Spanish entrepreneurs who have surprised Apple CEO

One day it was Tim Cook’s lightning visit, CEO of Apple. An express journey that brought him to kilometer Zero from Spain, to Moncloa with Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government, and two small meetings with Spanish entrepreneurs.

One of them was Lingokids. Despite his name is not an editorial or British or American, he has Spanish carrots. In just over two years, Cristóbal Viedma, founder of the app, went from teaching from English to his niece to meet the Apple CEO. “We were extremely flattered because we have been selected by Apple among all the interesting apps projects that come out in Spain to present Tim Cook,” he says in Innova+.

But why this application to learn English? «We have found a niche: Learning English for children Early early, in which there is an important question around the world, “says Viedma.

Lingokids currently has more than 7 million families on the platform in more than 190 countries. “We have worked very hard to be the best in that niche, looking for the best professionals, creating the best content, developing the best technological platform and having a lot of passion for our work,” says the founder of the platform.

The birth of the learning platform recalls the famous stories of the greats of Silicon Valley, although this memory is more known. A study from the University of Cambridge reveals that the vast majority of Spanish children, nine out of ten, practice English at home. And this is what happened in the house of the Viedma. “My sister Marieta asked me to start teaching my two -year -old cousin English.”

Spanish children from two to six years old, according to Cambridge, use cartoons and songs to practice the language of Shakespeare. The little niece of Cristóbal Viedma “, however, was bored all online sources” that his uncle found. “That is why we both thought we could be those who created what we were looking for, a web platform with specific content, so that children learn English in an attractive and entertaining way at a young age,” he adds.

This will be achieved in February 2016 and a According to Oxford University It offers the first push to the platform that reaches a saturated market, but with the aim of “providing a quality service to those parents who wanted to introduce their smallest children in learning English, through a simple and intuitive tool, with suitable costs for each bag,” the maker explains.

Audiovisual learning

A method that is structured in different Lessons with real teachers and in different sizes “As videos and songs with animated characters, games and writing exercises.” Moreover, each lesson includes weekly progress reports, because extra material to print and strengthen the learned content. “We want to make this possible for every family, so that all children can look at the future on equal conditions,” Viedma recalls.

A model that has Different subscription plans. From the basis to the unlimited via the premium, the latter two with subscription payment. They allow English learning online with real lessons through video conference, individually or in a group. Some classes “directed by mother tongue teachers” explain on their website. In addition to offline access to the content to learn at all times by “a simple and intuitive tool, with a suitable costs for each bag with which they can let their children learn at their own pace, at any time and everywhere,” says Viedma. A price that Round 65 euros per month.

“Tim Cook told us that a project like ours today is incredibly important”

Cristóbal Viedma, CEO of Lagokids

Project that led them in the month of April, almost successively, in the week appUnpleasant In the App Store such as on Google Play. A market where they compete with two giants: the American ABC mouse and the China Vipid. “We wanted to address children between 2 and 8 years old,” he says.

In the last financing round, closed just a few weeks ago, Lingokids achieved 6 million dollars under the leadership of the German risk capital fund HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, which therefore consolidates its participation in the company. The next challenge is to reach 15 million users of the tool, which would mean that the current figures are bent. “We want to become the first option for all children in the world who are interested in an innovative, simple and effective methodology to learn English.”

With two years of life, Lingokids has one 300% growthThey have reached millions and millions in the financing rounds, lead downloads in the most important virtual smartphones and have received the visit from one of the most important men of Silicon Valley. “(Cook) told us that a project like ours is incredibly important today, and that you really want to see what is coming in our company,” Viedma tells Innova+. A success story written in English, but made in Spain.