How a Personal Language Challenge Turned Me into an Entrepreneur

This is a shortened version of Felix's language learning journey, originally published here.

I love to challenge myself. I’ve challenged myself in different fields and the realm of language learning is especially thrilling. In 2018, during my second year at university, I wanted to attend an exchange program to learn a new language. I asked myself: "Five years from now, if I could speak any new language, no matter how difficult the learning process, what language would it be?" Having come across multiple sources highlighting the rising interest towards Mandarin, I thought it would be quite exciting to be able to speak fluent Mandarin. As my university offered an exchange program to Chengdu, I set the goal of applying for that exchange program, and registered for the beginner's course in Mandarin.

Having completed the beginner's course, along with some self-study under my belt, I arrived in Chengdu in August 2019. With some prior knowledge of Mandarin, the student coordinator placed me in the A2-class. As I walked into the classroom for the first time, the whiteboard was filled with Chinese characters. My jaw dropped. Having only completed a few character writing exercises in the past, I wondered whether I had come to the right class. Wanting to test my limits, I mentally slammed my fist onto the table and resolved to learn every single character on the board and ace that course. The course was challenging, with writing and pronunciation proving especially hard.

The warm class atmosphere, the surrounding culture, nature, and friendly people left a deep impression on me, fueling my desire to learn more. As the class progressed, I soon set my eyes on a bigger goal: to apply for a master's degree program taught in Mandarin in Shanghai. In order to do this, I'd would be required to spend more time studying Mandarin, and so I decided to extend my exchange by a further 12 months in Chengdu.

The course in Chengdu concluded in January 2020, and people were gearing up for the Lunar New Year celebration. I traveled to Finland to reunite with my family and awaited the commencement of the new semester. Suddenly, due to the rapid spread of Covid-19, the Chinese borders closed. Exchange students who were spending their holidays abroad found themselves unable to return to China, necessitating a swift and drastic alteration in the teaching plan. Despite the unexpected turn of events, I attended the online lessons and continued my studies. To reach my goal of applying for the master's degree program in Shanghai, I aimed to first pass the Chinese Proficiency Test of HSK 4 and then tackle the HSK 5 exam.

Sampling with language learning methods

In October 2020, I was preparing for the HSK 4 exam. I used flashcards and spaced repetition system to study the vocabulary, completed several mock exams, and focused on my weak areas. During the preparation process, mastering the vocabulary emerged as the most challenging part, requiring a significant amount of time to memorize and retain the 1,200 words.

I passed the HSK 4 with a good score, but I realized that same preparation method would be unsustainable for HSK 5 with the daunting vocabulary of 2,500 words. To ease the burden, I opted for the computer-based HSK 5 exam, which emphasized character recognition over rote memorization. Despite the intense preparation and the less daunting test format, my score fell just shy of the passing mark. I intended to retake the exam, but I acknowledged that the repetition-based method, even with the aid of flashcards and a spaced-repetition system, wasn't cutting it. There had to be a more effective way to learn characters.

While exploring new ways of learning simplified characters, I stumbled upon an unconventional method. The characters were deconstructed into smaller components, akin to disassembling a jigsaw puzzle. Each component had a short story aiding in memorizing both the character's shape and meaning. These components, much like puzzle pieces, were then reassembled, significantly aiding in memorizing the target character. I gave this method a try and, to my astonishment, I was able to learn much faster and easier compared to the repetition-based method.

However, a challenge arose: I had to craft the stories myself. This sparked an idea—what if these stories could be created for others? Moreover, could they be rendered more memorable through visual representation? After finding no similar app online and conducting an experiment with participants that yielded promising results, I was inspired to pursue a new approach to teaching simplified characters: constructing the target character alongside short stories for the user. Thus, the concept for Vividize was born.

Realizing the vision

The more I thought about the potential of Vividize, the more convinced I became that it had to be built. As I was completing my master's degree in business and was thus more inclined towards managing the business side of Vividize, I needed a tech-savvy partner to develop the app.

I reached out to Samuli, my oldest friend, who was studying computer science at the university, and invited him to discuss the business idea. I shared my vision with Samuli in detail, explaining what Vividize was about and how it could revolutionize the way Chinese characters are learned. Having studied Japanese, he immediately grasped the challenges associated with learning Chinese characters that I was referring to. He was intrigued, and thus, we embarked on the journey of developing Vividize together.

After some testing and iteration, the MVP (minimum viable product) of Vividize began taking shape. Vividize was being developed in collaboration with the Chinese language students at Turku University, and the feedback was promising. However, with more questions than answers on business development, Samuli and I were in need of a boost for our startup. After some consultation, we were tipped off about a renowned business accelerator program, Kiuas, located on the campus of Aalto University. We Googled Kiuas, and the program seemed fantastic.

Although we had some hesitations about our startup being in the initial stages, we crafted the most compelling application we could and submitted it before the deadline. To our surprise, we were invited for an interview and Vividize was accepted into the spring batch of 2022. The coaching and insights from multiple mentors provided the boost we were searching for, opening a new avenue for Vividize to develop faster and further.

With Kiuas concluded, and our team expanded, we dedicated the summer to advancing Vividize. As autumn approached, however, our team wasn't yet prepared for full-time commitment. So, I realized that pursuing further education would offer more time flexibility, and provide the opportunity to live in a Chinese-speaking environment. Since Mainland China remained inaccessible due to the pandemic, study programs there were out of the question. Instead, I discovered a program in Hong Kong, specializing in AI and education technology. My application was accepted, paving the way for another immersive experience in Chinese language and culture, albeit this time amidst a Cantonese-speaking environment.

Ready for take-off

Alongside my studies, I discovered that Hong Kong hosted many startup events. One event that caught my eye was a pitching competition organized by the Education University of Hong Kong in partnership with Hong Kong Science Park. Encouraged by our initial customer traction, I registered Vividize and we entered the competition.

I've always been simultaneously nervous and excited to perform in front of a crowd, and this occasion was particularly exciting: to present a new method of learning simplified characters to a jury of native-Mandarin speakers. The pitch resonated well with the judges, earning us a spot among the winners and an invitation to join the ideation program at Hong Kong Science Park. This was yet again a confidence boost for Vividize.

During the spring of 2023, our team had our eyes fixed on the summer launch date, eagerly awaiting the reunion of our team. After completing my studies and concluding my stay in Hong Kong, we resumed our weekly work sessions in Helsinki. With a few final tweaks and edits, Vividize was launched on the 7th of June on Android. As some startup founders say, launching is the beginning of the real learning, and this has been the case for us. The number of downloads has exceeded our expectations, and the excited feedback has been truly encouraging.

At the time of editing this article, Felix is preparing to retake his HSK 5 exam. You can follow his learning journey (with Vividize) on Instagram. You can also practice speaking Mandarin with him on our website.

Felix Leminen