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YoungWook Kwon, co-founder and CEO of YAHO LAB: Pioneering personalized tutoring matching

Updated: Apr 12

By using AI, YoungWook Kwon and his Korean co-founding team have built a platform that connects parents with pre-vetted tutors based on their child's personality, aiding parents in balancing work and their children's education after school.

Youngwook Kwon, CEO  YAHO LAB.

The solution for urban families

According to the YAHO LAB founding team, every parent dreams of their child being smart, but not everyone has the time or skills to make it happen. That's why the YAHO! application was created, providing invaluable support for parents in their journey of raising children, especially for busy young families in urban areas.

YAHO! uses AI to match parents with tutors who are most suited to their children's personalities, hobbies, and preferred activities. These tutors not only aid children with homework, but they also provide a variety of other activities, from playing crafts and reading books to helping children improve their English abilities via play-based learning methods.

YAHO LAB was chosen as one of the top 50 startups in Vietnam by Tech In Asia in 2023, as well as a Top 50 finisher in the Startup Wheel competition, one of Southeast Asia's largest.

In 2023, YAHO! established a network of 5,500 tutors, consisting of outstanding students from various prestigious universities in Vietnam. Each tutor undergoes a series of rigorous screening activities, including identity verification, educational background checks, criminal history checks, individual interviews, and comprehensive YAHO! training before being connected with parents.

YAHO! is a platform connecting parents with tutors for children aged 2 to 12, offering two types of services: monthly subscription packages and on-demand sessions. Specifically, English tutoring is priced at 200,000 VND per hour, while Vietnamese tutoring is priced at 150,000 VND per hour. YAHO!'s principal source of revenue is brokerage fees, which range between 20 and 35% depending on the tutor's level and the type of the services given.

"Not only does YAHO! bring positive values to children and parents, but it also provides university students with a professional part-time job offering good income. It can be said that this is a genuine community, uniting multiple generations," said CEO Youngwook Kwon, co-founder of YAHO LAB.

Faith in the billion-dollar education market.

Before coming to Vietnam, Youngwook Kwon spent 16 years working for the South Korean government, primarily in data analysis. His wife, Seonhee Yoon, a co-founder of YAHO LAB, and formerly worked in the food services sector. The couple welcomed their first daughter in 2018. Subsequently, they spent a month testing life in Ho Chi Minh City. "Falling in love" with Vietnam, since April 2019, the entire family decided to leave South Korea, officially starting a new life in Ho Chi Minh City.

As an expatriate family, Mr. Youngwook Kwon noted that their greatest challenge was finding in-home childcare services as both spouses were busy with work. Recognizing this need within the expatriate community in Vietnam, as well as among local young families, Youngwook and Seonhee researched, developed, and launched YAHO! as a practical solution.

Officially launched in May 2021, YAHO! initially served as a platform to help parents easily find verified part-time tutors. As customer demand grew, they also desired individuals capable of reading to children, assisting with homework, and engaging in play activities.

As a result, YAHO! has expanded its offerings, becoming an essential resource for parents seeking companionship with their children beyond traditional caregiving. YAHO! tutors may assist their children acquire a range of skills and expose them to English via play-based learning activities such as arts and crafts, sports, indoor and outdoor activities...

CEO Youngwook Kwon asserts: "YAHO! is the perfect solution for parents who prioritize their children's early development while still striving for work-life balance in today's fast-paced world." The co-founder further notes that many families, whether living with grandparents or having hired babysitters, still turn to YAHO! for its precise alignment with their needs.

According to the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, each Vietnamese family devotes around 24% of their money to their children's education, with the majority of it going into extracurricular tutoring. Parents are concerned about the quality of out-of-school educational offerings as well as the expense. This gives YAHO!'s founders faith in the vast potential of Vietnam's private education sector, which they estimate to be worth up to 13 billion USD.

By introducing Eye Level, a renowned education program by DAEKYO from South Korea, in early 2024, focusing on Math and English instruction, the YAHO! founding team anticipates immediate revenue in the millions of USD. "With approximately 17 million people in HCMC and Hanoi as our target customers, capturing just 1% of them could yield annual revenues of $13 million for YAHO!," Youngwook Kwon expects.

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