From Stanford and Google Gemini to YZi Labs: What Truly Inspires Jing Xiong

Author: Jing X., Investment Director, YZi Labs

After spending 7 years at Stanford working on projects in the intersection computer vision and neuroscience and 6 years at Google on various cutting edge products like Lens, Document AI, and Gemini, I thought I knew what to expect when joining YZi Labs，CZ’s $10bn family office: to back ambitious AI founders, bold ideas, which will change the world for good.

But nothing quite prepared me for what I found behind Giggle Academy. Away from the spotlight, there’s a passionate team – backed by CZ’s commitment to free education and his personal investment – working quietly to build this fun learning platform for kids. At its heart, Giggle Academy is a source of hope for children who might otherwise be left behind by traditional education systems.

Giggle Academy is a personal mission for CZ, and the mission is simple: to provide completely free, accessible education to kids - especially in areas where schooling is either unaffordable or unavailable. The goal is to help them find a job later in life by giving them the education needed.

I first learned about it in a meeting alongside CZ with an early-stage startup team in video generation, as CZ explained why he built Giggle Academy: “I’m approaching 50. Not that young, not that old. I still have energy. So I asked myself: what’s my next journey? I want to do something that can make a difference to the world.”

CZ shared his observation that for young kids, if content is animated well and music is fun, the kids' attention are naturally drawn in it. They want to watch and learn. The app currently focuses on early childhood education, but the longer-term goal is to provide enough foundational learning so that the missed out education can be compensated here and the kids can build skills, gain knowledge and ultimately be qualified for job opportunities.

On my first day using the app, it pulled me back to my own childhood, sitting with a BBK study machine, turning English flashcards into a game. The excitement of unlocking each new level stayed with me, and it made me realize just how powerful, engaging, interactive learning can be.

As I explored the app, I realized how I could help: by turning static storybooks into animated videos. I built a prototype that is being productionized by creating a workflow with  speech-to-text, multimodal LLM, and video generation models to make learning faster, better, and more fun for kids. Along the way, I’m also bringing in AI startups in edtech and content generation, as well as top talent, to accelerate the path of free education for the underprivileged. 

What sets Giggle Academy apart is its spirit of giving - CZ is allocating 3 billion dollars into this project. The app is, and always will be, completely free. In his own words, “it is wonderful if a child is to give back later, but if not, it is fine too.” 

If we can deliver this free, high-quality platform to children at scale, we can fundamentally change the lives of millions who lack access to education. Our initial focus is on early childhood, giving young learners the foundational skills – like reading, writing, and basic math – that are essential for future success. As we grow, our vision is to expand Giggle Academy’s content to cover the entire K-12 curriculum, so that any child, anywhere, can progress through every stage of their education, regardless of their circumstances.

“Die Luft der Freiheit weht” — “The wind of freedom blows.” This spirit, deeply rooted in Stanford’s identity, resonates with me as I work on the Giggle Academy project alongside CZ and the team. I can’t wait to see the freedom of accessing education reach the children who need it most. I’m so happy to be part of YZi Labs, where I’m not only writing checks to the founders who’re changing the world, but I’m also part of the journey of building the products and technologies to make the world better and more equal, brick by brick.