# Yao Zhang

> Yao Zhang is the founder and CEO of RoboTerra, a robotics-education company that teaches kids around the world to code and build robots. A Columbia-trained education economist who walked away from a finished PhD's worth of dissertation work to build hardware, she was named a 2016 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of RoboHub's Top 25 Women in Robotics. RoboTerra has reached 1,000+ institutions across more than 40 countries, splitting its life between Silicon Valley and China.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at RoboTerra, Inc.
- **Organizations:** RoboTerra, Inc., Minds Abroad, McKinsey & Company, EdisonLearning
- **From:** China
- **Nationality:** Chinese
- **Education:** BBA, Central University of Finance and Economics, M.A. in Education Economics; completed all dissertation requirements toward a PhD, Columbia University (Teachers College)
- **Known for:** Founder & CEO of RoboTerra, reaching 1,000+ institutions in 40+ countries, 2016 Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum, Top 25 Women in Robotics (RoboHub), 2015

## Career timeline

- **pre-2010** — Worked on innovation projects at McKinsey & Company and EdisonLearning
- **pre-2014** — Co-founded Minds Abroad, providing student relationship management software and curriculum to U.S. and European colleges
- **2014** — RoboTerra recognized as a 'Star Company' at the World Learning Technology Summit
- **2015** — Named a Top 25 Women in Robotics by RoboHub; RoboTerra named a Top 30 Innovation Company at SVIEF
- **2016** — Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
- **2017** — Featured by CNBC on automation and the future of work; spoke at GMIC Beijing
- **2020** — Published op-eds on resilience and crisis management for founders during the COVID-19 pandemic

## Achievements

- Founder & CEO of RoboTerra, reaching 1,000+ institutions in 40+ countries
- 2016 Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum
- Top 25 Women in Robotics (RoboHub), 2015
- RoboTerra named 'Star Company' at the 2014 World Learning Technology Summit
- RoboTerra named a Top 30 Innovation Company at 2015 SVIEF
- Featured speaker and commentator on AI, automation, and education (CNBC, WISE, GMIC)

## Latest updates

- **2020-07** — Published 'Staying Positive in Quarantine,' an op-ed for Sixth Tone on wellbeing during lockdown.
- **2020-04** — Wrote on the most-needed element for startups to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

## Links

- Website: https://roboterra.com.cn
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhangyaoy/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/roboterra
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMvGuX2O3Dc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/roboterrainc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yao-zhang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04