Web3 University President Yang Jun: The Transformation Journey from Consulting to Web3 Education

In the Web3 era, with asymmetric information, a shortage of talent, and unclear application scenarios for assets, how can we link the three through education to support the healthy development of the industry? In this issue, we invite Yang Jun, the president of Hong Kong Web3 University, to share how Web3 University empowers cognitive upgrades, talent cultivation, and asset application through systematic education, assisting Web2 enterprises in their transformation and individuals in integrating into the Web3 ecosystem, injecting rationality and long-termism into the industry.

Yang Jun worked for eight years in a traditional management consulting company, involving strategic transformation, organizational processes, human resources, and more. He has been exposed to various projects and has a profound understanding of enterprise growth and pain points. In 2018, when the blockchain boom emerged, many companies sought him out for blockchain awareness courses. He integrated industry resources, studied policies and technologies, and found that many people were doing things that did not align with the essence of technology under the banner of blockchain, leading to a trust crisis. In 2020, he joined Huobi University and founded the Global Blockchain Leaders Program, nurturing a group of Web3 entrepreneurs spread across the globe, which has been referred to as the "Whampoa Military Academy" of the industry.

In January 2025, Yang Jun officially registered the San Dian Ling Global Research Institute in Hong Kong, abbreviated as Web3 University, positioning itself as the "McKinsey" of the Web3 industry. Leveraging Hong Kong's policy advantages, it focuses on corporate management consulting and education. Transitioning from traditional consulting to Web3 has not been easy, but being able to persist is a tremendous boost for him and the industry.

The transformation from traditional consulting to Web3 education

Yang Jun stated that entering Web3 education from traditional consulting not only requires time and effort but also practical verification to determine whether this industry is worth deepening. At first, he approached it with traditional thinking, believing that there was no need for universities focused on the crypto industry and that outsourcing consulting projects would suffice. When he joined Huobi University, he took on projects like he did in consulting, going from 0 to 1, but the process completely overturned his understanding.

At Huobi University, Yang Jun had in-depth discussions with executives, investors, tech experts, and the core project team, discovering that Web3 is not just the surface "lotus", but fundamentally different. They were torn between whether the curriculum should be profit-oriented or empower industry development. Huobi University chose the latter, positioning itself as a global blockchain leader course, which has been running for four and a half years, cultivating outstanding alumni worldwide. This made Yang Jun see the value of education: not to make money, but to shape the brand, empower entrepreneurs and tech talents, and promote the globalization of projects. This original intention led him to decide to establish Web3 University, aiming to be the "McKinsey" of Web3, helping the industry establish cognition, cultivate talents, and link assets through systematic education and consulting, and to solidly promote development.

Similarities and Differences Between Web3 Education and Traditional Education

Yang Jun believes that traditional education and Web3 education have similarities, but their focuses are different. Traditional education focuses on improving knowledge and skills, with companies customizing training according to their needs to solve knowledge and skill issues related to job or industry development, aiming to cultivate usable talent for enterprises and create value. Web3 education, on the other hand, must first address cognitive issues. The Web3 ecosystem is complex, and many people don't know what blockchain, metaverse, DeFi, or RWA are, and even think that Web3 is just about speculating on coins. The goal of education is to help learners transition from "not related to me" to "definitely related to the future," just as AI changes lives, Web3 will reshape production relationships.

The difference in Web3 education is:

1. Cognition First: Traditional education focuses on skills, while Web3 education emphasizes cognitive transformation, helping students understand industry trends, policies, technologies, and application scenarios.

2. Empty Cup Mentality: Web3 changes rapidly, traditional thinking does not work, students must let go of preconceived notions, just like Yang Jun initially let go of his consulting experience.

3. Practice-oriented: Web3 requires participation and experience, such as downloading wallets and understanding asset management; otherwise, just listening without practice makes it difficult to integrate.

The common point is that both cannot be separated from systematic learning. In any industry and at any stage, education is the foundation. The goal of Web3 University is to help Web2 users and enterprises understand and apply Web3 through systematic courses, lowering the cognitive threshold and avoiding the high "market cognition tax."

Common Misconceptions and Enlightenment Methods in Web3 Education

The most common misconception is that Web3 is just about speculating on coins, Bitcoin, or a get-rich-quick opportunity. Many people add Yang Jun on WeChat and immediately ask: "How to make money? How to promote a project?" They are not naive investors, but they have a significant cognitive bias, thinking that Web3 is a quick and easy money-making tool. In fact, Web3 is an ecosystem that involves technology, applications, and compliance; it is not about speculating on digital assets.

The key to enlightenment is to change perceptions, allowing learners to move from "unrelated" to "related". In the beginning, Yang Jun also didn't understand blockchain and was unwilling to download the exchange app, thinking it had nothing to do with him. Later, when the company arranged systematic learning, he participated and discovered that assets could be genuinely liquidated, which led him to start paying attention.

The Enlightenment Method of Web3 University:

1. Reverse Thinking: Traditional thinking resembles agriculture, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, but Web3 requires breaking out of conventional frameworks. For example, when teaching, using the "elevator case": during peak hours, everyone queues for the elevator, but those who think reversely would go to the basement to take an empty elevator directly to their target floor. Web3 needs this kind of perspective shift.

2. Basic Course: Designed 11 sessions of "Wealth Cognition Course", starting from reverse thinking, helping Web2 users transition to Web3, understanding basic concepts such as Metaverse, RWA, and cross-chain.

3. Practical Guidance: Encourage participants to engage, such as downloading wallets, understanding asset management, finding common ground, and stimulating interest.

The most important thing is to make the learners understand: without participation and experience, they cannot comprehend the value of Web3. Education is not about forcing change, but rather about influencing behavior and guiding them to take the first step.

( Key Actions for Web2 Enterprises Transitioning to Web3

Yang Jun suggests that the first step is education and learning, but the transformation cannot be done on a large scale all at once. The current economic environment is difficult, businesses are struggling, executives have inconsistent perceptions, and there is insufficient motivation for transformation. If the core decision-making team is unwilling to change, it is better to manage the existing business well first, and then transform when the time is right. Key actions for transformation:

1. Partial Innovation: Do not go all in on globalization or full business transformation. It is recommended to establish an innovation department to cultivate core personnel to learn Web3 and explore feasibility in combination with the actual situation of the enterprise.

2. Team Learning: The executive team including the CEO, CFO, CTO, etc., ) should learn together in sync, and not rely on the boss to learn and then train others. Team learning can unify understanding and avoid the awkwardness of "boss being crazy".

3. Understand the terminology: At least understand the basic concepts of Web3, such as the metaverse, RWA, and cross-chain; otherwise, there will be a lack of common language in external communication.

For example, Yang Jun came into contact with an AI company, first establishing a small-scale AI research team, gradually expanding it into a research institute, and even an independent subsidiary. The Web3 transformation can draw lessons from this: starting with a small team to test the waters, combining corporate culture and strategy, and gradually advancing. One should not just go all in because the market or experts say "the Web3 era has arrived"; that is unrealistic and not advisable.

Case studies of Web3 universities assisting in enterprise transformation

Early Web3 university students were mostly individuals, such as those with technical backgrounds, investors, or entrepreneurs looking to start projects. In recent years, due to the poor economic environment, there has been an increased demand for corporate transformation. Yang Jun shared several cases:

1. Jade Raw Stone RWA: A student has 400,000 tons of jade raw stone and wants to transform it through RWA( real-world asset tokenization). Web3 University analyzes compliance, processes, and ecological feasibility, suggesting a small-scale trial, gradually advancing over 3-5 years.

2. Real estate assets: Some companies own leased land but are unable to build or lack funding, and want to activate assets through RWA. Web3 University offers consulting, assessing policies and markets, and suggests exploring the combination of digital transformation with the integration of virtual and real.

These cases illustrate that RWA is a hot spot for transformation, but not all enterprises are suitable. Transformation requires:

• Compliance First: Ensure the project is legal and compliant to avoid policy risks.
• Clear process: from asset evaluation to tokenization, systematic planning is required.
• Ecological matching: Whether enterprise resources are suitable for the Web3 track requires 3-5 years of verification.

The courses at Web3 University use case-based teaching to help businesses understand the application scenarios of tracks like RWA, avoiding blind all-in investments. Education is not about making businesses profit immediately, but rather about reducing the "cognitive tax" and finding suitable transformation paths.

The advantages of Hong Kong as a Web3 hub

Yang Jun believes that Hong Kong is an ideal foothold for Web3, with advantages in policy, talent, and compliance.

1. Policy Support: Starting from 2020, Hong Kong has introduced favorable policies to attract projects back from Singapore and other regions. Recently, the stablecoin bill has been implemented, promoting the development of a global payment system. Just as Alipay changed lives back then, Web3 will reshape global finance.

2. Talent Attraction: The eight prestigious universities in Hong Kong attract students with academic and identity needs. Web3 University combines resources from universities to offer professional certificates and credit courses to meet educational demands.

3. Sense of security: Early mining practitioners lack a sense of security after going overseas. Hong Kong provides a compliant environment and convenient exchanges, enhancing industry confidence.

The connection with the mainland economy lies in compliance and application scenarios. Mainland Web2 companies looking to transition to RWA need compliance support from Hong Kong. The Web3 University, based in Hong Kong, plans to launch a series of courses in July, combining universities and industry experts to conduct study tours and hands-on training, helping mainland enterprises and individuals to integrate into Web3. Hong Kong is not only a policy high ground but also a connecting point for talent and assets.

( Advice for Young People Entering the Web3 Industry

Yang Jun suggests that young people enter Web3, preferably by joining companies with strong backgrounds, long operational history, and reliable values. They should start from entry-level positions and rotate through roles in market, technology, and operations to avoid the temptation of making quick money right away. Specific suggestions:

1. Learning First: The pace of Web3 is fast, and if you don't study for a week, you'll fall behind. The research team spends 7-8 hours a day learning about the information, and young people need to have this spirit of exploration.

2. Choose a reliable team: following the right people and selecting the right projects is more important than education. In the industry, individuals with vocational or technical backgrounds can also achieve great success; the key lies in perception and execution capability.

3. Industry Landing Path: Join an exchange, project party, or technical team, start from a basic position, accumulate 2-3 years of experience, and you may become an industry expert.

Do not go all in on projects or chase quick riches. Steadily work your way up, learn industry trends, and participate in practical operations to find long-term value in Web3.

) Future Planning and Life Insights

Yang Jun's core plan for the next three years is to delve into education and do one thing well: to create a physical university for Web3. Specific plans:

1. Expert Think Tank: Select high-quality experts and professors to establish an industry think tank. The current challenge is that some experts are not suitable for teaching or have project preferences, requiring a balance between depth and compliance.

2. Physical University: Establish a Web3 physical university within 3-5 years, combining distributed teaching and alumni resources to cultivate global digital business talent.

3. Reduce cognitive tax: By popularizing courses ### from novice to expert ### and high-end training, help Web2 enterprises and individuals integrate into Web3, avoiding detours, especially in hot tracks like RWA.

Web3 University has also designed a Future Leaders Camp for teenagers ###5 days 4 nights (, allowing middle and high school students to experience Hong Kong Disneyland, the AI Technology Museum, learn Web3 tools, and spark their interest. The course is aimed at beginners, enterprises, and high-end groups, covering cognition to practical operations, assisting industry development.

Yang Jun shared a life insight: "As heaven is strong, a gentleman should continuously strive for self-improvement; as the earth is vast, a gentleman should carry the world with virtue." He believes that in the Web3 industry, one should strive for self-improvement and dare to take risks when young; now, one should be steady and carry wealth and original intention with virtue. Web3 is not a shortcut to wealth, but an ecosystem that requires learning, deep cultivation, and compliance. He often recalls the "three degrees of cultivation" by his mentor Wang Mingfu: height, thickness, and breadth. Web3 is like a lotus flower, looking glamorous on the surface, but its roots must be firmly grounded. He hopes everyone does not chase trends, but grows steadily, matching cognition with wealth.