Start before you are allowed
TL;DR – I grew up in rural China with second-hand hardware and zero safety nets. The mentors who finally “saw” me changed my life—and later let me invest in Polygon, Avalanche, Axie Infinity, and other breakouts. Today I’m wiring US \$10,000 grants to immigrant and under-resourced teens worldwide who are ready to build in AI, Web3, or connected hardware *before* anyone says they’re qualified. Below is the essay—part origin story, part open invitation.
“Every great business is built around a secret that’s hidden from the outside.” - Peter Thiel
This line rings loud because it’s true twice over: first for the company you’ll one day create, and again for *you*—the underestimated kid no résumé can capture. I was that kid: born in provincial China, the son of a psychiatrist and a neurosurgeon who still lived paycheck-to-paycheck in a planned economy. My first “lab” was a gray-market PC running pirated DOS; my “cloud” was the neighbor’s dial-up I begged to share.
Crossing Borders, Building Fast
When we immigrated, I spoke rough English and owned one suitcase. What I did have was urgency: no network, no capital, therefore no time to wait. That pressure turned into pace, and pace turned into shipping. Years later that same bias let me back founders who wired entire industries on-chain long before the market called them “blue-chip.”
Why Now—The Data Behind the Intuition
* Immigrants already build the unicorns. 55 % of U.S. billion-dollar startups have at least one immigrant founder. ([nfap.com][2])
* And the giants. 46 % of the 2024 Fortune 500 trace back to immigrants or their children. ([americanimmigrationcouncil.org][3])
* Capital is tilting hard to our domains. AI absorbed 37 % of all venture funding last year, an all-time high. ([cbinsights.com][4]) Crypto funding jumped 40 % to US \$4.9 B in Q1 2025 alone. ([cryptoslate.com][5])
* Teen builders are everywhere. Hack Club now coordinates hundreds of hackathons across 22 countries, serving more than 40 000 teens. ([hackathons.hackclub.com][6], [hiring.hackclub.com][7])
In short: the market is ready; the talent is underpriced; the only missing variable is a first cheque—and the belief it represents.
Philosophical Spine
“If you want to create and capture lasting value, look to build a monopoly.” ([csun.edu][8])
“The power law means that differences between companies will dwarf the differences inside companies.” ([goodreads.com][9])
“Definite optimism works when you build the future you envision.” ([boxkitemachine.net][10])
These Peter Thiel reminders guide our scholarship: find your secret, plan a definite future, then attack a market so big you might one day own it. One breakout winner justifies every bet we make.
KWS Mechanics
1. US \$10,000 Grant – wired directly to the builder, not the school.
2. Monthly Office Hours – with me and founders from my network, to translate theory into traction.
3. Peer Network – a private Discord of global teens who ship more than they talk.
4. Follow-On Capital – up to US \$250,000 from Symbolic Capital once you show real users or on-chain adoption.
Who Should Apply?
* Ages 15 – 19, anywhere on Earth.
* Immigrant, first-gen, refugee, or simply resource-constrained.
* Building (or itching to build) in AI, Web3, or connected hardware.
* Grit outranks GPA; prototypes outrank slide decks.
How to Apply
1. Record a 2-minute video (any language + English subtitles) explaining your secret and showing the earliest prototype.
2. Attach a **one-pager**—GitHub link, CAD file, smart-contract address—whatever proves you’re already in motion.
3. Submit. You’ll hear back in 14 days; speed is our first filter.