NEWARK, DE — A 15-year-old Christiana High School student is expanding two independently developed online platforms that provide free algebra tutoring and connect teenage entrepreneurs, reaching dozens of learners and approximately 130 members of a private startup network without outside funding.
Ivan Dubovyi, a ninth-grader who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine, founded AlgeBridge to provide free Algebra 1 instruction and co-founded Somba, a networking platform for entrepreneurs and developers ages 13 to 17.
The projects address separate barriers facing young people: the cost of academic assistance and limited opportunities for teenage founders to find collaborators.
AlgeBridge, available at algebridge.org, covers Algebra 1 through 13 instructional units and 46 individual skills. Each skill includes a short instructional video, practice problems that generate new exercises and step-by-step feedback.
Students can also receive live assistance from volunteer peer tutors through an online interface equipped with a shared whiteboard and a notebook that saves their work.
Dubovyi began developing the platform several months ago after noticing classmates struggling with algebra concepts he understood.
He initially helped students during class with his teacher’s permission before deciding to develop a broader tutoring service.
“Students don’t need hundreds of dollars on private tutoring or days wasted watching random YouTube videos; all they need is a friend who thinks the same way and uses the same jargon to help them out,” Dubovyi said.
The platform currently serves dozens of students, primarily in Delaware and Pennsylvania, with a seven-person volunteer team handling tutoring, instructional content and organizational responsibilities.
Prospective tutors must complete a knowledge and tutoring assessment developed by Dubovyi and participate in an interview before being accepted.
The organization also gathers student feedback and monitors tutors during their initial sessions, according to Dubovyi.
His instructional approach emphasizes real-world examples before introducing mathematical concepts and problem-solving methods.
Dubovyi’s goal is to strengthen students’ understanding of algebra as a foundation for subsequent mathematics courses, including precalculus and calculus.
His second venture, Somba, operates as a private network for teenage founders, developers, and other students interested in building businesses or technology projects.
Dubovyi co-founded the platform with Ryan Hirsh and YangMing Jiang after the three encountered difficulties connecting with peers pursuing similar entrepreneurial interests.
Somba surpassed 100 members in August and has since grown to approximately 130, according to Dubovyi.
The network allows members to communicate, identify collaborators and organize projects in small groups.
Membership is restricted to ages 13 through 17, with applications reviewed by a founder before admission.
Dubovyi indicated that the platform relies on a third-party database service to store user information. Its application screening process is intended to limit access to approved members.
Among the projects developed through the network is Usequra, a note-taking application designed to synchronize information with Google Drive, Notion, and other services.
Dubovyi identified the application as an example of the collaboration Somba is intended to support.
Neither AlgeBridge nor Somba has received outside funding, creating constraints on development and expansion.
Dubovyi described securing financing and attracting users as among his largest challenges.
“You can build something unique, but without the skills and knowledge of how to put your platform out there and let people know about it, it will be worth nothing,” he said.
Both ventures are seeking financial support, with Somba particularly interested in attracting investors to help expand its membership and operations.
Dubovyi’s entrepreneurial work follows his family’s displacement from Ukraine during Russia’s invasion.
He and his family spent 43 days under Russian occupation in Melitopol before eventually relocating to the United States.
The occupation disrupted access to basic necessities, including food, water, electricity, gas and heating. The family also lost its home, vehicle and connections to friends, according to Dubovyi.
He said the experience influenced his decision to begin building businesses at a young age.
“My parents have been working non-stop, day and night, ever since we came to America,” Dubovyi stated. “War took everything from us – our house, our car, our friends – and my parents have been working tirelessly to get it all back, here, in the US.”
He described helping his family financially as a central motivation for his entrepreneurial efforts.
Alongside developing the platforms, Dubovyi attends Christiana High School and participates in Business Professionals of America, ASPIRA and the National Junior Honor Society.
He organizes his time after school into two-hour work periods, dividing attention among coursework, software development, learning and rest.
His longer-term educational goal is to attend an Ivy League university while continuing work intended to support students, including those affected by war.
For AlgeBridge, the immediate priority is expanding access to free Algebra 1 instruction and recruiting additional volunteers.
Somba is focused on increasing membership, supporting more student-led projects and securing funding.
Students, educators and prospective volunteers can contact Dubovyi at info@ivandubovyi.com. Applications to volunteer with AlgeBridge are available at https://forms.gle/nxrCeWNLkrCXy9oa7.
Additional information is available at algebridge.org, learn.algebridge.org, somba.dev and ivandubovyi.com.
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