I can guarantee you that nothing you’ve ever done in the bathroom is as productive as what one Indiana teenager was able to pull off. 😉

In today’s issue:

📊 Flash poll: Should entrepreneurship be taught in school?

🚽 This kid rocks: He started an empire from a high school bathroom.

📉 Notable nibbles: Teen vape use is down, private school tuition is also down (to free in some cases), and yet another mystery is discovered about the brains of teenage girls.

^{FLASH POLL}

^{THIS KID ROCKS}

He started an empire from a high school bathroom

While most kids were navigating bathroom passes, Eric Zhu was using the toilet stalls at his Indiana high school as an office.

And it worked. Well, sort of. 😬

He got banned from his school’s bathroom, but not before landing serious clients, and raking in $2.3 million in seed funding.

What started as pandemic-era boredom, joining Discord groups with tech bigwigs like Sam Altman, turned into a venture machine. 

Eric’s first company, Esocial, was sold in under a year. 🤯

Then came Aviato (a nod to the hilarious HBO show Silicon Valley). It’s a platform promising to outshine Crunchbase and PitchBook by giving private market players better analytical tools.

With investors like SoftBank, Eric turned skeptics into believers. 

Venture Capitalist Eric Bahn, who funded Eric after a bizarre bathroom Zoom pitch, admits he thought his $3,000 investment was literally going down the toilet. 

Fast forward three years — Eric now leads a team of serious execs, including a former LendingTree product head.

At just 17, Eric is in San Francisco, balancing high school (online), his company, and his venture fund. 

His mom might still want him to be a doctor, but Eric’s aiming higher — he’s building an empire. 👊

^{NOTABLE NIBBLES}

I’ve got my finger on the pulse of stories that matter to you 👇️

🎨 Why isn’t everyone doing this?: These teachers are creating cozy classrooms that kids never want to leave.

🎤 Hip hop curriculum battle: Drake isn’t the only one with a Kendrick Lamar beef — this English teacher is not a fan of rap lyrics in the classroom.

🏫 Yep, I can afford that: Some of the most prestigious prep schools are lowering their tuition — to free.

🧠 Well, this is puzzling: The pandemic lockdowns caused teen girls’ brains to age more rapidly than normal — but not boys.

🌳 Learning, lounging, and lots of green: A list of the most beautiful college quads.

📉 I’d have to agree: Teen vape use has plummeted, and the FDA is calling it a “monumental win”.

🥰 Watch: The happiest haircut you’ve ever seen.

🎓 ICYMI: The 2025 college rankings — explained.

Hope you enjoyed today’s issue!

Until next time,

Ivy

CEO — Prequel

Follow my journey on LinkedIn