William Zhou

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William Zhou
Born
Zhou Weizheng

(1992-02-18) February 18, 1992 (age 32)
Beijing, China
NationalityCanadian
EducationUniversity of Waterloo
OccupationCEO at Chalk.com

William Zhou (Chinese: 周惟正; born February 18, 1992) is a Canadian internet entrepreneur.[1] In 2012, Zhou co-founded Chalk.com, a K-12 education software company. He has appeared as a frequent commentator on major networks, a speaker at Bloomberg Next Big Thing Conference, and was named in Forbes 30 Under 30.[2][3][4]

Early life and education[edit]

Zhou was born in Beijing, China and immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He attributes his interest in computers to his parents.[5] He graduated from Point Grey Secondary before attending David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at University of Waterloo. He is known in high school for his work on an online student discussion forum and his commitment to the student body.[5] At Waterloo, he co-founded Chalk.com (formerly known as Planboard). In 2015, Zhou was named in Forbes' Top 30 Under 30 in Education.[4][6]

Entrepreneur[edit]

Zhou first came to prominence as a young entrepreneur at the age of 16 with the founding of Design Vetica, a web consultancy with clients from University of British Columbia, Red Cross, and Amnesty International.[5][7] The organization was best known for Draftboard, an online tool for designer and clients to collaborate.[8] In 2011, Zhou sold Draftboard for an undisclosed amount.[9][10]

Chalk.com[edit]

Zhou received the inspiration for Chalk.com as he observed the administrative workload from his own high school teachers. He noticed that teachers are overwhelmed with tasks such as lesson planning, assessment, and evaluation.[11][12] Zhou created Planboard to help teachers plan their lessons easier.[9][13] Planboard received $25,000 from the University of Waterloo Velocity Venture Fund in 2012.[10][14][11]

By mid-2013, Planboard had gained significant users. Zhou participated in the Lightspeed Ventures' Summer Fellowship.[15] Planboard placed second in the Singapore Management University Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition.[16] Planboard also partnered with the Ontario Teachers' Federation to provide ready made lesson plan resources.[17][18]

In 2014, Chalk.com, the parent company of Planboard, expanded into assessment tools.[19] Today, Chalk.com is used in over 20,000 schools and has over 200,000 teachers.[4]

In 2017, Blackboard Inc. and Chalk.com announced a partnership to deliver a best-in-class digital gradebook and portfolio for K-12 educators. The offering will provide teachers and parents with insights into student performance.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 吕, 惠萍 (2010-08-27). "华裔少年网络创业(华人故事)" [Young Chinese Internet Entrepreneur]. 人民日报海外版 (in Chinese). 人民日报.
  2. ^ Wong, Joshua (2014-06-11). "EVENT: KAIROS SOCIETY COMPANIES ARE BLOOMBERG'S NEXT BIG THING". Kairos Society. San Francisco: Kairos Society.
  3. ^ "Pitch Roulette: Speeding Mentoring and Going Big". Bloomberg TV. Bloomberg. 2014-06-17.
  4. ^ a b c Howard, Caroline (2015-01-05). "2015 30 Under 30: Education". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c O'Connor, Naoibh (2010-08-13). "Youth.com" (PDF). Vancouver Courier. Glacier Media. pp. 4–5.
  6. ^ "University of Waterloo entrepreneurs make Forbes' list". University of Waterloo. University of Waterloo. 2014-01-08.
  7. ^ "Design Vetica: The Double Lives of High School Entrepreneurs". Get Harvest. Get Harvest. 2010-01-21.
  8. ^ Warren, Christina (2010-09-16). "Simplify the Mockup and Annotation Process with Draftboard". Mashable. New York City: Mashable Inc.
  9. ^ a b Rossi, Cheryl (2012-06-08). "Software app helps school teachers plan lessons". Vancouver Courier. Vancouver Courier.
  10. ^ a b Simone, Rose (2012-02-18). "Youthful startup starts over, develops online tool for teachers". The Record. Waterloo Region Record.
  11. ^ a b Cotarlea, Joanna (2013-01-17). "Entrepreneur William Zhou inspires students with his success". Imprint. University of Waterloo.
  12. ^ "Young Gun: William Zhou of Chalk.com". FS Local. FS Local. 2014-07-23.
  13. ^ Lui, Herbert (2012-02-20). "Streamline the Lesson Planning Process with Planboard". Techvibes. Techvibes.
  14. ^ "Planboard, welcome to the team". Velocity. University of Waterloo. 2012-01-31.
  15. ^ Frankhauser, Dani (2013-09-07). "Students Share Lessons From an Uncommon Internship". Mashable. New York City: Mashable Inc.
  16. ^ "Viability and execution strategy key to winning SMU's 7th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition". SMU News. Singapore: Singapore Management University. 2013-08-28.
  17. ^ Pender, Terry (2013-12-20). "Educational app startup gets teachers' backing". The Record. Waterloo Region Record.
  18. ^ "WATERLOO'S PLANBOARD INKS DEAL WITH ONTARIO TEACHERS' FEDERATION FOR ONLINE TOOL". Betakit. Betakit. 2013-11-27.
  19. ^ "The wait is over. Say hello to Markboard!". Chalk.com. Kitchener: Chalk.com Education Inc. 2014-01-08.
  20. ^ "Blackboard and Chalk.com Unveil New Partnership". Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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