Tyler and Allen first met in 2021 through their shared interest in Universal Basic Income. As founders of Lead For Taiwan and UBI Taiwan, they quickly began collaborating on a cross-sector forum addressing educational inequality in Taiwan—drawing nearly 200 participants from diverse fields.
Beyond public advocacy, both were deeply engaged in frontline education, promoting English and critical thinking. Through years of student interaction, they saw a clear need: empowering resource-rich youth with global language and reasoning skills to become future changemakers.
In September 2021, they co-founded Ascent Soft Skills Institute, focused on English debate and expression, blending global vision with local care. Under their leadership, Ascent established its headquarters at Taipei Arena and expanded to Tianmu, Linkou, and Hsinchu. Over 1,000 K–12 students have since joined the program, advancing the mission to “change society through education.”
“Founding Ascent has been one of the most thrilling and meaningful journeys of our lives. From zero to one, we’ve learned to balance ideals with reality—and we’re more convinced than ever: when education meets conviction, true changemakers emerge.”