[Power K-Women] "In the Age of AI, It Is Important to Have Kindness That Contributes to the Community"

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Isuin Enuma CEO Striving to Bridge Educational Gaps with Digital Technology
Mother of a Child with Disabilities... Developing Software Usable by Children with Learning Delays
"In an Era Where Communication with Machines Is Key... The Heart to Help Others Matters"

"I was once taken aback to learn that a service created to reduce educational disparities was being used for advanced learning. But whether a child has a disability or is engaged in advanced learning, the difficulties they face at school are not that different. What matters is creating a better today than yesterday."

Su-in Lee, CEO of Enuma, is a mother of a child with a disability. Enuma started from the idea of creating software for children in situations like her own child’s. Now, not only special schools but also children in developing countries and kids who want to enjoy studying both domestically and internationally seek out Enuma’s 'Todo.' Todo is an educational program that supports basic education for preschoolers, early elementary students, and children with slower learning speeds. It focuses on providing successful experiences by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology into game design. Enuma offers content in English, math, and Hangul. In particular, 'Todo Math' has ranked number one in app stores in over 20 countries worldwide and has been downloaded 11 million times. Lee said, "I wanted to reduce the pain of repetition and failure for children who find learning difficult. You can’t suddenly make an elementary student solve middle or high school math problems, but even if they work on second-grade math problems for 4 to 5 years, it won’t be painful."

Lee’s life path changed when she went to the United States to give birth to her first child, where her husband was studying abroad at the time. The trigger for planning a program for children with developmental disabilities was a doctor’s remark. Lee said, "When the doctor who was taking care of my first child heard that I was a game designer, he said, ‘This is a technology needed even for children with disabilities.’ When I saw my child quickly solving teaching aids and puzzles during special education, I thought it would be good to receive cognitive training through smart devices."

She began developing the product based on the idea that touchscreens are easy for children with disabilities to operate. In 2012, Lee co-founded Enuma in Silicon Valley with her husband, who was a game programmer. She emphasized, "Games and education are often seen as opposites, but they share the commonality of being digital activities that influence people."

Lee Su-in, CEO of Enuma. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Although she became widely known as a businesswoman, the struggles of being a 'mom founder' did not disappear. In 2019, when Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, offered a $15 million prize for the 'Global Learning XPRIZE,' Enuma won the final round. The challenge was to develop software that could teach illiterate children in Tanzania to read, write, and do arithmetic over 15 months. However, the project deadline was only 14 days away from her second child’s due date. Lee recalled, "I was very worried that if the baby was born early, two key personnel would have to leave, and the project might be halted." She added, "I was all in on the business, but I worried about being misunderstood as having a child just to find personal happiness. I could only tell people I was going to give birth exactly one week before delivery."

Lee confessed that she never imagined herself as a role model for anyone. Instead, she gained motivation from those who encouraged her around her. She said, "In the past, I often thought, ‘Who am I to do this?’ I was always hesitant to show myself to others, but fortunately, many people around me said, ‘If not you, then who?’"

"I want to say, ‘You are enough.’ In Korea, people are especially sensitive to others’ reactions. When I said I was making software for children with disabilities, in the U.S., people said, ‘That’s great,’ but in Korea, the response was, ‘If the child is sick, the mother should take care of the child.’ New role models keep emerging in the world. It’s important to develop the habit of believing you can do it. Or at least surround yourself with many such people."

Lee emphasized that Enuma is both a 'tech company' and a 'mission-driven company.' Enuma’s mission is to 'close the educational gap.' Her philosophy is that the way to achieve the mission must be creative. She said, "Existing products are not suitable for children in developing countries who go to school without early childhood education or children forced to learn at an age younger than their own. If you use the characteristics of digital technology to make it fun and less disappointing for children, they can be captivated by that kindness."

Lee Su-in, CEO of Enuma. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Lee said, "I started with a personal motive and discovered the problem through personal experience. It’s not because I’m a great person, but because I met good colleagues and became good at it. I feel more responsibility and think I have to do better." Some who encounter Enuma’s mission ask, "Can your company achieve that mission while it exists?" Lee replied, "People define success in certain ways, like going public or exiting. But we want to contribute more to a huge goal. I hope we can keep going without getting tired." Enuma is now in its 11th year. Besides its U.S. headquarters, it has branches in Korea, Japan, China, and Indonesia, with 130 employees.

With the emergence of ChatGPT, there are predictions that one-third of existing jobs will disappear and another third will change. When asked what children living in this era should prepare for, Lee emphasized 'kindness.' She said, "Communication with machines is becoming important, but above all, the heart to help others when using that technology?that is kindness?is crucial. Technology is not the goal; what you do with technology is important. Ultimately, contributing to human society should be our goal."

▶ CEO Su-in Lee

graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Sculpture and worked as a game designer at NCSoft. In 2012, she co-founded Enuma in the U.S. with her husband, CTO Gunho Lee. She was selected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2017 and co-won the Global Learning XPRIZE in 2019. In 2020, she was named 'Social Innovator of the Year' by the Schwab Foundation under the World Economic Forum (WEF). In June of this year, she also participated in the announcement for the bid to host the '2030 Busan Expo' at the International Bureau of Exhibitions General Assembly held in Paris, France.