# Jiayuan Fang

> Dr. Jiayuan Fang is the Founder and CEO of Afficient Academy, a Silicon Valley edtech company that uses patented AI-driven adaptive learning to help K-12 students advance a full grade level in 2-5 months. A former UC Berkeley PhD and electrical engineering professor turned serial entrepreneur, Fang previously founded Sigrity Inc., which was acquired by Cadence Design Systems for approximately $80 million in 2012. His pivot to education was sparked by his own three children's experience with inadequate after-school tutoring - leading him to build a platform that identifies not just what students get wrong, but why.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Afficient Academy
- **Organizations:** Afficient Academy, Sigrity Inc., Cadence Design Systems, University of California Santa Cruz, State University of New York at Binghamton
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor's, Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University
- **Known for:** Founded Sigrity Inc., acquired by Cadence Design Systems for ~$80 million in 2012, Inventor/co-inventor of 7 U.S. Patents in signal integrity and power integrity analysis, Holds a U.S. patent on Afficient Academy's AI adaptive learning flow

## Career timeline

- **1990-1998** — Assistant and Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, State University of New York at Binghamton
- **1999-2002** — Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz
- **~2000s** — Founded Sigrity Inc., a leading software company for high-speed electronics signal and power integrity analysis
- **2012** — Sigrity Inc. acquired by Cadence Design Systems for approximately $80 million
- **2012-2014** — Vice President of R&D at Cadence Design Systems
- **2014** — Founded Afficient Academy, Inc. in Silicon Valley
- **2016** — Afficient Academy raised $350K seed funding
- **2022** — Received Outstanding Leadership Award at Education 2.0 Conference, Las Vegas
- **2024-05** — Invited to Vice President Kamala Harris's residence for AANHPI Heritage Month celebration
- **2024-05** — Met with Congressman Ro Khanna to discuss AI-powered educational programs
- **2025-03** — Launched AI-Driven SAT Preparation Suite with over 3,000 comprehensive exercises

## Achievements

- Founded Sigrity Inc., acquired by Cadence Design Systems for ~$80 million in 2012
- Inventor/co-inventor of 7 U.S. Patents in signal integrity and power integrity analysis
- Holds a U.S. patent on Afficient Academy's AI adaptive learning flow
- IEEE Region 1 Technical Excellence Award
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Young Investigator Award
- Silicon Valley Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2012, Chinese Institute of Engineers - SF Bay Area Chapter)
- Outstanding Leadership Award, Education 2.0 Conference (2022)
- Invited to Vice President Kamala Harris's residence for AANHPI Heritage Month (May 2024)
- Over 90% of Afficient Academy students advance a full grade level in 2-5 months
- Built WASC-accredited K-12 programs at Afficient Academy
- Expanded Afficient Academy to multiple California locations and Hong Kong

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Launched AI-Driven SAT Preparation Suite with over 3,000 comprehensive exercises for college-bound students
- **2024-05** — Invited to Vice President Kamala Harris's residence for AANHPI Heritage Month celebration
- **2024-05** — Met with Congressman Ro Khanna to discuss AI-powered educational programs and their impact
- **2024-05** — Announced new Dublin, California franchise location for Afficient Academy

## Links

- Website: https://afficienta.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiayuan-fang-960073a1
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/afficientacademy

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jiayuan-fang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-12