TO INSPIRE THE RISK TAKERS.
THE ENTREPRENEURS, ATHLETES & ARTISTS AT SOUL.
Hi, I'm Nelson Luo.I'm a 21 y/o multi-business founder & Muay Thai fighter from Sydney.Previously, I built NL English Academy to help young students score into their dream schools and mentor their growth trajectories. We're always hiring new talent to achieve our mission. Join our team →I'm currently building ScalingTutors, an accelerator and community helping tutors start, grow and scale a tutoring company. I'm also an advisor for early-stage online education startups.I dropped out of a $86.4k University Co-Op Scholarship (1 of 6 chosen across AUS/NZ).To leave the corporate path and pursue my dreams in startups, education and youth ambition.
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Age 14 - 15: Hustling• Flipped designer clothes & sneakers for 5-figure yearly profits (felt like a billionare)
Age 16: First Corporate Experience• Sent 100+ cold emails to companies asking for work
• Secured work experience at an international insurance firm (pricing & analytics)
• Secured work experience in finance/corporate advisory firm
Age 17: End of High School• Graduated in the top 1.8% of Australia at the 1st ranked high school
• Offered a UNSW Co-Op Scholarship
• Started private tutoring
Age 18: Exploring My Options• Created a role to grow the tutoring centre that I attended in high school
• Accepted a UNSW Co-Op Scholarship (full-time university)
• Launched 10+ businesses that all flopped (went into debt)
Age 19: The Grind• Full-time 9-5 interning at AMEX
• Full-time university student load (took night classes)
• Founded NL English Academy
Age 20: The Grind (Continued)• Head of Sales at a SaaS startup
• Full-time university student load
• Growing NL English Academy
Age 21: Trying To Make a Difference• Scaled NL English Academy across Australia & South East Asia
• Currently building ScalingTutors
• Multiple startup advisor
• Fought my pro Muay Thai debut in Thailand
Last Updated: 10/09/2025
Last Updated: 10/09/2025
Last Updated: 10/09/2025
In our youth, risk is safer than safety. Safety and comfort in the short term leads us to mundanity in the long term. Risk leads us into a life of adventure and pursuit. We must be the Marco Polo of our lives.We are only in our physical prime once in our lifetime. As we are humans, it is only right to find out what our bodies are capable of. You must approach your physical pursuits like a business owner. Optimise on all interrelated functions (strength, cardio, muscular endurance, body composition, flexibility & coordination).No one can build your dream life except you.
Muay Thai changed my life.Before, I would hesitate, overthink, and wait for the “right” moment. Whether it be for business decisions, ordering food at a restaurant, or when to throw a jab. Through training and fighting, I've learned now that the right moment is the one you step into. There is no right moment if you think consciously.My risk appetite has grown much larger, as I trust my subconscious to navigate any uncertainties in life. This has been built by allowing my body and mind to flow freely and 'not think' to perform my best. Business risk does not phase me too much anymore, because the worst that can happen is that I will lose everything I have built. In the grand scheme of life, it's not that bad. I know that I'll only lose if I stop building.Muay Thai fight camps require much more mental strength, discipline and perseverence compared to building any business. It makes building businesses feel so much simpler.I have so much respect for the Thai people and I owe a big part of my mental model to the Theravada Buddhist values I have learned from them.
I love chess. My father taught me when I was 3. It taught me strategic decision making how to think '5 moves ahead' (shoutout PBD).I used to compete at a younger age (top 20 in my age group in Australia at 12 y/o). Now, I just play live chess when I'm on the train. Occasionally, I compete in internationally rated blitz tournaments.My international FIDE rating (1600 blitz) →
Add my chess.com →
I find more enjoyment creating music over listening to it. At a younger age, I played the piano before self-learning the ukulele and guitar.For a brief period, I was captivated by songwriting and music composition. I spent late nights writing pages of lyrics and mentally rehearsing the melodies in my head.Eventually, I produced one of my songs.Stream my song "dreaming of you" on Spotify →
"Sometimes death only comes from a lack of energy. And a lack of energy comes from taking on less than we are capable of" - Napoleon"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality" - Plutarch"You never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequence of good fortune" - Alan Watts"There are no accidents." - Master Oogway"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney"The best way to predict the future is to create it" - Abraham Lincoln"The pain trying is not as painful as the regret of not trying at all" - Anonymous