OKpanda offers a suite of mobile English-learning apps that simulate conversations and couple speech-recognition driven self-study with access to live human tutors via instant messaging. Its flagship OKPanda English Conversation app and a new Everyday English app focus on grammar, vocabulary, listening and pronunciation practice. The service currently connects learners to Filipino teachers through the Line messaging app and plans to add live video conversation as a new option. OKpanda charges a monthly subscription (reported between $30 and $100) aimed at undercutting traditional English conversation schools in Japan. The startup reports strong user traction in Japan: 450,000 users for its flagship app, 125,000 registered users for Everyday English within three weeks of launch, and about 600,000 iOS installs in Japan since December 2013. OKpanda was co-founded at the end of 2012 by Adam Gries and Nir Markus and says it intends to expand into other Asian markets such as China, Korea and Taiwan. OKpanda is building a mobile-first English learning app targeted at Japanese speakers, emphasizing conversational and colloquial usage rather than academic English. The iPhone app uses hundreds of thousands of interactive conversations and lets users speak with avatars in “fully dynamic formats” to practice listening and speaking. The team expects to launch the app before December and will start on iOS before expanding to other mobile platforms and Asian markets. Down the line the company plans to add live conversations with English speakers, though implementation details are not yet finalized. The app will be free to download and the founders are considering a subscription monetization model similar to Lumosity or Lynda.com. OKpanda relocated its staff from New York City to Tokyo and has secured outside funding to support its launch and early operations.

Total raised

$3M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Aug 2014