British language learning site Fluentify has raised $410,000 from angel investors. The investment, which was led by former Barclays executive Stefano Marsaglia, brings the startup's total raised capital to $500,000, according to TechCrunch.
The London-based startup will use the new capital to hire additional staff. It will also enhance the service that it had started in Southern Europe, in preparation for its scaling, the report added.
Fluentify explained its edge over its competitors: "What really separates Fluentify from Verbling or Italki is that our tutors are not only teachers of English but also working professionals in their fields (bankers, web developers, musicians, etc.). What Fluentify offers is real-life experience. Also, Fluentify is an 'all in one' solution. Users don't need to download any software or switch to other videoconferencing platform (such as Skype or Google handouts) as they must do with our competitors. The entire experience from the tutor selection to the online conversation takes place on our website."
The videoconferencing language learning marketplace was co-founded by Italian entrepreneurs Andrea Passadori, Matteo Avalle, Claudio Bosco, and Giacomo Moiso. The platform lets any native speaker become a 'fluentifier' or a language tutor after passing the evaluations. Tutors can set their fees between $8 and $30 for every 30-minute class. Fluentify makes money by taking a 20% fee from every transaction, TechCrunch reported.
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