Feature Articles

Back in the days when COVID-19 held us captive within our homes, while most people were either busy with their studies or enjoying an extended holiday, there was someone who decided to make a difference with his own hands. His name? Ivan Wong, an alumnus of CUHK and the co-founder of Flowclass, a groundbreaking web app that empowers educators to market their courses and recruit students.

Ivan, a recent graduate from CUHK Business School in late 2022, majored in Global Business Studies with double minors in Computer Science and Web and Cloud Computing. His journey towards entrepreneurship had already begun during his time at CUHK. From the moment he stepped foot on campus, Ivan started creating educational videos on his YouTube channel, “FF Classroom,” where he shared valuable information and insights about the HKDSE exams. It was this early involvement in the education field that sparked his passion for making a positive impact.

When the pandemic struck and students in Hong Kong found themselves attending virtual classes, Ivan saw an opportunity to do more than just adapt to the new normal. Instead of idling away his extra free time, he reflected on how he could create something meaningful for others. Leveraging his expertise in programming and web computing, he developed an online platform that facilitated the sharing of notes among students. He then went on to create an online tutor-matching platform that allowed students and tutors to connect, providing additional support for students with special educational needs. Through various start-up programs, including CUHK’s Pi Centre, Ivan secured the initial funding for his projects, laying the foundation for what would later become Flowclass.

As Ivan delved deeper into the education industry and connected with professionals in related fields, he realized that the scope of education was much broader than he had initially thought. It encompassed not only traditional academic subjects like the HKDSE but also a vast array of interest-based classes, ranging from yoga and cooking to coding and photography. With this increased understanding, Ivan recognised the need to build something that could have a greater impact and serve a wider audience.

When asked about his views on education, Ivan expressed concern about the overwhelming amount of information available due to the internet. While acknowledging the benefits of easy access to vast knowledge, he also recognized the challenge of distinguishing valuable content from the noise. Determined to address this issue, he set out to change the status quo.

An unexpected opportunity presented itself when a client, impressed by Ivan’s team’s exceptional web design work, referred them to an education centre seeking to consolidate various offerings on a single website. Inspired by this encounter, Ivan and his team worked tirelessly for two weeks, eventually building the prototype for what would become Flowclass.

Over time, Ivan and his team transformed Flowclass into a powerful web app that enables educators to create marketing systems for their courses and live lessons. It streamlines back-end operational management, including the integration of landing pages, student recruitment, payments, and notifications into existing websites, empowering content creators to focus on delivering high-quality education.

After years of dedication to his start-up projects and immersion in the education field, Ivan reflects on the valuable lessons he has learned. “I’ve come to realise the importance of taking a step back and considering the bigger picture before taking action,” he shared. In the past, Ivan would dive headfirst into projects without thoroughly planning or considering the potential consequences. However, through his entrepreneurial journey, he has learned the significance of strategic thinking and evaluating the worthiness of endeavours before committing to them. He acknowledged that his initial platforms, such as the note-sharing and tutor-matching platforms, were driven by personal frustrations rather than a broad vision to help a wide range of people. As he ventured into real business, he understood the necessity of thinking beyond personal needs and focusing on creating meaningful impact.

Some may wonder why Ivan didn’t choose the seemingly safer path of working for a large corporation, especially as a business student. He had received a return offer from a well-known investment bank, which would have provided him with a higher salary and a more stable career trajectory. However, Ivan recognized that his desire for meaningful contributions could not be fulfilled within the confines of a large corporation. “It felt like being just one of many gears in an enormous machine, where the impact of my work was hardly discernible,” he explained. On the contrary, working on his start-up allowed him to see the immediate effects of his efforts. Whether it was designing a web page or implementing a new function, Ivan received direct feedback and witnessed the tangible results of his work. Furthermore, working on his own venture provided him with the freedom to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, learn from their perspectives, and broaden his horizons. Ivan also emphasized the value of taking risks while young, as the experience gained from his start-up journey outweighed any financial comforts offered by large corporations.

Despite Ivan’s professional manner when discussing his start-up, there’s a fascinating fun fact about him—he participated in his college’s orientation camp a remarkable five times! To Ivan, college orientation camps were not just an opportunity to have fun and make friends; they were a chance to step out of his comfort zone and develop essential leadership and communication skills. He believes these experiences significantly shaped his entrepreneurial mindset and prepared him for the challenges he would face in the start-up world.

Looking ahead, Ivan envisions Flowclass becoming a leading platform for educators worldwide, revolutionizing the way courses are marketed and delivered. He plans to expand the platform’s capabilities by incorporating artificial intelligence to personalize the learning experience for students and provide detailed analytics for educators to optimize their courses. Ivan dreams of a future where education is accessible to everyone, regardless of their geographical location or financial background.

Ivan Wong’s journey with Flowclass embodies the power of passion, perseverance, and a genuine desire to make a difference. His story serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and educators alike, reminding us that with dedication and the right mindset, we can fuel the future of education and shape a brighter tomorrow.

---

Flowclass： 「燃」續未來教育

在新冠肺炎肆虐的當年，大多數人都被困在家裡，無法外出，無法「如常」地生活。那時候的你在做甚麽？是忙著學習，還是在享受額外的假期？我相信這應是大多數人的生活狀況。然而在那段時間裏，有人試圖靠著自己的努力，改變社會現狀。他是誰？他就是我們的校友─ Flowclass 的聯合創始人 王文洋。

Ivan Wong 主修環球商業學，副修計算機科學及網絡與雲端計算。他擁有豐富的創業經驗，但實際上他在 2022 年底才從香港中文大學畢業。自進入中大以來，他一直在自己的 YouTube 頻道 「FF Classroom」上載影片，分享有關香港中學文憑考試的資訊，這也是他踏進教育界的第一步。

疫情期間，香港的學生都不用上面授課程，Ivan 也不例外。然而，與眾不同的是，他利用空閒時間反思自己，思考自己能為他人創造甚麽。憑藉Ivan的教育背景，他決定為這一領域帶來一些改變。他利用自己在編程和網絡計算方面的專長，建立了全港最大型的筆記共享平台。其後，他又創立了一個私人補習導師配對平台，更添加了針對有特殊教育需求的學生的配對功能，讓每位學生透過交談，尋找合適的補習導師。通過各種創業計劃，包括香港中文大學的 Picentre計劃，他為自己的項目尋獲了一些啟動資金。這些都為他後來的項目 Flowclass 播下了種子。

隨著時間的推移，Ivan 對教育行業以及相關領域的人員有了更深的了解。他發現，教育行業比他想象中更深更廣。它不限於傳統的補習班，還包括各種興趣班，從瑜伽到烹飪，從編碼到攝影……在不斷累積經驗後，他意識到自己的平台過於小眾，未能滿足大眾的需求。因此，他希望建立一個能帶來更大影響、幫助更多人的平台。

當被問及對教育的看法時，他指出：「因為互聯網的出現，信息泛濫的情況比以往任何時候都更加普遍」。在他看來，這的確是一把雙刃劍─真正有價值的信息很容易便淹沒在龐大的資訊量中。因此，當時他已經希望改變現狀。

此時，一個機會突然出現─其中一位客戶認為，Ivan及其團隊在設計網頁時認真盡責、表現出色，於是推介他們給一間希望進行數碼營銷的教育中心。Ivan深受啟發，認為這是一個實現自己目標的絕佳機會；於是，Ivan便與團隊日以繼夜地工作了半個月，終於建成了 Flowclass 的樣板。

其後，Ivan和他的團隊創立了 Flowclass─一個讓導師輕鬆建立營銷系統的網絡應用程序。這個平台旨在幫助導師解決營運管理問題，功能包括：登陸頁面、學生招募、支付和通知等，更能將所有資料整合到導師本身擁有的網站中。

經過多年在創業項目和教育領域的努力，Ivan認為自己成長了很多。「我認為我學到最重要的一點是：在採取行動之前，要先退後一步，縱觀全局。 過去，每當我想做一件事時，我往往會立即著手去做；但現在回想，我覺得更重要的是花一些時間提前計劃，思考這件事是否值得去做，並考慮後果。」Ivan更與我們分享了他一直銘記於心的事情。「開始時，我開創的筆記共享和導師匹配平台，只是建基於我在使用其他平台時遇到的問題，並沒有考慮到我能幫助誰。但是，在真正做生意的時候，我們不能這樣。我認為，除了做生意，這也適用於許多其他情況。」

讀者們可能會好奇─Ivan身為一名出色的商學生，為甚麽沒有選擇在風險較小、出路更穩定的大企業工作？在得到一家知名投資銀行的返聘通知時，Ivan的確因這個問題而煩惱。他承認，在投行所獲得的工資比現在的確要高很多。但他認為，在那些公司實習時，他無法看到自己所作的貢獻。Ivan提到：「我感覺自己只是一台巨型機器眾多齒輪中的一個，幾乎看不到自己工作所帶來的改變。」相反在創業路上，Ivan更容易看到自己工作所帶來的影響。無論是網頁還是功能，只要他做了，就能收到更多的反饋。這也是他的成就來源。

此外，在自己的初創公司工作對Ivan來說限制更少。「我可以接觸到來自不同背景的人，從他們的思考角度中能學到很多東西。如果我在大公司工作，便很難做到這一點。」他還認為，年輕也是他應該嘗試的一個原因。「即使我失敗了，只要那些大公司還開放工作機會，我仍相信自己能在那裏工作；但當我年紀大了，只會更難走出自己的安舒區，再次冒險。我認為創業中所獲得的經驗和體會，比所能得到的額外工資更有價值。另外，我對物質享受的渴望並不強烈。只要能在空閒時玩電子遊戲，或者和朋友們一起，就已經足夠了。」Ivan笑著說道。

Ivan曾經參加過五次大學的迎新營。對他來說，迎新營是舒緩壓力、交朋結友的好時機。他強調，在中大學習期間的收獲之一，就是廣結良朋。「通過中大舉辦的各種活動，我認識了來自不同專業及背景的學生，例如計算機科學、物理和政治等，與他們傾談，總是富有啟發性。當然，在商學院中學到的知識對我的成長也是至關重要。會計和金融課程教給我的知識，讓我與投資者有了共同的基礎；計算機科學相關的講座讓我有能力自行完成技術部分，但是我仍然認為，在我收獲的東西中，「人」是最重要的─與朋友合作，就好比我自己在沒有某項技術下，卻擁有了別人的能力。我非常感恩能在中大遇到這麽多人才。」

Ivan 不但熱衷於軟件開發，亦不斷探索其他領域，旨在為他人創造更多價值。作為一名創業者，Ivan 提點渴望創業的師弟妹，進行充分的市場調研是最重要的一環：「當有強烈的市場需求時，你才能創造更大的影響力、幫助更多的人。」他還鼓勵中大生多作嘗試、多犯錯。「永遠不要害怕失敗，因為這有助我們成長。」

Student reporters: Joanne Leung (BBA-JD/2), Kelvin Ng (GBS/2)