Open English
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | English language online education |
| Founded | Caracas, Venezuela September 2006 |
| Founder | Andrés Moreno, Nicolette Rankin, and Wilmer Samiento |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Andrés Moreno (CEO) |
| Website | www |
Open English is an online English-language learning platform, primarily serving users in Latin America and Hispanic Americans in the United States.[1] In recent years, the company has also expanded its offering into Europe, Middle East, and Asia.[2] The platform currently operates in more than 30 countries worldwide. Since its inception, it has enrolled over 2 million students in its courses.
Open English is headquartered in Miami, with additional offices in Mexico City, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Bangalore, and São Paulo.[3]
History
[edit]Open English was founded in 2006 in Caracas, Venezuela, by Andrés Moreno, Nicolette Rankin, and Wilmer Sarmiento.[4][5]
The founders recognized the limitations of conventional English language education and the potential of online learning.[6] After initial struggles, the company began to expand, securing venture capital funding.[7] In 2009, Open English moved its headquarters to Miami, Florida,[8][9][10] and has since expanded across Latin America, the U.S. Hispanic market, Europe, Middle East, and Asia. The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant surge in demand for online learning, contributing to Open English's growth.[11]
Open English reported revenues of US$77 million in 2020. The company was valued at approximately US$350 million as of 2019. It enrolled more than 150,000 new students in the first half of 2021, bringing the total number of students to over 2 million.[12] Open English has also secured corporate partnerships with more than 2,000 enterprise clients and has a global network of over 2,000 native English-speaking teachers.
Open English has engaged in various social impact initiatives. Notably, in 2023, the company partnered with Brazilian soccer player Richarlison to donate $400,000 worth of English courses to underprivileged youth in Brazil.[13] Additionally, Open English has donated over $170,000 in scholarships to the AlumnUSB association, supporting students in Venezuela.[14]
The company also presented a confidential initial public offering (IPO) in the United States.[15] The recent acquisitions, including that of English Ninjas, mark a strategic move to expand into Europe, Middle East, and Asia, where it is planning to enter the Vietnamese market with its English courses for businesses.
Acquisitions
[edit]Open English has acquired several companies. Notable acquisitions include:
- Next University (United States, acquired in January 2015[16]): Specializing in digital skills development courses, this acquisition expanded Open English's educational scope.[17]
- English Ninjas (Turkey, acquired in December 2021): This acquisition helped Open English establish a significant presence in the Turkish market and the broader Middle East region.[18]
- Enguru (India, acquired in September 2022): Enguru, a mobile language-learning platform, marked Open English's entry into the rapidly growing Indian market.[19]
Services and products
[edit]The platform offers live, online English classes with native-speaking teachers, available 24/7. Its proprietary technology facilitates personalized learning experiences, catering to individual student needs.[20] Open English has diversified its offerings to include Open English Junior for younger learners and Open English Business for corporate language training.[21] In 2015, the company expanded its educational scope by acquiring Next University, offering digital skills development courses.[22] More recently, Open English launched Open Mundo, providing live classes in French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.[23]
Media coverage and recognition
[edit]Open English has been featured in various publications in the US and Latin America, including TechCrunch, Colombian newspaper Diario La República, The Miami Herald, and interviews with CEO Andrés Moreno[24] on MASTV, El País, CNN, BBC, and others.[25] The company has also received several awards, such as the 2011 Education Software Review, the 2011 David Riley Award for Innovation in Business English, and the International E-Learning Award: Academic Division.[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Online School Has 100,000 Students, One Subject". wsj.com. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ "Leading Global English-Learning Platform Open English Grows its Revenue 7X YoY in the Middle East". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Surpasses 1 Million Students Enrolled; Expands into Europe and Middle East". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English". hbr.org. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ "A Latin American success story: online learning startup Open English". The Next Web. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English grows with the middle classes of Latin America". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Secures $65 Million in Latest Round of Financing". PR Newswire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Headquarters Relocation to Miami". La Patria. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ Palsuka, Nicole (June 18, 2013). "Why This $350 Million Online Language School Moved To Miami". WLRN-TV. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
Co-founder Nicolette Moreno, the chief product officer, was married to Andrés and also appears in Open English TV ads.
- ^ "In the Field of Digital Marketing, #TimesUp for Women to Claim Their Power". 2018-01-09. Archived from the original on 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ "Open English prepares to land in Asia, after the momentum achieved with the pandemic". DFSud. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Grows 27% Year-Over-Year With Language Learning Market Projected to Double by 2025". Business Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Richarlison donates R$2 million in English courses to social institutions". Globo. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English donates more than $170 thousand USD in scholarships to the AlumnUSB association". El Nacional. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Education Tech Startup Open English Files for U.S. IPO". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Miami's Open English buys Next University". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ^ "Open English Completes Acquisition of Fast Growing Online Vocational School, Next University". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English entered the Turkish market by acquiring English Ninjas". Haber Turk. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Latin America's Open English Acquires LIVE English Learning App Enguru". EdTech Review. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Methodology". Open English. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Online English Courses". Open English. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Completes Acquisition of Fast Growing Online Vocational School, Next University". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Open English Launches Open Mundo to Offer Live Tutoring in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian & French". EdTech Review. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Tech Journey: $700 to $350 Million". ABC News. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ^ "There is a hunger for entrepreneurship in Latin America: Andrés Moreno, founder of Open English, the company that revolutionized online English courses". BBC. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "IELA Awards 2011". The International E-Learning Association. Retrieved February 1, 2024.