SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VIPKid, a global education technology company, is honored to announce that it has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for the second year in a row. This year, VIPKid was named number seven on Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in China. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today’s global economy.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies in the world for the second year in a row,” said Cindy Mi, Founder and CEO of VIPKid. “At VIPKid we are connecting students and teachers across the world on an unprecedented scale. We see an opportunity to create a global classroom for the next generation that will provide access to high quality education to all students.”
2018 was a record-breaking year for VIPKid with significant expansion of its product lines and major curriculum partnerships with world-renowned institutions such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oxford University Press and Scholastic. A global company from day one, VIPKid has increased its international presence with new offices in Seoul, Dallas and San Francisco, where its U.S. headquarters is based.
VIPKid’s diverse teacher community has continued to grow and evolve. This February, teachers organized over 100 in-person meetups to celebrate Lunar New Year, honoring their personal connections to their students in China. Throughout 2018, VIPKid held three regional teacher “Journey” conferences in Salt Lake City, UT, Dallas, TX, and Orlando, FL where over 1,000 teachers gathered together to learn from educational experts and strengthen ties with their community. VIPKid continues to invest in teacher success and happiness and will be hosting its fourth regional conference on March 9 in Chicago, IL.
This year, Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out groundbreaking businesses across 35 industries and every region. The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.
“Established players are showing the same kind of nimbleness that we’ve generally associated with startups,” said Fast Company deputy editor David Lidsky, who oversaw the issue with senior editor Amy Farley.
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March-April 2019) is now available online at https://www.fastcompany.com/MIC, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning February 27th.
About VIPKid
VIPKid is a global education technology company that connects children with the world’s best teachers for real-time online English immersion learning. VIPKid’s mission is to inspire and empower every child for the future. VIPKid envisions a global classroom that empowers students and teachers through personalized learning, connects cultures across the world and ignites a passion for lifelong learning. It believes that education is not one-size-fits-all, rather, all students are unique and the world is within their reach when connected with great teachers capable of personalizing learning and sparking curiosity.
Founded in 2013 and formally launched in 2014, VIPKid has become China’s market-leading online education startup, attracting investment from Tencent, Coatue Management, Sequoia Capital, Sinovation Ventures, Yunfeng Capital, Matrix Partners, Learn Capital, Northern Light VC and Bryant Stibel, among others. The VIPKid platform currently connects over 500,000 paying students with over 60,000 teachers in the US and Canada.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for “Magazine Of The Year,” Adweek’s Hot List for “Hottest Business Publication,” and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
