flexibility to follow their curiosity and community to stay accountable. We blend the depth of traditional learning with the autonomy and choice of online learning.

This is not education for the past. It is education for a new era, created for a new kind of human being, for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

What results or benefits can clients expect when they work with you?

Clients can expect real outcomes, real transformation and measurable progress. ClassX works because the courses themselves are market-built. They are designed with industry leaders and companies who understand the skills people need today and the roles that will emerge tomorrow. This creates a learning journey that is directly connected to employment, to market needs and to real opportunities.

Everything happens in person, supported by community and reinforced by AI. Learners are guided by experts, surrounded by peers and matched to the right skills at the right moment. This model increases completion, improves learning quality and creates a powerful bridge between education and the workforce. Companies benefit from a talent pipeline that is trained, adaptable and ready for the future. Cities benefit from activated spaces and continuous economic growth.

This combination gives clients reliability, depth and the ability to scale impact across entire regions.

What is your roadmap or vision for ClassX over the next three to five years?

Our vision is to build the rails of a new global learning system. The world is entering an era where people must learn continuously and the global upskilling and reskilling market is projected to reach more than four hundred billion dollars. ClassX aims to capture a meaningful part of this transformation by offering a model that blends real spaces, human connection and advanced AI.

In the coming years, we will expand ClassX hubs across major cities in North America, India and China before expanding globally. We will strengthen our AI matching engine so every learner can find the right class, every company can upskill its workforce and every venue can become a center of learning. We will collaborate with enterprises and governments to build reskilling programs that prepare millions of people for the new jobs created by artificial intelligence.

Our long-term vision is to create a global, human-centered alternative to the traditional education system. A system where learning never stops, where people build their own path and where education evolves at the speed of humanity.

If someone is convinced and ready to work with you today, what is the very first step you want them to take?

The first step is simple. Reach out and join the movement. I welcome faith-aligned and value-aligned investors, corporations, and governments who want to take part in building the future of education. You can contact me directly here to explore collaboration, partnerships, or large-scale reskilling programs.

Instructors can join ClassX and become part of a community that brings real learning back to real spaces. We believe in a holistic approach to human growth. Market skills, creativity, wellness, and personal development all have a place. Yoga teachers, spiritual guides and creative mentors are welcome.

Venue owners can list their spaces on ClassX. A classroom, a kitchen, a lab or a podcast studio can all become active learning hubs for the community.

We are also welcoming new founding members. Anyone can join ClassX through our mobile app and become part of the first global community of lifelong learners. Our apps are available on the Play Store and the App Store.

• Play Store

• App Store

Everything begins with one decision. Step in, join the ecosystem, and help us build a new way for people to learn and grow throughout their entire lives.

Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info!

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