Originally published in the 2024 issue of Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Read the full issue here.
Growing up in Hong Kong, Tim Liu '26 spent his primary school years in a local education system that emphasized memorization and high-stakes exams. When he later had the opportunity to attend an international school, Liu was exposed to a learning environment where, in addition to getting good grades, creativity and open-mindedness were also rewarded. "It was a radical shift in teaching philosophy," he says of the transition. "There was more emphasis on seeing things from different perspectives."
Tim Liu '26 and Dylan Kim, LSEHD '26, founders of MLV Ignite
When Liu arrived on the Heights, he became fast friends with Dylan Kim, LSEHD '26. The pair joined the Start@Shea Freshman Innovation Program, where they regularly attended workshops and information sessions hosted by th Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship. Inspired, Liu knew he wanted to provide high school students with similar opportunities for holistic and hands-on education.
Together with Kim, Liu launched MLV (Mầm Lá Việt—which translates to "Vietnamese Leaf Sprouts") Ignite, a two-week program in Kim's home country of Vietnam that guides high schoolers through the steps of developing their own startups. Liu utilizies his finance and entrepreneurship concentrations to act as CFO, while Kim, a computer science and transformative educational studies student, serves as CEO. MLV Ignite was piloted in Winter 2024 and more than 100 students applied for 10 open spots.
"The idea is not for these students to be experts in entrepreneurship," says Liu. To him, it's more about giving them the confidence and resources to explore their business interests more broadly. The first MLV Ignite summer programs will take place in two Vietnamese cities, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and consist of English-language lessons on topics like pitching, revenue generation, and goal-setting.
"We're trying to give students the skills to stand out on their college applications, but also prepare them [for adulthood] through entrepreneurship," Liu says. "The most important thing is to find your passion. That's what we hope to do, give them that passion."
