Making a Difference: ROBOTERRA’s Yao Zhang

                             by David Parmer / Tokyo

At 33, Yao Zhang is already making a difference in the world of education and robotics. Zhang has been nominated as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and included in Robohub’s “25 women in robotics you need to know about.” She has also been acknowledged by the US Department of State which awarded her its “Best 10 Global Citizen Service Award.”

Yao Zhang is CEO and co-founder of ROBOTERRA, a Silicon Valley/ China startup that makes hardware kits and software backup for kids to learn both robotics and programming.

In 2014 Zhang and co-founder Sui Shalong, an Apple alumnus formed the company in Santa Clara, California. This was Zhang’s second successful startup, the first being Minds Abroad, a company focused on improving study abroad programs worldwide.

Zhang graduated from the Beijing Central University of Finance and Economics and then took a Ph.D. at Columbia University. She followed that with short stints at McKinsey and Co. and the Soros Foundation before starting her own ventures.

ROBOTERRA kits are designed to teach children to build and program robots. The Origin kit is priced at around US$300. Users get a modular kit and the use of Castle Rock programing software using C++. Zhang’s aim is not only to introduce users to robotics but also teach logic and give them a boost in their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum. The kits can be found in 500 schools in 30 countries.

Website: roboterra.com

Photo: World Economic Forum via flickr