At AIS, we take immense pride in seeing our graduates apply their skills to solve real-world challenges. Today, we are featuring Andrew Chau (Class of 2009), whose app, Szumark, was recently highlighted on Channel 9 News Australia for helping households navigate the rising cost of living in Australia.
What started as a personal project—a simple tool for Andrew to track supermarket specials—has grown into a vital resource for shoppers. “It worked so well that we realized other Australians might find it useful too,” Andrew explains. “So we refined it, polished it up, and released it to the public.” Since then, Andrew has been continuously improving Szumark to make grocery shopping a little easier for everyone.
We had the chance to speak with Andrew about his time at AIS and his incredible app:
Andrew, what is your fondest memory of being a student at AIS?
I didn’t realise it at the time and I don’t think any current student reading this will understand either, but simply being in the classrooms learning and joking around with other students and only having to worry about homework is something I look back on and cherish.
You graduated from AIS in 2009—looking back, was there a specific teacher or project at AIS that encouraged your interest in coding or “building things”?
It would have to be Mr. Knutzen. I think he always knew how much of a passion I had for IT and he would often encourage me to explore things and take up projects in our IT club. I will always remember being in his room and experimenting with an old server he had brought in which sounded like a WW2 plane about to take off.
What’s one thing you learned at AIS that you still use in your daily life?
Whether it was a test paper or something bigger (wink), I certainly made mistakes during my time at AIS and still do to this day. But it’s the knowledge and insight you gain from those mistakes which is invaluable. It’s a continuous cycle where we hopefully improve ourselves after every mistake made.
In the news feature, you mention helping households stretch their dollars—how does it feel to see your tech solving such a personal, real-world problem for families?
Supermarkets are monopolised in Australia so it feels great to have so many Australian families rooting for me. I’ve always had aspirations to do something that would make an impact on people but I honestly never imagined it would be through grocery shopping.
What was the biggest challenge in moving Szumark from an idea to a fully functioning app?
I gradually worked on this app during my spare time as I have a busy role as a CTO during the day. Dedicating a significant amount of my recreational time was the biggest mental challenge but I’m so glad I persisted and just kept going until it became what it is today, with more improvements still to come.
For our current AIS students who dream of starting their own app, what is the #1 piece of advice you’d give them?
Like with any product or even anything in life, don’t be offended when people give you negative feedback. Be open to changing things around and at the same time if you believe in your dream, keep persisting. There will always be people who discourage you.
You are a forever student. Whether it’s a programming language, framework or best practice, be prepared that things are constantly changing.
When you were a student, AIS didn’t have a formal coding curriculum. Today, our students use Apple’s Everyone Can Code program starting in Early Childhood, learning to design algorithms and build apps just like you did. As a self-taught innovator, what do you think is the most important mindset for our current students to develop as they learn to become creators—not just users—of technology?
You are a forever student. Whether it’s a programming language, framework or best practice, be prepared that things are constantly changing. You may however find comfort in the fact that things generally evolve from one thing to another. So the experience you accumulate along the journey helps you. It’s all part of the fun!
What’s a fun fact about you during your time at AIS?
I used to annoy every teacher by telling them how Liverpool is the best football team in the world!
Andrew’s success is a testament to the “Eagle Spirit” of persistence and problem-solving. While Andrew paved his own way in 2009, AIS has since integrated coding as an essential part of how our students think and create.
As an Apple Distinguished School, our students now develop foundational skills in computational thinking and logical reasoning from a young age. Whether they are programming robots, designing games, or developing digital solutions to real-world challenges, we are empowering the next generation of Andrews to become the innovators of tomorrow.
