Babbel GmbH, operating as Babbel,[4] is a German company operating a subscription-based language learning software and e-learning platform.
 | |
Type of site | Private |
|---|---|
| Available in | Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. |
| Headquarters | Berlin, |
| Key people | Arne Schepker (CEO), Thomas Holl (Co-Founder), Julie Hansen (CEO Babbel, Inc.) |
| Industry | E-Learning, Online Education |
| Revenue | €247 million (2022)[1] |
| Employees | 1000 Globally[2][3] |
| URL | www |
| Registration | yes |
| Launched | August 2007 |
| Current status | Online |
With 1000 employees, Babbel is headquartered in Berlin (Babbel GmbH) and has an office in New York City, operating as Babbel Inc.[5] Babbel's app is available for web, iOS and Android offering lessons in 14 languages. The company develops its learning content in-house.[6]
History
editThe company was founded in August 2007 by Thomas Holl, Toine Diepstraten, Lorenz Heine and Markus Witte.[7][8] In January 2008, the language learning platform went online with community features as a free beta version.[9]
In March 2013, Babbel acquired San Francisco startup PlaySay Inc. to expand into the United States.[10][11] As part of the acquisition, PlaySay's founder and CEO joined Babbel as a strategic advisor.[12] Later that year, a third funding round led by Scottish Equity Partners raised another $22 million.[13][14] Other participants in this round include previous investors Reed Elsevier Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners,[15] and VC Fonds Technology Berlin.[16][17]
In 2019, co-founder Markus Witte stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Arne Schepker.[18] In March 2020, a works council was elected in the Berlin office.[19]
In March 2022, Babbel provided free access codes to Ukrainian refugees, allowing those with prior knowledge of languages offered by Babbel to learn relevant languages such as German, Polish, and English.[20] In February 2023, Babbel was awarded the "CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Silver Anthem Award for Humanitarian Action & Services" for its efforts to help displaced people affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21] At the time, over 500,000 Ukrainians accessed Babbel courses under the program.[22]
In 2023, Babbel acquired Toucan (a language-learning browser extension). At the time, it had around 1000 full-time employees and freelancers.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Annual revenue generated by Babbel from 2013 to 2022", statista.com
- ^ Nicola, Stefan (January 12, 2017). "Germany's Babbel Adds Ex-Business Insider Executive in U.S. Push". Bloomberg.
- ^ Iszler, Madison (August 28, 2015). "European Language-Learning Startup Challenges Rosetta Stone, Duolingo". Forbes.
- ^ "Lesson Nine GmbH". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ a b "Babbel expands language learning ecosystem with Toucan acquisition". Tech.eu. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Strathmann, Marvin (March 9, 2016). "Alleine zur Fremdsprache". Die Zeit (in German).
- ^ Swan, David (July 4, 2017). "Babbel may set up office in Australia". The Australian Business Review. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ "Babbel secures funding for language learning". techcrunch.com. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ Slagel, Jake (March 7, 2016). "Interview with Babbel founder and CEO Markus Witte". The Young Businessmen. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ DiStefano, Joseph N. (March 21, 2013). "Babbel buys PlaySay". Philadelphia Media Network.
- ^ Leach, Anna (March 22, 2013). "Berlin E-Learning Startup Babbel Buys Out San Francisco Rival". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Murph, Darren (March 21, 2013). "Babbel acquires PlaySay in bid to bolster US language learning presence". Engadget.
- ^ England, Lucy (July 9, 2015). "German startup Babbel has raised $22 million to help people learn new languages". Business Insider.
- ^ Loeb, Steven (July 8, 2015). "Language learning startup Babbel raises $22M". Vator.
- ^ "Babbel Raises $22 million". Nokia Growth Partners. July 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ Sawers, Paul (July 8, 2015). "Babbel raises $22M to help grow its language-learning platform in the Americas". VentureBeat.
- ^ Lardinois, Frederic (July 8, 2015). "Babbel Raises $22M Series C Round For Its Language Learning Service". TechCrunch.
- ^ "Founder of language learning platform Babbel steps down as co-CEO to focus on board role". TechCrunch. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
- ^ ""Beyond quitting" - Employees at Babbel elect a works council". IG Metall Berlin. 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
- ^ "Quick Help: Babbel supports Ukrainian refugees with language courses". www.babbel.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ "In Review: The Year's Most Pressing Social Issues at the 2023 Anthem Awards". Anthem Awards. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ "By helping displaced Ukrainians learn a new language, Berlin's Babbel has taken its chance to make a difference". Tech.eu. 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2024-01-18.