People Are Getting Smarter During The Pandemic

Netflix’s Emily In Paris has apparently gotten everyone fired-up for the eventual return of international travel.

Yesterday, language-learning app Duolingo announced a $35 million capital raise valuing the startup at $2.4 billion. Incroyable!

Self Improvement 101

Duolingo operates a “freemium” model – all lessons across the 37 available languages are free, but users can upgrade for an ad-less experience with an enhanced ability to track progress.

• According to CEO Luis von Ahn, Duolingo is on track to double its revenue in 2020 to roughly $200 million.
• Currently, just 4% of users pay for the premium version, but the company plans to roll out more premium features to improve conversion.

What Else? People are learning more than just how to order a baguette in Lyon.

Last month, Udemy, a marketplace that offers video-based courses to learn everything from the Python coding language to photography skills, recently raised a $100 million Series F round at a valuation of $3.3 billion.

The Takeaway

With more idle time during pandemic life, why not invest in yourself?