Why We Built Adler
Adler came from the realization that most adults understand the foundational ideas that shape their trajectories far too late in life.
They learn how to grow wealth and manage risk only after making costly mistakes. They learn the importance of building relationships only after seeing how many opportunities actually run through people. They learn to position themselves strategically only after stumbling through their early careers.
By the time these lessons land, most adults have already lost their greatest advantage: time. Teenagers still have that advantage. That’s why we built Adler Academy — so your child doesn’t have to learn these lessons the hard way.
Who This Is For
Adler is designed as a supplementary programme for secondary school students aged 15 to 17 who want a head start on the ideas and habits that shape real-world success beyond academics.
If you want your child to arrive at university already thinking clearly about money, networks, and positioning in an AI-driven world – we built this for them.
Why This Matters Now
The path to success used to be obvious. Study hard, get into a prestigious university, build a career. Following that formula was almost a guarantee of stability. But while academic credentials still matter, they no longer guarantee what they once did.
AI is rapidly making human knowledge, analysis and repetitive task execution less valuable – the three things school has always been built around. A strong AI model can already produce insights at the level of experienced specialists in most fields. This marks a structural shift in the real value of human output.
Standing out in the next decade depends on two things. The first is building the foundations AI cannot replicate – to think independently, ask insightful questions, understand how to manage your own money, and build genuine relationships that open doors. The second is learning to leverage AI effectively, without outsourcing your own thinking.
Adler teaches both. This combination is what will separate those who thrive from those who fall behind. And the parents who see this early will give their children an advantage that compounds more the earlier they build these foundations.
The Founders
Louie Barnett-Davidov
BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, Imperial College London
Role and Background:
Louie is an experienced educator and curriculum architect who has led the design and delivery of transformative education programmes internationally. In particular, he has extensive experience helping students understand key principles from great thinkers, so that they can use and modify these ideas in their own lives. At Adler, he serves as Curriculum and Facilitation Lead, overseeing facilitator training and excellence, and ensuring a second-to-none student experience.
Why I Started Adler:
Adler was born from a simple but urgent observation: many of the skills that determine long-term success - clear thinking, sound judgment, financial literacy, and the ability to build strong relationships - are rarely taught explicitly in school. I’ve seen too many capable students excel academically yet enter adulthood underprepared for open-ended problems, real-world trade-offs, and environments where there are no model answers. We built Adler to create a structured, discussion-based environment where students practise these uniquely human skills early, while time is still their greatest advantage.
Role and Background:
Zen leads curriculum architecture and business strategy at Adler. Drawing from his experience in research, business and investing, he curates foundational principles from leading thinkers in finance, business, and academia, and structures them into the structured frameworks behind the Adler programme. He intentionally designed the programme to help students think independently, and position themselves for long-term growth.
Why I Started Adler:
I founded Adler after recognizing a structural gap in education. While I performed strongly within the academic system, stepping into business and investing made me realize that many of the abilities I actually needed – judgment under uncertainty, understanding compounding, managing risk, and building relationships – were never taught in school. Like most adults, I had to learn these through trial and error.
That realization led me to a simple question: since these abilities are so powerful, why aren’t teenagers introduced to these foundations earlier? A teenager who has these foundations walking into university and their careers would have an advantage most of their peers simply won’t have – and I wanted to build Adler deliberately to cultivate them.
LLB (Hons) Law, King’s College London
Zen Ngam
The Founders
Jay Lim
MEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London
Role and Background:
Jay has extensive experience in data and analytics consulting across London and Kuala Lumpur, including building AI-driven solutions across multiple industries. At Adler, he draws on his experience to shape a curriculum that teaches students not just how to use AI, but how to question, interpret, and exercise judgment alongside it.
Why I Started Adler:
Despite performing at a high level academically, I realised early in my career that strong grades did not automatically translate into real-world competence. I had never been taught how to think about investing, long-term positioning, or making decisions under uncertainty. Building critical thinking skills while reducing reliance on instruction were things I had to develop and have continued honing over the years.
Working in the data and AI space made this gap even clearer. Information today is abundant and increasingly automated, but the ability to evaluate it critically is not. What they need is the ability to filter, reason, and make balanced decisions across multiple perspectives. I hope to help them build those foundations early, so that critical thinking and financial literacy become second nature long before they enter adulthood.
Justin Chee
MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, University College London
Role and Background:
Justin oversees the business operations and strategic direction at Adler. His background spans building, operating, and scaling businesses across multiple industries, which has shaped his belief that long-term success is driven by strong fundamentals – open minded thinking, financial discipline, and people who are empowered to take ownership.
Why I Started Adler:
I co-founded Adler because its mission reflects how I lead and operate in my own ventures. Within a family private equity office, I work closely with teams across our business portfolio, solving real-world challenges that demand resilience, adaptability, and thoughtful decision-making.
At Adler Academy, my focus is on translating real entrepreneurial experience into practical learning. I believe that skills such as effective communication, critical thinking, and money management are essential life skills, not optional extras. Our goal is to equip students with the mindset, confidence, and tools to navigate uncertainty, solve meaningful problems, and build a strong foundation for whatever future they choose to pursue.