A Global Team of Education & Technology Leaders Dedicated to Student Growth
Uniting result-driven curriculum design with deep expertise in how children learn, our team brings global perspectives to create meaningful learning experiences.
Meet Our Founder
Hugh Yao
Education
- Graduated from Tsinghua University with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics and a Master's degree in Management Science and Engineering, an institution renowned for excellence in scientific research and leadership development.
Professional Experience
- Held significant roles at IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce, gaining extensive experience in enterprise technology, product innovation, and global operations.
- Founded LingoAce in 2017 and scaled it into a globally recognized learning platform honored by major international awards, including the GSV EdTech 150, Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies, HolonIQ's global EdTech rankings etc.
- Lead the company's evolution to ACE Academy, expanding from language learning to a comprehensive academic ecosystem covering Math, Language Arts, Chinese, competition readiness, and enrichment programs.
Designed by Leading Educators
ACE Academy curriculum is designed by a team of expert educators
Head of Math Curriculum at LingoAce
Ph.D. in Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Stanford University
Member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
Former Principal Investigator for NIH-funded grants in child development.
20+ years of experience in STEM and language learning design and assessment development.
Adjunct Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Columbia University
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Caltech
10+ years of experience in cultivating math talent
China Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) Gold Medal Winner
Adjunct professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Columbia University.
Associate professor at Tulane University, Ph.D. mentor
Ph.D.in Statistical Genetics (minor in Statistics), North Carolina State University
Chinese Math Olympiad (CMO) qualifier
Led and participated in multiple grants supported by NIH and NSF
6 years of experience in math competition training
Professor and Department Chair at Rutgers University (Newark), Ph.D. Mentor.
Ph.D. in Mathematics, Columbia University
7 years of experience in math competition training
Member of the National Science Foundation Review Committee
Professor and Department Chair at Rutgers University (Newark), Ph.D. Mentor.
ACE Academy by LingoAce Milestone
- Founder and CEO Hugh Yao starts LingoAce in Singapore
- Chinese Live's Advanced Program is the first product to launch
- Opens China office in Beijing
- Raises angel funding from Decent Capital
- Opens Wuhan Education Research Centre in China
- Wins Singapore SME100's Moving Companies Award
- Raises $3M pre-series A funding from Decent Capital
- Opens Thailand and Indonesia offices
- Opens physical center in Singapore for Blended Learning Program
- Raises $13M Series A funding from Shunwei Capital and Sequoia Capital India
- More than 7,000+ teachers have taught
- 2.2M+ classes to learners from 180+ countries and regions
- Opens more offices in Chengdu, China and in the SF Bay Area in the U.S.
- Partners with Peking University Press to provide best-in-class training and resources
- Raises $160M total in Series B and Series C rounds led by Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global, Owl Ventures, and SWC Global.
- GSV Edtech150 names LingoAce as one of the most transformational growth companies in digital learning
- Recognized in Fast Company's 2023 list of the World's Most Innovative Companies, ranking 5th in the Asia-Pacific category, surpassing numerous renowned tech companies.
- Awarded the 'Top 10 Foreign-Funded Enterprises in Guanggu' by Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone.
- Launched math and other courses.
- The first Ace Academy learning center in the U.S. officially opened in the Bay Area.
- The total number of lessons delivered globally surpassed 22M+ classes.
- Recognized by leading institutions including HolonIQ and Forbes China.
- Served over 580,000 students worldwide.
Ready to Get Started?
Join thousands of families who have transformed their children's academic journey with ACE Academy