The original concept, titled IMPACTA [ Academy ], was developed by Sergio Argento in Palo Alto, California, in July 2020, during the peak of the COVID lockdowns and the global remote learning crisis.

Recognizing that traditional education was failing to equip students with the skills needed for a Rapidly Changing Future, Sergio was inspired by Elon’s Ad Astra School to develop a radical, reverse-engineering approach to learning — one that prioritizes real-world problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking over theory-based education.

The first in-person program was prototyped in Hong Kong on Lamma Island (南丫島) also known as 丫 Island, in September 2020, where a group of startup-friendly parents and children (ages 9-11) engaged in entrepreneurial simulations, business strategy workshops, and venture-building exercises.

This is when the initiative adopted its new title - 丫^?

... the Chinese character 丫 represents bifurcation, a concept that perfectly reflects the transformative changes happening in the world and their exponential influence on the future of everything.

Additionally, in traditional Chinese culture, this character once had a derogatory meaning, referring to a servant girl or, even worse, a "useless" young girl under 12 — one who was not yet capable of bearing children or working hard enough to earn respect in society.

Sergio, the father of Nika, a three-year-old Silicon Valley-born girl at the time, could not tolerate this outdated mindset, which, unfortunately, still persists in some countries and cultures even in the 21st century. He decided to incorporate young female entrepreneurship initiatives into the 丫^? agenda, ensuring that young girls would be empowered to lead, create, and shape their own futures.

Unlike conventional STEM/STEAM programs, which were already widely available, 丫^? [ Education ] focused on team-building, marketing, leadership, and real-world execution. Within just a few months, students demonstrated remarkable growth — many of them mastering essential entrepreneurial skills far earlier than their peers in traditional school settings.