Yale-NUS students’ start-ups encourage innovation in education

Education’s importance in our society is widely acknowledged, especially among Yale-NUS students. With different types of learners and needs, the education space has much room to grow. Equipped with an entrepreneurial spirit and keen interest to make an impact, a few Yale-NUS students have created start-ups that explore innovative ways of enhancing learning and education.

“I have been interested in education for a long time, having worked at multiple educational firms in roles ranging from teaching to sales. I observed that many education providers are focusing primarily on ‘what’s on tomorrow’s test’ and passive rote-learning methods.”

Taesun Shim (Class of 2022) of TECO. Image provided by Taesun

This is what Taesun Shim (Class of 2022) aimed to change by launching TECO, an education technology (ed-tech) company offering innovative programmes that personalise learning to make it efficient.

“We hope to prepare students for whatever test comes their way – whether it be academic or one on character, perseverance, and personal values,” he said.

To this end, TECO, which started in Korea, sought to help students build a strong academic foundation and problem-solving skills by utilising less familiar methods such as 3D printing, visualisation models, and greater access to relevant global news.

They also have an Artificial Intelligence-based application to help students learn Korean more effectively and efficiently. This app can detect sounds down to the sub-syllable, making it one of the most precise models in Korean language recognition.

Other students from Yale-NUS have joined Taesun to build TECO with him, including Yoon Sangho (Class of 2022, first from right) and Kim Young Il (Class of 2023, second from right). Image provided by Taesun.

TECO has expanded to eight countries since its launch, and has recently secured the support and funding of the Korean Government.

Similarly, LevelUp World, an ed-tech start-up founded in 2019, hopes to use technology to transform the educational experience for children. The start-up was born out of a realisation of the importance of harnessing technology and data to personalise education, and ensuring our educational system reflects the changes in the world.

Aqil Faruq Bin Fared (Class of 2022) and Donald Gaylord (Class of 2022) are board members of LevelUp World. Image provided by LevelUp World

The company launched PsychUp, a psychometric profiling experience, grounded in a story-based adventure, early this year, in order to plug a gap in the educational ecosystem. “While there are many ‘personality’ diagnostic tests online, the LevelUp team realised they were mostly based on pseudoscience and not designed as an accurate diagnostic tool for children,” reflected Co-founder and Business Head Aqil Faruq Bin Fared (Class of 2022).

With a take-up rate of thousands of parents in over 50 countries, PsychUp will provide parents and teachers robust and research-backed insights into children’s psycho-educational profile. This will empower them to better understand their child and tailor learning activities or make education-related decisions based on their unique needs, enabling positive engagement and development in the child.

Image provided by LevelUp World.

While rewarding, Aqil expounded that the experience was initially challenging due to lack of expertise as a student entrepreneur. The team overcame this by building a multidisciplinary team and maximising the potential of each team member.

LevelUp World also welcomes Yale-NUS students as interns in the company. “To see fellow students apply their interdisciplinary background in a business environment is not only beneficial to our company but a great example of what Yale-NUS students can achieve,” shared Marketing Head Donald Gaylord (Class of 2022).

Another student who is making an impact in the education space is Adriel Yong (Class of 2023), a member of the founding team at Access, a social mobility non-profit organisation that supports disadvantaged students in Singapore with career exploration and self-discovery.

Adriel Yong (Class of 2023) of Access Singapore. Image provided by Adriel.

After all, innovation is not just about leveraging on technology. It is also about exploring different ways to shape people’s attitudes and create opportunities. Access achieves this through running speakers’ series, mentorship programmes, and facilitating work attachments for students.

Inside an Access career session. Image provided by Adriel.

Explaining the motivation behind Access, Adriel said, “Education and social mobility is a cause that is particularly close to my heart. After my parents divorced during my teenage years, I lost the motivation to do well in school. Fortunately, I had very nurturing teachers who helped me build back my self-confidence and thrive in school.

As I grew older, however, I became acutely aware that the opportunities and mentorship I had in school were not equally shared with students from other backgrounds.”

Founded in 2019, Access has since worked with more than 10 schools and has received the backing of the Binjaitree Foundation.

Adriel added that Yale-NUS has been an important pillar of support, providing him with financial resources, faculty and professional advice, and an incredible community. He received the College’s Service in the City Grant, which provides seed funding to long-term student-led social impact initiatives focused on Singapore. In addition, Tan Yock Theng, Assistant Programme Manager at the Yale-NUS Centre for Professional & International Experience (CIPE), advised him on how Access’ programmes could be designed and operationalised so that they achieve their intended outcomes. He also benefitted from CIPE’s workshops, which covered topics such as communicating for impact, negotiations, and building partnerships with stakeholders.

Yale-NUS students have also joined Adriel as volunteers and programme facilitators at Access. The broader sense of community on campus has also been paramount for Adriel to remain motivated and manage the challenges that accompany balancing entrepreneurship with academics.

All three start-ups aim to continue changing the landscape of education with their different innovative strategies.

LevelUp World aims to focus on raising awareness of PsychUp, while pushing the boundaries of diagnostics and gamification in education. As for Taesun and Adriel, they are are working hard to take their start-ups to the next stage of growth, with support from Yale-NUS. While TECO hopes to launch their textbook this year and application next year, Access is creating a mentorship programme with corporate organisations and the Singapore Ministry of Education.