Open English

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Open English
Company typePrivate
IndustryEnglish language online education
FoundedCaracas, Venezuela
September 2006
FounderAndrés Moreno, Nicolette Rankin, and Wilmer Samiento
Headquarters
Coconut Grove, Florida
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Andrés Moreno (CEO)
Websitewww.openenglish.com

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 acquried 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]

  1. ^ "Online School Has 100,000 Students, One Subject". wsj.com. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  2. ^ "Leading Global English-Learning Platform Open English Grows its Revenue 7X YoY in the Middle East". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  3. ^ "Open English Surpasses 1 Million Students Enrolled; Expands into Europe and Middle East". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "Open English". hbr.org. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  5. ^ "A Latin American success story: online learning startup Open English". The Next Web. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "Open English grows with the middle classes of Latin America". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Open English Secures $65 Million in Latest Round of Financing". PR Newswire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "Headquarters Relocation to Miami". La Patria. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Open English prepares to land in Asia, after the momentum achieved with the pandemic". DFSud. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ "Open English Grows 27% Year-Over-Year With Language Learning Market Projected to Double by 2025". Business Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "Richarlison donates R$2 million in English courses to social institutions". Globo. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  14. ^ "Open English donates more than $170 thousand USD in scholarships to the AlumnUSB association". El Nacional. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "Education Tech Startup Open English Files for U.S. IPO". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ "Miami's Open English buys Next University". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  17. ^ "Open English Completes Acquisition of Fast Growing Online Vocational School, Next University". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "Open English entered the Turkish market by acquiring English Ninjas". Haber Turk. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "Latin America's Open English Acquires LIVE English Learning App Enguru". EdTech Review. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "Open English Methodology". Open English. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "Online English Courses". Open English. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  22. ^ "Open English Completes Acquisition of Fast Growing Online Vocational School, Next University". Business Wire. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Open English Launches Open Mundo to Offer Live Tutoring in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian & French". EdTech Review. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Tech Journey: $700 to $350 Million". ABC News. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  25. ^ "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.
  26. ^ "IELA Awards 2011". The International E-Learning Association. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

External links[edit]

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