# Cindy Mi

> Cindy Mi is the founder and CEO of VIPKid, a Beijing-based edtech unicorn that connects Chinese children aged 4-12 with North American English teachers through live one-on-one video lessons. A high-school dropout turned billionaire builder, she started tutoring English peers at age 15, co-founded an English academy chain at 17, and by 2020 had grown VIPKid to over 800,000 students, 100,000 teachers, and a $4 billion-plus valuation - backed by Tencent, Sequoia, and the late Kobe Bryant.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at VIPKid
- **Organizations:** VIPKid, ABC English, LingoBus, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (Alumni), World Economic Forum, Eisenhower Fellows
- **From:** Hebei Province, China
- **Nationality:** Chinese
- **Education:** Bachelor's in English Literature, Beijing Foreign Language University, MBA, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), MBA Exchange, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Ph.D. candidate in Education, Tsinghua University
- **Known for:** Founded VIPKid in 2013, growing it to 800,000 students and 100,000 teachers by 2020, Raised ~$975M in total funding, achieving $4B+ valuation - one of China's largest edtech unicorns, Secured investment from Kobe Bryant's Bryant Stibel fund (Bryant decided in under 5 minutes)

## Career timeline

- **~1998** — Began self-teaching English using cassette tapes and magazines, spending her lunch money on learning materials
- **~1998** — Started tutoring peers in English at age 15 at an extracurricular school in Heilongjiang Province
- **2000** — Dropped out of high school at 17 and co-founded ABC English tutoring academy with her uncle
- **2000-2012** — Grew ABC English into a chain generating tens of millions in revenue across China
- **2013** — Pitched VIPKid concept to Kai-Fu Lee at Sinovation Ventures and received initial backing
- **2013** — Founded VIPKid in October while working as an English-language teacher in Beijing
- **2015** — VIPKid officially launched with 20 teachers and 200 students; grew to 3,000 students by year end
- **2017** — VIPKid surpassed 200,000 students and 20,000 teachers; revenue trajectory exceeded $150M
- **2017** — Launched LingoBus, a subsidiary enabling Mandarin instruction for non-Chinese children
- **2018** — Raised $500M at a $3B valuation; named WEF Young Global Leader; Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies
- **2019** — Raised $150M Series E (total funding ~$975M); platform reaches 500,000+ students and 70,000 teachers; named Glassdoor Top CEO
- **2019** — Ranked #1 on Crunchbase's 50 Female Entrepreneurs Everyone Should Know; won ASU+GSV Power of Women Award
- **2020** — Named Fortune 40 Under 40; VIPKid reaches 800,000 students and 100,000 teachers; valuation exceeds $4B; named Eisenhower Fellow
- **2024** — Named China-ASEAN Young Leader; VIPKid enters Saudi Arabian market
- **2025** — VIPKid Dino Reading Club opens first Riyadh learning center at Granada Mall, co-launched with HH Princess Muneera Al Rasheed

## Achievements

- Founded VIPKid in 2013, growing it to 800,000 students and 100,000 teachers by 2020
- Raised ~$975M in total funding, achieving $4B+ valuation - one of China's largest edtech unicorns
- Secured investment from Kobe Bryant's Bryant Stibel fund (Bryant decided in under 5 minutes)
- Named World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Class of 2018
- Named Fortune 40 Under 40 (2020)
- Ranked #1 on Crunchbase's 50 Female Entrepreneurs Everyone Should Know (2019)
- Named Glassdoor Top CEO in 2019 - one of seven women in the top 100
- Won ASU+GSV Summit 2019 Power of Women Award
- Named 2020 Eisenhower Fellow
- Named 2024 China-ASEAN Young Leader
- VIPKid ranked 29th on Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies 2018, and 2nd in China
- Board member at Beijing Foreign Studies University
- Expanded VIPKid into Saudi Arabia with physical learning centers in 2025

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — VIPKid Dino Reading Club opens its first physical center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at Granada Mall, co-launched with HH Princess Muneera Al Rasheed of FAM Holding
- **2025-05** — Cindy Mi listed as speaker at London Tech Week 2026
- **2024-01** — Named China-ASEAN Young Leader
- **2024-01** — VIPKid enters Saudi market; Cindy Mi participates in Middle East edtech entrepreneurship gatherings in Dubai

## Links

- Website: https://vipkid.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindymi/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/wenjuan_mi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VIPKID/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cindy-mi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-27