What Yuanfudao does

Yuanfudao (猿辅导), legally Beijing Yuanli Technology Co., Ltd. (北京猿力科技有限公司), is a Beijing-headquartered private online education company founded in 2012 that operates a multi-product K-12 tutoring ecosystem in China. Its portfolio spans six sub-brands: the flagship Yuanfudao Suyang Course (猿辅导素养课) for interactive live instruction, Zebra AI Learning (斑马AI学) and Haitun AI Learning (海豚AI学) for AI-driven adaptive learning, Xiaoyuan Kousuan (小猿口算) for image-recognition math homework verification, Xiaoyuan Search (小猿搜题) for question lookup, and Yuan Coding (猿编程) for children's programming education. The company has historically combined proprietary AI capabilities—including NLP systems ranked #1 globally on Microsoft MSMarco machine reading comprehension and Stanford question-answering benchmarks in 2019—with a multi-app consumer distribution strategy.

The company's technology stack centers on its Yuanfudao AI Research Institute, which built machine reading comprehension, question answering, recommendation, and computer vision capabilities and open-sourced more than five self-developed technologies. Distribution runs through mobile apps on iOS/Android and the yuanfudao.com web platform, with brand awareness amplified through high-visibility partnerships: official sponsorship of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, exclusive partnership with Jiangsu TV's "Brain of China" (最强大脑), and content placement on the state-affiliated Xuexi Qiangguo (学习强国) platform. Content collaborations span Oxford University Press (two consecutive Gold Partner awards), the Central Conservatory of Music, and Chinese Academy of Sciences physicists.

Revenue is generated through subscription-based course fees paid by individual consumers—primarily parents of K-12 students—across Yuanfudao's app portfolio. Yuanfudao has raised cumulative funding of approximately $4.0 billion, making it the second-best-funded EdTech startup globally behind BYJU'S, with Tencent as a core strategic investor since 2016 and additional capital from Warburg Pincus, Matrix Partners China, Hillhouse, IDG Capital, DST Global, Temasek, GIC, and others. Following China's 2021 Double Reduction policy restricting for-profit K-9 academic tutoring, the company has visibly reoriented its flagship product toward literacy/quality (素养) courses and AI learning, the segments least affected by the regulations.

Name

Yuanfudao

Legal name

Beijing Yuanli Technology Co., Ltd. (北京猿力科技有限公司)

Website

https://yuanfudao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Yuanfudao is a Beijing-based private K-12 online education company operating six consumer apps (live tutoring, AI adaptive learning, homework search, math verification, and children's coding) for Chinese students, historically backed by Tencent and approximately $4 billion in cumulative funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online K-12 Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group & Class-Based Live Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAB), Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA), Curriculum & Instruction Effectiveness Analytics (Content Efficacy, A/B Testing) (EDAFAFAH), Robotics Learning Platforms (EDAFANAB)

Keywords

• K-12 online education
• AI adaptive learning
• Live online tutoring
• Educational technology platform
• Homework help tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Online Education Courses: Subscription-based online courses for K-12 students including interactive web classes, intelligent practice sessions, and ability training programs. Revenue generated through course fees for its suite of education products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Yuanfudao operates a multi-brand K-12 online education ecosystem in China, delivering interactive live online courses, AI-powered adaptive learning, homework help, math practice, and coding education through mobile apps and web platforms. The portfolio spans six distinct products (Yuanfudao Suyang Course, Zebra AI Learning, Little Yuan Arithmetic, Little Yuan Search, Yuan Coding, Dolphin AI Learning) serving Chinese primary through high school students.

Product overview

Yuanfudao (北京猿力科技有限公司) operates a multi-product online education ecosystem comprising six distinct brands. The flagship 猿辅导素养课 provides interactive live online courses with smart practice capabilities, while 斑马AI学 and 海豚AI学 deliver AI-powered adaptive learning experiences. Supporting products include 小猿口算 (math arithmetic verification via image recognition), 小猿搜题 (question search and solving), and 猿编程 (coding education). The portfolio serves K-12 students across China with personalized, technology-driven education services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yuanfudao Literacy Course (猿辅导素养课): Comprehensive literacy and quality education courses for students focusing on systematic knowledge and capability development
• Zebra AI Learning (斑马AI学)
• Xiaoyuan Kousuan (小猿口算)
• Yuan Coding (猿编程)
• Haitun AI Learning (海豚AI学)
• Xiaoyuan Search (小猿搜题)

Products and services

• Yuanfudao Suyang Course (猿辅导素养课)

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ students attended a single live class with brain champion Wang Feng
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Yuanfudao was awarded 'Oxford Science and Technology Innovation Gold Partner' by Oxford University Press, recognizing its technological innovation in education. This was the second consecutive year of recognition.
• Central Conservatory of MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborated with Professor Chen Xiaolong from Central Conservatory of Music to develop the 'Classical Music Enlightenment Course' which was recommended on the government platform 学习强国.
• Jiangsu TV (最强大脑)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Exclusive online education partnership with Jiangsu TV's 'Brain of China' (最强大脑) program. Launched custom courses including 'Elementary Math Ability Training Camp' and hosted brain training content with memory champions.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (物理所)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Three scientists from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted science popularization live streams on the Yuanfudao platform, attracting over 100,000 K-12 students.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zuoyebang (作业帮): Closest direct competitor to Yuanfudao in Chinese K-12 online tutoring and homework help, with a similar multi-app portfolio and AI-driven learning stack. Operates in the same regulatory environment and has undergone a parallel post-Double Reduction pivot.
• Squirrel AI (松鼠AI / 乂学教育): China-based AI adaptive learning platform for K-12 students, directly comparable on the AI-personalization thesis that Yuanfudao markets. Smaller scale but a focused direct competitor in AI-driven tutoring.
• iHuman Inc. (洪恩教育): Public Chinese children's education company focused on interactive, AI-enhanced learning apps for early childhood and primary students. Direct peer to Yuanfudao's 斑马AI学 and 海豚AI学 in the AI-driven kids learning category.
• BYJU'S: Indian K-12 and test-prep EdTech giant — global #1 by cumulative funding and the only EdTech with more capital raised than Yuanfudao. Comparable in AI-driven K-12 tutoring thesis, scale of capital, and post-pandemic business-model pressure.
• Koolearn (新东方在线): Listed online education arm of New Oriental and a direct peer in live K-12 courses, university test prep, and AI-augmented learning products in China. A useful comparable for public-market valuation benchmarking against Yuanfudao's private multiples.

Broad incumbents

• TAL Education Group / Xueersi (好未来 / 学而思): One of China's largest K-12 education companies and Yuanfudao's most formidable incumbent competitor. Like Yuanfudao, TAL has pivoted aggressively into AI and 素养 offerings after Double Reduction, with deeper resources and an established 学而思 brand.
• New Oriental Education & Technology Group (新东方): Largest traditional Chinese education conglomerate and a peer in the post-Double Reduction pivot to K-12 素养/AI products, adult learning, and live e-commerce. Comparable in scale, brand, and the regulatory pressure it has navigated.
• NetEase Youdao (有道): Public Chinese EdTech and AI subsidiary of NetEase with a K-12 product suite (Youdao Premium Courses, Youdao Dictionary, AI-learning tools) that competes with several of Yuanfudao's apps including AI学 and coding.
• ByteDance Education (Dali Education / 清北网校): Education arm of ByteDance, which has scaled K-12 live courses and AI learning products with unmatched traffic distribution from Douyin/TikTok. A direct competitor pre-Double Reduction and a structural threat to Yuanfudao's user-acquisition economics.

Regional players

• 17zuoye (一起作业 / UStalk): China-based K-12 online homework and learning platform with strong school-channel distribution. Comparable as a regional EdTech peer in the same Chinese K-12 regulatory environment, though narrower in product scope than Yuanfudao.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds11 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yuanfudao