Sara Clemens’ Post

Duolingo: From Gamified Beginnings to Global Impact. Chapter 8: Luis von Ahn's TED Talk. In 2011, Luis von Ahn delivered a TED Talk that not only showcased Duolingo as a revolutionary language learning platform but also highlighted the broader impact it could have on global education. The TED Talk served as a pivotal moment, bringing Duolingo into the spotlight and solidifying its reputation as an innovative force in online learning. During the talk, von Ahn passionately shared the vision behind Duolingo, emphasizing the dual-purpose of the platform: providing free language education while harnessing the collective efforts of users to translate the web. The TED Talk not only captivated the audience but also resonated with the wider public, sparking increased interest and recognition for Duolingo's transformative approach to education. The exposure from the TED Talk contributed to Duolingo's rapid growth, attracting more users and further establishing its position in the edtech landscape. The talk not only celebrated the success of Duolingo but also inspired a broader conversation about the potential of technology to democratize education and address global challenges. Chapter 8 delves into the impact of Luis von Ahn's TED Talk on Duolingo's trajectory, exploring how this public platform elevated the platform's visibility, garnered support, and solidified its status as a leader in the online education space. #startup #strategy #technology #innovation

From humble, bootstrapped, Polish roots, Brainly has become a contender in the global edtech race. Its product's core remains the same as in the very beginning: a moderated Q&A forum where students can ask and get answers to their homework questions. The company is flush with VC funds and has adopted a bullish international expansion strategy, venturing out to Brazil, India, and the US just to name a few. Unsurprisingly, the troves of data Brainly has ingested during the years is now ushering in its move to AI, and the possibility for students to get personalized, more interactive help with their homework. Monetization is complicated by the varying buying power Brainly's users have. The parent of a US Brainly user has more money to dish out than a 14-year-old Brazilian student. This week, the Realistic Optimist dives into Brainly. Read on! #poland #ai #tech #edtech #education

🦉 Duolingo's rise to the top of the language learning market is a special lesson to all in the business world. Luis von Ahn, the creator of CAPTCHA, pioneered a unique language-learning app that captured customers through great marketing, reward systems, and a strategic freemium model. Their strength, reflected in the high operating margins, demonstrates how unique ideas and strategies can make a huge impact much like Uber or Tinder. If this interests you, check out the Deep Dive in the Pari Passu Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gs5HEdva Paul P. #investing #business #startups #ai #markets #investmentbanking #privateequity #equityresearch #equities #buffett #stocks #tech

Duolingo: From Gamified Beginnings to Global Impact. Chapter 7: Language for All. Duolingo's commitment to providing free education manifested in its mission to make language learning accessible to people around the world. The platform's mobile-centric design furthered this accessibility, allowing users to engage in language learning anytime, anywhere, with nothing more than a smartphone and an internet connection. The founders, Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, envisioned Duolingo as a tool for empowerment, breaking down economic and geographical barriers to education. By offering language courses for free, the platform democratized access to learning opportunities, catering to a diverse global audience. The mobile app format was a game-changer, particularly in regions where traditional educational resources were limited. Duolingo became a portable classroom, reaching individuals who might not have otherwise had the means to pursue language education. This inclusivity aligned with the founders' belief that education should be a universal right, not a privilege. Chapter 7 explores how Duolingo's emphasis on accessibility transformed it into a language-learning platform for all, regardless of geographical location, economic background, or educational resources. The mobile revolution played a crucial role in realizing the founders' vision of making language education a tool for empowerment and inclusivity on a global scale. #startup #strategy #technology #innovation

Really interesting article on one of the worlds most successful apps. There is no doubt that their model works extremely well (and anyone who has used the app will testify that it is fun and easy to use). I admire their dedication to hiring only "perfect' employees - however, most employers do not have the luxury of finding the 'unicorn employee' and I personally advocate that compromise in hiring is key to achieving a balanced workforce - not everyone is great at being interviewed and I wonder how many fantastic potential employees DuoLingo has overlooked due to their strategy?

Duolingo's growth for being consumer subscription + learning category is pretty amazing. YoY +63% DAU, +47% MAU, +60% Paid Subs. 📈 👇 Cem Kansu, VP Product at Duolingo, was recently on Unsolicited Feedback with Fareed Mosavat and I and here were a few interesting things we learned. ❤️ Good Friction Creates Passionate Employees ❤️ Duolingo HQ is in Pittsburgh. Not the place you think of when you think "tech hub." But Cem talks about how that was also an advantage. Being located there created a higher bar for how passionate the person needed to be in order to move and work at the company. That created a tighter and more passionate culture about the mission. 🎶 🧮 PMF Expansion Into Music and Math 🎶 🧮 Duolingo has spent years honing a habit-building experience around language learning. They are now taking that to new categories to drive the next stage of growth. They recently launched music and math products. Fareed and I found this interesting as they seemed very different. Math is a core subject tied to school. Integrated into standardized testing. Probably has a high willingness to pay. Not a passion topic for most people. Music is closer to a passion topic. Lots of people want to learn throughout their life. Likely lower willingness to pay. Cem talked a bit about how they thought about these two topics. Part of the reason they chose them were how different they were from each other. 🪄❌ No Magic Moments, Just Grinding We asked if there were key inflection points. Besides betting on mobile early, it's been a lot of little things that add up over time. Building habitual products is hard. But habits around things like learning (vs entertainment) are even harder. Cem talks about how they've approached this with a highly experimental culture and we contrasted it to Airbnb's two releases per year model. Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gqU8Euai

I hate to say it, but push notifications get me! Despite my knowing that they are there just to get me back onto the platform and get engaged. Duolingo's "Don't break your streak" or that random game notifying me that I am no longer in first position? Hold my coffee while I reclaim my title, please! In my adult learning discoveries, I've started to see the meticulous science that goes behind keeping platform users engaged. It's fascinating (and a little scary!). Here's how they get under my (and most likely your) skin: ✅ Timing is everything! I got reminders around the time I sleep, which is also coincidentally the time I'd go onto Duolingo to complete a lesson. Couple that with the early morning reminder (never before I wake up though) ✅Personalization. That "Don't lose your 109-day streak" (well a variation of that), makes such a huge difference compared to something like "Time to learn!". ✅Call to Action. Always! You won't just be told you missed an assignment. You'll receive an easy and very direct way to jump back in. That's the secret sauce. These are gentle reminders that tap into our psychology to nudge us toward positive learning behaviors. It's part of what behavior scientist, B. J. Foggs, calls "Persuasive Technology". I'm currently experimenting with some aspects of these together with my colleagues, and I am so excited to see what comes of it. So, the next time you see a notification – and better yet, click on it – take a moment to appreciate the science behind it. Perhaps also pick which apps or sites you want to permit to influence your behavior in such nuanced ways. #lessonsinadultlearning

Explore the many ways to engage with CodeKidz! Whether you're a student, parent, educator, or creator, CodeKidz offers a variety of interactive and collaborative avenues to enhance your educational experience. Here's how you can get involved: 👨🎓 Students: Dive into a world of interactive learning by enrolling in courses like "Python for Everybody: The Interactive Course." Enhance your skills with our AI-driven modules and connect with peers by joining our vibrant community on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Discord.  🔗 https://codekidz.ai 👪 Parents: Stay informed about your child's learning progress with our intuitive platform. Receive weekly updates and watch their development unfold. Check out this video introduction to understand how you can track your child's journey. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gMUwrimS 👩🏫 Educators: Take control of your online teaching presence by managing existing courses or creating new ones with your own resources. Our platform makes it easy to transform your knowledge into engaging interactive content. Learn more about how you can contribute to the future of education. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gVSE6RDz 🎨 Creators: Have expertise you're eager to share? Join our Composer Program and create courses across various subjects. Release your content to a global audience and earn influence or revenue through CodeKidz. Find out how you can make an impact and benefit from our platform. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gur37vr9 CodeKidz is more than just an educational platform; it's a community where knowledge and innovation thrive. Join us in shaping the future of learning! #CodeKidz #InteractiveLearning #EducationForAll #EdTech #LearnTeachCreate #CommunityBuilding #AIeducation

Little did I know there's actually a lot of interesting tidbits on Duolingo 👀 One of the co-founders is actually the founder of reCAPTCHA before selling it to Google. Some of their early investors included Tim Ferriss and Ashton Kutcher. Over 10 years, they had 10X their monthly active users from 10m to 83.1m! Their approach to TikTok via memes was edgy but helped catapult their following to 10m in just 2 years! (Note: the sum of their Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube followers don't is slightly half of this number!) Other than Super Duolingo service offering, they have an enhanced AI content offering called Duolingo Max, as well as Duolingo English Test — "a proficiency exam that’s now accepted by over 5,000 universities around the world." As a user myself, I'm pretty stoked on the company for its gamification approach to language learning. As an investor, from what I roughly see, using a: - Terminal growth rate of 2% - Discount rate of 12% - TTM FCF of $150.4m the market is currently pricing DUOL such that it will be able to grow its FCF in the next 10 years annually by 28%. Though the FCF growth rate seems reasonable considering the lumpiness in their cash receipts, I would like to have some margin of safety, hence perhaps waiting for it to fall to the $170 range (25% FCF growth rate) instead for an entry hmm... Nonetheless, this is not financial advice and is just me laying out some thoughts..

Engineering at Duolingo is well-known for its quick experimentation. Whether the objective is to update a button or launch a new feature, the engineering team gathers data from numerous user experiments, which could run up to hundreds in a week. Unlike many other companies, Duolingo does not wait to launch new features until they are perfected, and instead, it rolls out experiments to as many users as possible while monitoring them carefully. This approach helps the engineering team make informed decisions about experiments faster. The leadership at Duolingo fosters innovation in a similar way by testing new initiatives across the organization, gathering data, and iterating. Some of their experiments have included hackathons, productivity frameworks, and cross-functional teams, which have led to both successes and failures. One of the most notable failed initiatives has been Google’s famous “20% time” policy. To understand the lessons behind this experiment, we delve into why it did not work for Duolingo and what has worked instead. 🔗 Read the full story now: https://lnkd.in/giMWu-rY #duolingo #softwaredeveloper #softwareengineer #coding #peogramming #news #engineering #devpath #thecompiler