China’s Ed Tech Unicorn Zuoyebang Named in MIT Technology Review’s 2021 Top 10 Breakthrough List

China’s leading online after-school education company Zuoyebang was listed among the MIT Technology Review’s 10 Breakthrough Technologies (TR10) in the “Remote Everything” segment on Feb. 26. 

TR10 is an annual selection of the year’s most important technologies. Launched in 2001 and published by the editors of MIT Technology Review, TR10 recognizes emerging technologies that have the greatest potential to be commercialized and change the world. 

SEE ALSO: Chinese Edtech Startup Zuoyebang Obtains $1.6B in funding, Reigning Over Online Tutoring Market

This year, “Remote Everything” was a big topic, as the pandemic keeps on proving the significance of digitalization. Zuoyebang allows users to take photos of test questions and look for solutions online. For livestreaming courses, the company has upgraded its technological infrastructure and developed proprietary technologies that withstood the surge of traffic in the early period of COVID-19, ensuring stable and smooth connections for over 33 million students. To make learning more interactive and personalized, Zuoyebang also provides different class sizes. 

Photo of Wang Yan. (Source: Zuoyebang)

The Chief Strategic Planner of Zuoyebang Wang Yan recently delivered a keynote speech on how innovative remote technologies have accelerated Zuoyebang’s development, providing the platform with 800 million registered user devices, the largest user base in the remote learning industry. 

According to him, remote technology, in conjunction with other tools such as big data and AI, will continue to power online education and transform traditional learning. Wang said remote technology will continue to rise in significance since online education will make quality education accessible to all. 

Founded in 2015, Zuoyebang has optimized its AI algorithm, significantly increasing recognition rates for photos of books, handwriting, and screens. It can also complete one million searches per minute of its library of over 300 million questions, and provide step-by-step explanations, with an accuracy rate higher than 97%.