koalia vs SE Factory
they share Julien's history — he founded and led the SE Factory UI/UX bootcamp from 2018 to 2024 — but they're separate programs in 2026. koalia is an eight-week online-first cohort with a $700 pilot price and an AI-tooling-aware syllabus. SE Factory's UIX bootcamp continues under its own faculty team — an in-person Beirut program with a pay-if-hired tuition model. this page is the side-by-side, with persona-specific verdicts and links to both providers.
every variable, side by side
verified May 24, 2026. tuition figures in USD.
| variable | koalia (KO-1) | SE Factory UIX |
|---|---|---|
| instructor | Julien Hosri teaches every session — no TAs, no junior leads | Julien Hosri (2018–2024) · current lead instructor varies by cohort |
| length | 8 weeks · mon–fri · 5–8pm beirut | ~9 weeks · weekday intensives |
| format | online live + workshops in beirut studio | in-person beirut + hybrid |
| cohort size | 20 (pilot) | ~20 per cohort |
| tuition | $700 pilot · $1,200 anchor (KO-02+) | $10 deposit + $2,000–$2,500 success fee (or one month's salary if higher), paid after employment |
| payment model | upfront, two installments via Whish Money | pay-if-hired · fixed success fee (not a % of salary) |
| AI tooling in curriculum | week 7 covers Cursor, v0, Lovable, Figma Make explicitly | varies — not the focus of the program |
| final project | 8-week jury demo day (Julien + 2 surprise guests) | final project + demo day with industry jury |
| certificate | koalia 01 certificate of completion | SE Factory completion certificate |
| placement support | private alumni community · Julien's referral network | career services + ~90% self-reported placement (all tracks) |
| next intake | July 6, 2026 | rolling — check sefactory.io/uix |
four verdicts, four personas
- if you'rethe career changer with savings + a deadlinewe'd pickkoalia.
you can pay $700 once, clear eight weeks, and be portfolio-ready by September. Julien teaches every session — no risk of cohort-by-cohort instructor variance.
- if you'rethe cash-strapped graduate willing to defer earningswe'd pickSE Factory.
if you genuinely don't have $700 right now and you're comfortable owing roughly $2,000–$2,500 (or one full month's salary if higher) only after you land a job, SE Factory's pay-if-hired model carries less upfront risk. The total ends up higher than koalia, but the timing is friendlier.
- if you'rethe engineer or vibe-coder wanting AI workflows in the syllabuswe'd pickkoalia.
koalia week 7 is explicitly AI-tooling — Cursor, v0, Lovable, Figma Make. SE Factory's UIX track is more classical UI/UX; AI tooling shows up but isn't structurally scaffolded.
- if you'rethe in-person-only Beirut learnerwe'd pickSE Factory.
SE Factory's UIX is structurally in-person/hybrid. koalia KO-1 is online-first with a few studio workshops — if your hard requirement is daily in-person, SEF fits better.
why the same person ships two different programs
Julien Hosri taught the UI/UX bootcamp at SE Factory from 2018 to 2024 — six years, 250+ students, every cohort designed and led by him. Outside the classroom he's been shipping product the whole time, and in 2018 he co-founded Maxiphy — a UX-driven software company that ships real product across eight industries. In 2026 he founded koalia as a separate, independent program built on top of that shipping practice — with two choices he wanted full ownership of: (1) AI tooling as a first-class topic in the syllabus, and (2) a smaller cohort where he could personally grade every piece of work.
Both programs are credible and currently active. SE Factory continues to run its UIX track under its own faculty team and remains the most-cited tech bootcamp in Lebanon. koalia is Julien's own program — the curriculum draws every example from real product Maxiphy ships — with a one-time pilot price for the first cohort and an upfront-payment model.
“SE Factory's UI/UX bootcamp gave me six years of teaching data. koalia is what I do with that data — same craft, sharper cohort, AI tooling baked in, and the freedom to keep the program small enough that I can sit with every student.”— Julien Hosri, founder of koalia, ex-lead instructor of the UI/UX bootcamp at SE Factory (250+ students)
where each number came from
- SE Factory UIX — sefactory.io/uix (program length, $10 deposit + ~$2,000–$2,500 success fee, cohort size)
- Course Report — SE Factory profile — coursereport.com/schools/se-factory (self-reported placement)
- koalia KO-1 — this site — koalia.design/cohorts/ko-1 (price, schedule, syllabus)
updated quarterly · last verified May 24, 2026