Lingvist
 | |
Type of site | E-learning |
|---|---|
| Available in | |
| Headquarters | Tallinn, Estonia |
| URL | lingvist |
| Launched | 2014 |
| Current status | Beta |
Lingvist is an adaptive language-learning platform, available in an international public free beta version since 2014.[1]
As of May 2022[update], Lingvist offers introductory English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Italian and Estonian courses, available in various languages.[2]
Education model
[edit]Lingvist's software analyses various text sources, such as subtitles or articles to determine the frequency of words in a given language.[3] Lingvist adapts to users' skill levels and attempts to teach the users quickly, starting with the most relevant words. While there are grammar references, the primary method of Lingvist is not in teaching grammar but in teaching the language as it is used naturally.[4]
History
[edit]Lingvist was co-founded in 2013 by Mait Müntel, an Estonian physicist involved with the team that identified the Higgs-Boson particle at CERN, Ott Jalakas and Andres Koern.[5]
In 2014, the company raised €1 million from SmartCap, Nordic VC Inventure, and other angel investors to develop the tool.[6]
Lingvist announced in June 2015 an additional €1.6 million funding from the European Union, as part of the Horizon 2020 programme.[7]
In November 2015, the company raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Japanese e-commerce and online services giant Rakuten, with participation from investment firms SmartCap, Inventure, and from Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn and former Atomico partner Geoff Prentice.[8]
In March, 2017, Lingvist announced their partnership with Taiwanese company PChome.[9]
Recognition
[edit]- In March 2013, Lingvist received a €9,900 Prototron Grant to finance their initial prototype.[10]
- In March 2014, it was handpicked by TechStars London Accelerator Program.[11]
- In October 2015, the company was recognized as the "brightest startup" by the Tallinn Entrepreneurship Awards.[12]
- In February 2017, Lingvist completed their Horizon 2020 project[13] and received additional funding from Rakuten. In June that year, the company received an EdTechXGlobal All Stars Rise Award.[14]
See also
[edit]- Language education
- Language pedagogy
- Computer-assisted language learning
- List of language self-study programs
References
[edit]- ^ "Lingvist.io".
- ^ "Lingvist.io Available Languages". Archived from the original on October 3, 2020.
- ^ Norris Ben (March 31, 2014). "What can you accomplish in roughly 200 hours?". Arcticstartup. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "lingvist will keep its HQ in Estonia after huge investment from Japan, is hiring". Work in Estonia. November 10, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ "From nuclear physics to teaching language". E-Estonia.com. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Degler Andrii (April 30, 2014). "Catch up on a month of tech news from Eastern Europe: April". thenextweb.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Lingvist 2.0". ProductHunt. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Rakuten Enters English Education Business with the Launch of "Rakuten Super English," a Comprehensive English Learning Service". Rakuten. April 21, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ "Lingvist and PChome announce a partnership in Taiwan – predicted to save Mandarin speakers learning English more than 3 million hours by the end of the year". e-estonia. March 21, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ Kitt Robert, Member of the Board, Swedbank. "Prototron moulds real business ideas". Swedbank. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Lunden Ingrid (June 20, 2014). "TechStars London Demo Day 2014: Meet The 11 Startups (And Our Picks)". Techcrunch. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Tallinn recognizes its brightest entrepreneurs". Tallinn.ee. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ "Lingvist closes its SME Instrument project with extra private investment!". EASME. February 8, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ "2017 EdTechXGlobal All Stars Awards". EdTechEurope. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2018.