Imagine scaling a startup to a million users in mere months, without spending a dime on growth. Sounds like a myth, right? For Yanjia (YJ) Guo, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer of Mathos AI, it’s just another day at the office.
From a teenage startup venture that taught him hard lessons to the cutting-edge AI-powered math platform he’s building today, Yanjia (YJ) Guo’s journey is a masterclass in how one can turn their vision into reality.
At Mathos AI, Yanjia (YJ) Guo’s leadership is defined by a strategic focus on innovation and efficiency. His approach emphasizes AI-driven solutions for math education, achieving rapid user growth through organic strategies. His vision centers on creating impactful learning experiences, prioritizing user value over immediate profit—emerging as one of The Most Iconic Business Leaders To Watch In 2025.
A Vision for Innovation
When asked about the responsibilities of a business leader, Yanjia Guo emphasized the importance of innovation and adaptability.
“I think for the business leader, one of the most important aspects is that the leader must be innovative or must be open-minded to explore new opportunities—not just in the market, but in society as well,” Yanjia Guo explains.
He highlights the impact of AI in reshaping industries and the need for leaders to embrace technological advancements. “This is a great opportunity, and we have AI/LLMs in our hands. As business leaders, we must be aware of what we can do and be open to exploring new areas with the technology that we never had before.”
For Yanjia Guo, leadership is about staying ahead of the curve, understanding emerging trends, and leveraging technology to drive change.
A Journey Through Entrepreneurship
Reflecting on his professional journey, Yanjia Guo, Co-Founder and CGO of Mathos AI, shared key milestones that shaped his career.
“It’s a long story, but I’ll just pick some of the key points,” Yanjia Guo begins.
His entrepreneurial path started early when, as a sophomore in the U.S., he took a two-year gap from college to launch his first business. “I was building a platform for e-commerce like Amazon, but targeting a niche market,” he recalls. However, at just 19 years old, he acknowledges, “I didn’t have enough professional experience or understanding of running a business from zero to one.”
After struggling for over a year, the venture eventually failed, leading him back to complete his degree.
Determined to refine his business acumen, Yanjia Guo joined an early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. “I wanted to put myself in the investor’s shoes, to see how they evaluate startups and what makes a company successful,” he explains. The role exposed him to emerging technologies in TMT, broadening his perspective on startup viability.
Following his tenure in venture capital, Yanjia Guo transitioned to the startup world. He joined an edtech company focused on helping students learn to code and break into the tech industry. “We didn’t raise funding, but we generated tens of million in gross revenue in a year,” he says, emphasizing the success of the company’s monetization strategies despite a small team of 15 to 20 people. In this fast-paced environment, he took on multiple roles beyond his title of Growth Product Manager. “During that period, I did everything except coding—sales, product management, data analytics, growth campaigns—both online and offline,” he shares.
Seeking experience in a more structured corporate setting, Yanjia Guo then joined Chegg, a Nasdaq-listed edtech company. “I wanted to understand how a mature business operates,” he says. Working alongside teams in engineering, marketing, sales, and machine learning, he gained insights into large-scale operations. He played a crucial role in the analytics and growth of a product Chegg had acquired for over $100 million, which served more than 60 million users globally.
After three years at Chegg, Yanjia Guo felt ready to embark on his next venture. He operated 0-to-1 GTM strategies for an AI tool that helps people in their careers, achieving $1M ARR within just six months for his prior product, without any marketing spend. Then in 2024, he started a new entrepreneur journey with Mathos AI as a co-founder and chief growth officer.
“As Chief Growth Officer, I’m in charge of our entire growth strategy and execution,” he states. The company’s rapid success speaks for itself: “In just a few months, we grew from a few thousand visitors to over one million monthly active users—organically, without any marketing costs.”
His journey—from a young entrepreneur to a venture capitalist, startup leader, and now a tech innovator—demonstrates his relentless pursuit of learning, adaptability, and growth.
Driving Growth from Zero to One
One of the most remarkable achievements of Yanjia Guo’s startup journey has been the ability to scale a company from inception to a thriving business in an exceptionally efficient manner. As a co-founder and the driving force behind growth and monetization, Yanjia Guo played a pivotal role in designing and implementing a strategic mix of growth channels.
Despite operating with a small team—where the growth division consisted of just Yanjia Guo and a few interns—the company successfully reached one million monthly active users, all without incurring any marketing costs.
A Team Built for Innovation and Efficiency
Yanjia Guo attributes much of the company’s success to the strength and expertise of his team. Despite being small in size, the team operates with exceptional efficiency, demonstrating that productivity is not merely a function of numbers but of skill, experience, and a shared mission.
The founding team is composed of experts across various domains, including AI research, machine learning, large language models, engineering, and product monetization. Yanjia Guo himself is a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of scaling products to remarkable milestones. His previous ventures have achieved over a million in ARR within just six months—without any marketing spend. Similarly, the current product reached one million monthly active users in just a few months through strategic growth initiatives.
What sets this team apart is its ability to execute. They are not first-time founders—they are seasoned professionals with industry recognition, deeply committed to building something meaningful.
Transforming Math Education with AI
Yanjia Guo and his team is redefining how students approach mathematics through its AI-powered learning platform. Designed for students struggling with math, the platform serves as both an intelligent solver and a personalized tutor. Unlike traditional math calculators or generic AI chatbots, this platform offers step-by-step, customized explanations tailored to the student’s unique learning style.
By analyzing user behavior, the AI tutor adapts its approach, ensuring that each student receives explanations in the most effective way for them. Whether tackling calculus, algebra, or any other math topic, learners benefit from a highly interactive and supportive experience. Over the past few months, the platform has gained significant traction, with students and educators alike recognizing its transformative potential.
Looking ahead, Yanjia Guo and his team are focused on expanding the platform’s capabilities. Future developments will enhance its personalization features and extend its functionality to schools, teachers, and parents, enabling a more holistic approach to math education. Ultimately, the company envisions itself as a pioneer in AI-driven education, reshaping how people learn—not just in math but across all disciplines—by making personalized learning more efficient, comfortable, and affordable.
Overcoming Challenges in a Competitive Market
Breaking into the AI-powered education space was no easy feat. The industry—dominated by established players—was already saturated with tools designed to assist students in solving math problems. Entering such a competitive market as a startup with limited resources posed a significant challenge for Yanjia Guo and his team.
Unlike larger companies with extensive funding and vast development teams, Yanjia Guo’s startup had to start from scratch, building its product without the same financial or operational backing. However, instead of being discouraged, he saw this as an opportunity to differentiate themselves. By focusing on refining its product and ensuring that its AI-powered tutor provides a superior learning experience compared to existing solutions, the company carved out a unique space in the market.
“Our approach is different,” Yanjia Guo explains. “When students use our platform, they don’t just receive an answer—they get a customized, highly accurate, curriculum-aligned, step-by-step explanation tailored to their learning style. The results they get here are better than what they would get from dedicated AI tutor or traditional math solvers.”
Despite the ongoing competition, Yanjia Guo remains optimistic about the future. He acknowledges that AI is rapidly reshaping education, and new challenges will always arise. However, his team’s ability to innovate and deliver real value to students is what fuels their confidence. “We are excited about the competition. It pushes us to continuously improve, making our platform even more effective for students and educators alike.”
The Driving Force Behind Long-Standing Success
At the heart of the company’s success lies a powerful combination of cutting-edge technology, deep market expertise, and a visionary team. The Falcon team, as they call themselves, is composed of three co-founders, each bringing a unique skill set to the table.
One co-founder specializes in advanced AI technology, focusing on how large language models (LLMs) can revolutionize math tutoring. Its AI-powered platform stands out for its precision, achieving higher accuracy rate in solving math problems compared to large language models like ChatGPT. This technological edge ensures that students receive the correct answers that are highly personalized, with step-by-step explanations tailored to their learning styles.
The second pillar of its success is market expertise, driven by Yanjia Guo himself. With years of experience in the technology sector, user growth strategies, and business development, he understands how to take a product from concept to market dominance. Having worked across startups and major companies, Yanjia Guo has played a key role in scaling products to serve millions of users globally.
The third factor is a relentless focus on growth and sustainability. The team doesn’t just develop AI tools, it builds solutions that truly enhance the learning experience. By blending technological innovation with deep industry knowledge, they have created a platform that continues to evolve, offering students and educators an unparalleled level of support.
“For us, success isn’t just about launching a product—it’s about continuously refining it to stay ahead of the curve,” Yanjia Guo explains.
“Our team’s expertise in AI, education, and business growth is what keeps us at the forefront of this industry.”
A User-Centric Approach
The company’s flagship product is an advanced AI-powered math tutor designed to provide students with a highly personalized and interactive learning experience. Unlike generic AI models that offer direct answers without much context, this platform takes a student-centric approach, ensuring learners grasp the underlying concepts behind each problem.
“What sets us apart is our ability to offer precise, step-by-step explanations tailored to the student’s needs,” Yanjia Guo explains. “Many existing solutions, including major AI tools, can solve math problems, but they don’t necessarily teach. Our platform bridges that gap.”
By leveraging large language models (LLMs) and cutting-edge AI technologies, the company’s product offers:
- Accurate, Step-by-Step Explanations – Instead of simply providing an answer, the AI breaks down complex problems into easy-to-follow steps, helping students understand the logic behind mathematical solutions.
- Personalized Learning – The platform adapts to each student’s learning style, offering explanations based on their level of comprehension.
- Enhanced Engagement – The AI tutor ensures that students stay actively involved in the learning process, fostering a problem-solving mindset rather than reliance on automated solutions.
Through this approach, the company has created a tool that assists students in solving math problems while empowering them to develop strong analytical skills. This focus on education rather than mere computation is what sets the platform apart in an increasingly competitive market.
The Future of AI-Powered Education
The company has an ambitious vision to expand its impact in the education sector. While its core product—a highly accurate and user-friendly AI-powered math solver and tutor—continues to grow, the company is also exploring new opportunities to serve a broader audience.
“In the next period, we aim to scale our user base while enhancing our core features,” Yanjia Guo shares. “Our mission remains the same: Bring Joy and Confidence to Math Learning.”
To achieve this, the company is working on expanding its product offerings beyond individual learners. Future developments include:
- Tools for Educators – Enhancing AI-powered features tailored for schools and professors to provide personalized educational resources, making classroom instruction more efficient and effective.
- Support for Parents – Creating solutions that empower parents to guide and support their children’s learning journey with tailored insights and recommendations.
- Advanced AI Learning Models – Continuously refining the platform’s AI capabilities to ensure even greater accuracy, personalization, and adaptability for users at all levels.
Regardless of the audience—students, educators, or parents—the company’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: to revolutionize math education through AI-driven, intuitive learning experiences.
Advice for Aspiring Business Leaders
For those looking to build and lead successful businesses, Yanjia Guo emphasizes the importance of prioritizing purpose over profit. While financial success is crucial for growth and sustainability, he believes that focusing solely on monetization can hinder a company’s long-term impact.
“As a business leader, your primary goal shouldn’t just be making money,” Yanjia Guo explains. “Of course, financial returns matter—they help you scale and grow. But if your sole focus is on revenue, you risk losing sight of what truly makes a business thrive: solving a real problem for your target users.”
Instead, he advises budding entrepreneurs to ask themselves two key questions:
- Is my product solving a real problem?
- Am I solving it in the best possible way?
By prioritizing innovation and user experience, businesses naturally create value, leading to sustainable growth and profitability. “Once you truly understand and address your customers’ needs, success follows as a byproduct,” he adds.
Having built and scaled multiple ventures, Yanjia (YJ) Guo’s advice is rooted in experience. For him, true leadership comes from a relentless commitment to improving lives through meaningful products and services—money, in turn, becomes the natural outcome of a business well-run.
