China News Service, February 11. According to the "China News" newspaper, I couldn't write a decent paper, I couldn't get in during the group discussion, and I was dumbfounded when I heard the word "doing a project"... Chinese students, special It is a young Chinese student studying abroad, and weak academic ability is a major pain point.
The Internet education technology company founded by returnees Fu Lin, Liu Kaiwen, and Zhang Yibo, two partners, Zhilu Research Institute, cultivates the academic ability and innovation ability of young Chinese students through the development of project-based academic system courses.
Some of these children have published their papers in international core journals after studying in Zhilu, and some even received early admission notices from top international universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, and Stanford.
Eight years ago, with the ideal of "doing something for China's education", Fu Lin gave up the admission opportunity of Cambridge University's full award doctorate and returned to China.
At that time, he was still a "little white" with only good ideas.
Today, Zhilu Research has completed an angel round of investment of tens of millions, and the office has also moved from the "rough house" in Shapingba, Chongqing to Beijing.
How does a startup seed take root?
The answer lies in the road that Fu Lin and his companions have traveled for 8 years.
"I can't understand the project reports written by high school students"
Fu Lin was a junior high school student in Singapore. When talking about his later experience, in his own words, "I didn't do well in the college entrance examination. I studied mechanical engineering in Newcastle, England, but I didn't like this major, so I just thought about my life. Can we fight again?"
In this fight, the "internet addict" who once loved to play video games entered the University of Cambridge to study for a master's degree.
During his time in Cambridge, Fu Lin witnessed many Chinese students abandoning their studies or even dropping out of school because they did not adapt to the overseas study mode and were unable to do research on their own.
Of the 7 Chinese students in my class, 5 were repeated.
In 2015, then U.S. President Barack Obama met with that year's Intel Genius Award finalists at the White House, a news that caught Fu Lin's attention.
This award, known as the "Little Nobel Prize", is recognized as the most demanding high school scientific research competition in the United States.
"I later found out that I couldn't understand the project reports made by these American students. It was from that time that I realized that high school students can also do projects and project research."
This news touched Fu Lin.
He checked the data and found that overseas students completed an average of 21 subjects before going to university, while the number of subjects for Chinese high school students was 0.
It gave him the idea of returning to China to start a business and do education.
Soon, he put the idea of helping prospective international students to carry out scientific research training into practice, and instructed a middle school student in China to carry out project-based learning online. Applied to Stanford University and Dartmouth University full scholarship.
This proves that Chinese students are fully capable of doing the subject.
"Entrepreneurial Xiaobai" has done a lot of "wonderful" things
During the study period in the UK, the European and American Students Association and the local government of Chongqing once introduced the development status of China to overseas students and conveyed the company's employment needs for overseas.
Almost at the same time as receiving the admission notice for a full scholarship from Cambridge University, Fu Lin received an invitation to introduce talents from Chongqing and return to China to start a business.
In this way, Fu Lin gave up the Ph.D. and the full award, took the 500,000 yuan start-up capital lent to him by his father, returned to China, started from scratch in Shapingba, Chongqing, and tried to promote "project-based learning", hoping to improve this generation of China. Students' academic literacy.
He set the enterprise spirit of "establishing a school with academia and establishing a country with scientific research" for the company, and named it "Know the Road".
The difficulty of starting a business "Xiaobai" can be imagined.
"I didn't know how to start a business at all, so I rented a rough house and renovated it for three months. I was a supervisor myself, and I went to buy light bulbs or something. I wanted to make it look like an office. I didn't even think about going. Rent a ready-made office." In Fu Lin's own words, because of his inexperience, what he did at the time was "weird".
Other startups generally follow the development path of quick return of capital - expansion of the team - expansion of business scale - stable income increase, but they have taken a more difficult path.
"China only has exam-based education and lacks a project-based learning curriculum system, so we have to do research and development. In the first 5 years of starting a business, the company has not paid a penny of dividends, and the wages are very low. Everyone is working hard, doing public welfare everywhere, everywhere. Go to school for free classes and promote the teaching concept of knowing the way."
A Global Entrepreneurship Competition Makes Zhilu "Hi"
In June 2021, Chinese officials issued the "Outline of Action Plan for National Science Literacy (2021-2035)", and a month later, the "double reduction" policy was implemented.
In Fu Lin's view, these have allowed non-discipline and non-exam-oriented education companies, including Zhilu, to see more opportunities.
In September 2021, Zhilu Research Institute won the third prize of innovative education enterprises in the 2nd HICOOL Global Entrepreneurs Summit and Entrepreneurship Competition hosted by Beijing Overseas High-level Talents Association.
That year's competition attracted a total of 4,018 projects from 84 countries and regions around the world.
HICOOL Global Entrepreneurs Summit and Entrepreneurship Competition is currently the only comprehensive international talent event in China with the overseas talent entrepreneurship competition as the main body.
Taking this opportunity, Beijing Shunyi District has tailor-made a supporting policy for the HICOOL competition, which is the first in Beijing. The winners can enjoy exclusive discounts such as settling in Beijing, children's schooling, medical treatment, entry and exit, and entry of scientific research items.
"It solves the problem of Zhilu's office space in Beijing. We have free use of space, which is still a very important support for start-ups." Fu Lin said that in June this year, they will move to Shunyi District. The new office will also receive a 1 million yuan entrepreneurial bonus provided by the competition.
In the 8 years since its establishment, Zhilu Training has passed through difficulties one after another. After the test of the epidemic, it has now achieved products, talents and funds.
Looking back on every step we have taken in the past 8 years, we can find that there is no "golden idea" in entrepreneurship, but only "golden idea" is not enough. The growth of all things is inseparable from sunlight, rain and soil. , one is responsible for sunshine and rain, the other is responsible for thriving, and only by working together can "golden ideas" be born. (End)