iShow

What iShow does

iShow (爱秀国际英语) is a Hangzhou-headquartered, privately held English language training company founded in 2009 by Zhou Bin (CEO) and Hua Zaixi (Vice President). It operates a multi-brand portfolio centered on a core university English speaking training program using its proprietary LISI teaching method (Listen, Imitate, Show/Perform, Immerse) and "Native-like Learning Method" pedagogy within a "Dual-input & Triple-output" closed-loop system. As of 2025, the group operates 40+ branches across 11 provinces and 12 cities in China, including 15 dedicated university English teaching centers and a recently launched children's quality education vertical (iShow Kids / iShow Animation Drama) targeting ages 3-12. The company has cumulatively served more than 200,000 students.

The product surface is hybrid: offline small-class instruction combined with online 1-on-1 foreign teacher sessions and a digital app layer. The iShow English App provides AI-powered pronunciation correction and conversational dialogue practice; the Fei Liao Bu Ke App offers 24/7 access to live foreign teachers. The company generates revenue through monthly subscriptions across tiered programs (生存英语 for beginners, 探索英语 for advanced learners), with an undisclosed price point positioned as more affordable than larger branded competitors. Distribution is driven by a school-enterprise cooperation channel with multiple Chinese universities, word-of-mouth student referral, free trial classes, and a 300+ teacher talent base (including the iShow Kids division) supported by TESOL certification requirements.

The business is entirely founder-controlled, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or debt financing rounds, no public listing, and no material M&A activity. iShow has instead grown organically and through minority investments in adjacent EdTech projects (英语趣配音, 久伴英语). The group has articulated a "333 strategy" targeting 30 branches serving 30,000 students within 3-5 years, alongside a separate 8-year iShow Kids expansion plan to open 10 kids' schools in every city that hosts an iShow university campus. Notable institutional credentials include National High-tech Enterprise status (2018), TESOL teacher training base designation, APEC Voices of the Future strategic partnership (2016), CCTV10 Star of Hope co-organizer role (2017), and consecutive annual brand awards from 2023-2025.

Name

iShow

Legal name

杭州爱秀云教育科技有限公司

Website

https://ishowedu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

English Language Training Services

NAICS

Language Schools (61163), Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDANACAA

General Language Tutoring (Conversation & Fluency)

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Language Tutoring & Exam Prep

Keywords

• English speaking training
• Language education services
• Youth quality education
• Online learning apps
• Adult English courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Hangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 大学生英语口语培训课程: 线下小班型面授课程辅以线上外教1对1的课程服务
2. 线上英语教育产品: 通过爱秀英语APP和非聊不可APP提供在线学习服务

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

iShow is a Hangzhou-based English language education company that delivers speaking and listening training primarily to Chinese university students through a blended online-offline model. The core product is small-class offline face-to-face instruction paired with online 1-on-1 foreign teacher tutoring via the iShow English APP and 非聊不可APP, using the proprietary LISI method (Listen, Imitate, Show/Perform, Immerse) and a "Native-like Learning Method" with a Dual-input & Triple-output closed loop. The company also operates a children's quality education brand (iShow Kids) offering drama-based programs for ages 3-12.

Product overview

iShow (爱秀) is a comprehensive English education organization founded in 2009, operating a multi-brand portfolio centered on English speaking training. The core offering is 爱秀国际英语 (iShow International English) for university students, featuring the proprietary '类母语学习法' (Native-like Learning Method) and '双维输入&三维输出' (Dual-input & Triple-output) teaching system. This is complemented by 爱秀素质成长中心, a children's quality education brand offering 爱秀动漫戏剧 programs for ages 3-12. Digital learning products include 爱秀英语APP (AI-powered speaking practice with pronunciation correction) and 非聊不可APP (24/7 1-on-1 foreign teacher tutoring). The company has established over 40 branches across 11+ provinces in China, serving 200,000+ students with both offline campus-based and online learning solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 爱秀英语APP (iShow English App): Mobile app for after-class English learning, featuring AI pronunciation correction, dialogue practice, and gamified learning modules.
• 非聊不可APP (Fei Liao Bu Ke)
• iShow爱秀动漫戏剧 (iShow Animation & Drama)

Products and services

• iShow International English (爱秀国际英语) — University Student Speaking Training Core English speaking and listening training program for Chinese university students, delivered through small offline classes (中教小班) supplemented by 1-on-1 online foreign teacher sessions (外教1对1). Uses the proprietary 类母语学习法 (Native-like Learning Method) and 双维输入&三维输出 (Dual-input & Triple-output) closed loop, creating a pure English immersion environment. Courses are tiered (生存英语, 探索英语) and offered on monthly subscriptions.
• iShow Quality Growth Center (爱秀素质成长中心) — iShow Kids Children's quality education (素质教育) brand for ages 3-12, offering drama-based, art, and dance programs. Uses theatrical elements to create student-centered experiential learning environments, focusing on social skills, creativity, imagination, teamwork, and confident personality development. Operates 40+ direct campuses and 200+ franchise campuses.
• iShow English APP (爱秀英语APP) Mobile learning application providing AI-powered pronunciation correction, phrase practice, short sentence shadowing, and scenario-based dialogues. Contains 1000+ practical English conversation scenarios with AI-driven 1-on-1 tutoring support for after-class practice.
• 非聊不可 APP (Fei Liao Bu Ke) — Foreign Teacher Tutoring App 24-hour real foreign teacher tutoring app enabling 1-on-1 video English conversations for practical speaking practice and English logic development. Students can practice English with native speakers at any time, complementing the offline classroom experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 累计帮助超过20万学员提高英语口语水平
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 上海应用技术大学coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026爱秀教育签约成为上海应用技术大学外国语学院学生就业创业实习实践基地
• 华南女子职业学院minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2026iShow校企合作项目进入华南女子职业学院开展校园招聘
• 上海对外经贸大学coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 November 2025iShow与上海对外经贸大学建立校企合作关系，开展人才输送合作
• 浙江外国语学院coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2025iShow校企合作项目进入浙江外国语学院开展校园招聘活动
• 广西民族大学coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2025爱秀教育签约成为广西民族大学实践教育基地，开展校企合作人才共育
• 樊登读书会minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018iShow于2018年成为樊登读书会官方指定合作机构
• CCTV10科教频道希望之星coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017iShow于2017年成为CCTV10科教频道希望之星英语风采大赛复赛承办方，同年成为TESOL国际英语教师实习就业基地
• APEC未来之声coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016iShow于2016年成为APEC未来之声战略合作伙伴，通过承办赛事选拔中国优秀青年参加APEC会议
• 英语趣配音minorOthersiShow投资的项目之一
• 久伴英语minorOthersiShow投资的项目之一

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First (英孚教育): Global English language training company with a large offline presence in China targeting adult and young-adult learners; directly comparable in product (immersive English oral training) and GTM (offline centers + online) though at materially larger scale.
• TAL Education Group (好未来 / Xueersi): Major publicly-listed Chinese education company with a strong AI-enabled learning platform and a content-heavy curriculum; relevant peer given its scale, AI tutoring investment, and Chinese-language market overlap, though its core K-12 focus is broader than iShow's college niche.
• New Oriental Education & Technology Group (新东方): Largest private education company in China with a deep English-language training legacy (including adult and college-student segments via its 'Boshi Oral English' lineage) and a Koolearn online arm; comparable to iShow in core subject matter but vastly larger, publicly listed, and now retooled around K-9 after regulatory shifts.

Direct peers

• 51Talk (无忧英语): Listed Chinese online English tutoring platform focused on 1-on-1 foreign teacher sessions at accessible price points; directly comparable to iShow's Fei Liao Bu Ke 1-on-1 offering in delivery model, target customer (mass-market Chinese learners), and subscription economics.
• Wall Street English (华尔街英语): Global premium offline English training brand with significant China presence, focusing on adult spoken-English curriculum; comparable to iShow International English in the brick-and-mortar adult English segment and immersive teaching methodology.
• Liulishuo (流利说 / English Liulishuo): AI-driven English speaking and oral-tutoring app targeting Chinese adult learners with subscription pricing; directly comparable to iShow's iShow English App and Fei Liao Bu Ke 1-on-1 product in both ICP (Chinese learners seeking spoken fluency) and AI-tutoring approach.
• English Corner / RISE Education (瑞思教育): Chinese English-language education provider with both offline and online products targeting children through adult learners; relevant peer given overlap in subject (English oral training), blended online/offline delivery, and Chinese market presence.
• VIPKid (VIPKID / 米雯娟): Online 1-on-1 North-American-tutor English platform historically focused on Chinese children, pivoted to adult/career learners after regulatory changes; comparable to iShow Kids and to the Fei Liao Bu Ke model in delivery format and Chinese learner ICP.

Emerging players

• Koolearn (新东方在线): New Oriental's online education arm offering university-targeted English courses and live classes; comparable to iShow's college-segment online product line and an emerging threat in the same Chinese university-student ICP.
• Squirrel AI (松鼠AI / 乂学教育): AI-driven adaptive learning company in China that has expanded into English oral tutoring; comparable to iShow in its use of AI for personalized speaking practice and as a representative of the AI-native competitive threat to traditional oral-training models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about iShow