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Katie Fang
Katie Fang
00:41

Katie Fang

SchooLinks

Austin, TX USA

"It’s not about what you have today—it’s about how fast can you acquire the skills that you need to succeed."

Career Roadmap

Katie's work combines: Education, Technology, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Founder & CEO

I lead an education technology company focused on college and career planning.

01:58

Day In The Life Of A CEO Of An Ed Tech Company

My Day to Day

No two days look the same. I bounce between leading strategy, problem-solving across departments, and advocating for our mission. I work closely with districts and volunteer in schools, helping students see their futures. It’s demanding, but I love tackling big challenges and building tools that empower others.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

To start a company, you need to have a strong passion for the thing you want to create. You also need to have a clear vision for how you're going to achieve the goal. And finally, you need to possess the skills to accomplish each step along the way.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Finance

    The University of British Columbia

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I immigrated from Shanghai, China, as a teen, adjusting to a new culture while learning English as my second language.

  • 2.

    I studied economics and finance at the University of British Columbia, but always had a love for computer science.

  • 3.

    After college, I felt frustrated by the lack of personalized college and career planning tools, so I decided to build one.

  • 4.

    Starting SchooLinks was the hardest thing I’ve ever done—no funding, no network, just late nights and YouTube tutorials.

  • 5.

    I coded the first version of SchooLinks myself, learning on the go and solving every technical challenge one by one.

  • 6.

    We pivoted from a student-facing app to a platform that works with entire school districts to maximize impact.

  • 7.

    When the product finally gained traction, I had to shift from founder to leader, hiring execs and building company culture.

  • 8.

    Ten years later, we’ve scaled up to serve over a million students—and we’re not slowing down!