# Sue Khim

> Sue Khim is the CEO and co-founder of Brilliant.org, an interactive STEM learning platform serving over 10 million users in 150+ countries. Born in South Korea and raised in Chicago, she studied mathematics at the University of Chicago before leaving to found Alltuition, a student financial aid startup, in 2009. That team pivoted in 2012 to build Brilliant, which has since raised over $90 million in venture funding and become one of the most widely used platforms for self-paced math and science education. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education and recognized by Apple as an AAPI leader in tech, Khim is focused on replacing rote memorization with genuine conceptual understanding at global scale.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at Brilliant.org
- **Organizations:** Brilliant.org, Alltuition, Inventables (Board Member)
- **From:** South Korea
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Mathematics (did not complete degree), University of Chicago
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education (2012), Highlighted by Apple as one of four AAPI leaders in tech (2022), Grew Brilliant.org to 10 million users across 150+ countries

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Enrolled at University of Chicago to study mathematics
- **2008** — Identified the student loan crisis as an opportunity while carrying $50,000 in undergraduate debt
- **2009** — Co-founded Alltuition (originally EduLender) with Sam Solomon and Silas Hundt to simplify college financial aid; participated in Excelerate Labs accelerator in Chicago
- **2012** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education; pivoted Alltuition team to found Brilliant.org in October
- **2013** — Presented Brilliant.org at Launch Festival; secured funding from Social+Capital Partnership (Chamath Palihapitiya), 500 Startups, Kapor Capital, Learn Capital, and Hyde Park Angels; delivered TEDxUChicago talk 'Scouting for Intellect'; Brilliant reached 100,000 users
- **2019** — Joined board of Inventables; Brilliant.org achieved $50 million valuation
- **2021** — Brilliant raised $40 million Series B financing
- **2022** — Highlighted by Apple as one of four AAPI leaders in tech; Brilliant raised $50 million Series C; acquired Hellosaurus to expand interactive learning for children
- **2025** — Brilliant.org surpassed 10 million users across 150+ countries

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education (2012)
- Highlighted by Apple as one of four AAPI leaders in tech (2022)
- Grew Brilliant.org to 10 million users across 150+ countries
- Raised over $90 million in venture funding from Social+Capital, and other investors
- Pivoted a student loan startup into one of the world's most-used STEM learning platforms
- Built a platform with ~2.5 million women and girl learners in its user base
- Contributed problems to The New York Times, The Guardian, and FiveThirtyEight
- Board member of Inventables since May 2019

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Brilliant.org surpassed 10 million registered users across 150+ countries
- **2022-12** — Brilliant acquired Hellosaurus to expand interactive learning for younger audiences
- **2022-05** — Brilliant raised $50 million Series C funding round
- **2022-01** — Apple featured Sue Khim as one of four AAPI leaders in tech

## Links

- Website: https://brilliant.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-khim-70b86014
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/suekhim
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brilliantorg

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sue-khim
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-22