Fluentify

2014-08-01T14:56:36Z

65.121.228.201: /* History */

{{Userspace draft|source=ArticleWizard|date=July 2014}}
{{infobox company
|name = Fluentify
|logo = [[Image:Fluentify logo.svg|250px|Fluentify logo]]
|type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
|location_city = [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|industry = [[Online education]]
|foundation = 2013
|founder = Matteo Avalle, Claudio Bosco, Giacomo Moiso and Andrea Passadori
|homepage = [https://www.fluentify.com www.fluentify.com]
}}

'''Fluentify''' is an online language tutoring website. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]], the company is privately owned and operated by Blinguo LTD.<ref>{{cite web|title=Company Overview of Blinguo LTD|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=261226340|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek|accessdate=31 July 2014}}</ref> The platform offers online language classes with selected native speakers.

== History ==
Fluentify was founded in February 2013 and launched into public beta in May 2013. The same month, the company was selected to join London-based [[Accelerator Academy]] for three months of training. In March 2014, Fluentify announced that it had raised $410k in angel funding from the banker [[Stefano Marsaglia]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Language Learning Platform Fluentify Takes In $410K Angel Investment|url=http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/31/fluentify-angel/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=31 July 2014|date=31 March 2014}}</ref> Marsaglia is a prominent M&A banker, currently co-head of corporate and investment banking at [[Mediobanca]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Mediobanca Names Barclays’ Marsaglia Investment Banking Co-Head|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-03/mediobanca-names-barclays-marsaglia-investment-banking-co-head.html|publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mediobanca hires veteran adviser to expand European operations|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f3aff70c-5b72-11e3-a2ba-00144feabdc0.html|publisher=Financial Times}}</ref> [[Italy]]’s biggest publicly traded [[investment bank]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A little less tangled, Italian finance is at last being reshaped|url=http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21580156-italian-finance-last-being-reshaped-little-less-tangled|publisher=The Economist}}</ref>

In July 2014 the company opened the first international office in [[Turin]], announcing a plan to create a development hub in [[Italy]] and hire 20 developers in 12 months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fluentify: “Torniamo in Italia e assumiamo 20 persone"|url=http://www.linkiesta.it/fluentify-offre-20-posti-di-lavoro|publisher=Linkiesta}}</ref>

== Working as a tutor ==
Fluentify runs on a marketplace platform model where it connects students and tutors and enables transactions without hiring any tutor itself.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fluentify - Terms & Conditions|url=https://www.fluentify.com/|publisher=Company website|accessdate=1 August 2014}}</ref> Unlike traditional language schools and online tutoring websites, Fluentify scales not by increasing its inventory or number of employees but by increasing the students and tutors and matching them with each other.<ref>{{cite news|last=Choudary|first=Sangeet|title=A Platform Thinking Approach to Innovation|url=http://www.wired.com/2014/01/platform-thinking-approach-innovation/|publisher=WIRED||date=1 August 2014}}</ref> The company claims that top tutors can earn up to £2,500 per month.<ref>{{cite web|title=Company blog - How to become a tutor|url=http://www.fluentify.com/blog/?p=97|publisher=Company blog|accessdate=1 August 2014}}</ref>

== Media attention ==
In September 2013, the company has been selected from more than 200 nominations to take part in [[TechCrunch]] Competition in Rome.<ref name=TC>{{cite news|last=Butcher|first=Mike|title=GiPStech, A Radical Indoor Location Startup, Wins TechCrunch Italy Competition|url=http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/27/gipstech-a-radical-indoor-location-startup-wins-techcrunch-italy-competition/|publisher=TechCrunch||date=1 August 2014}}</ref> GiPStech, [[startup]] which developed an advanced indoor [[positioning]] technology based on the world’s [[geo-magnetic field]], won the $50k prize.<ref name=TC /> In [[January]] [[2014]] the company have been shortlisted for the BT Infinity Lab program, a competition promoted by the British multinational [[ITC]] company [[BT Group]].<ref>{{cite news|title=BT Infinity Lab finalists revealed|url=http://home.bt.com/techgadgets/technews/bt-infinity-lab-finalists-revealed-11363870485085|publisher=British Telecom||date=27 January 2014}}</ref>

Fluentify and its founders received consistent media coverage in Italy. In [[April]] [[2014]] two of its founders have been invited as guests in the prime-time TV program [[Che tempo che fa]], one of the most popular in Italy hosted by [[Fabio Fazio]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Lombardo|first=Silvia|title=Il made in Italy a Londra: con Fluentify l'inglese lo impari online da artisti e professionals della City|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.it/silvia-lombardo/fluentify-londra_b_5224959.html|publisher=Huffington Post|date=28 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Iovine|first=Giorgia|title=Che Tempo che fa, 27 aprile 2014, tutte le interviste|url=http://www.tvblog.it/post/571263/che-tempo-che-fa-puntata-27-aprile-2014-diretta-ospiti|publisher=TV Blog|date=27 April 2014}}</ref>

In [[May]] [[2014]], the monthly tech magazine [[Wired]] selected Fluentify as one of the 6 top tools to learn a language online.<ref>{{cite news|last=Foggetti|first=Luigina|title=Sei modi per imparare le lingue online|url=http://www.wired.it/internet/web/2014/05/22/sei-modi-per-imparare-le-lingue-online/|publisher=Wired|date=22 May 2014}}</ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.fluentify.com Fluentify Official Site]
* [https://www.fluentify.com/zine Company blog]



[[Category:Privately held companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Online companies]]
[[Category:Companies based in London]]
[[Category:Education companies]]

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