Verbling operates an online marketplace that lets users find and book vetted language teachers for hour‑long private lessons via video chat; teachers set their own rates and availability. New users receive a $6 credit and many tutors offer a $6 half‑hour trial. Tutor rates vary (examples in the article include $23 per session, other tutors starting at $16/hour, and some languages as low as $8/hour). The company emphasizes human tutors over software and says 97 percent of the language market remains offline. Verbling has raised prior capital and its total investments now add up to $4.4M. CEO and cofounder Jake Jolis said the new funds will be used to optimize the marketplace on more platforms and devices and to better fill teachers' availability so they can earn more and class costs can be reduced. Verbling pairs users who want to learn a language with native speakers through live video chat, switching languages mid-session and matching participants by language level. The service suggests conversation topics tailored to ability and encourages speaking with multiple partners in a session. Video chat uses Flash for streaming and the team has built infrastructure to maintain audio/video quality across varying connections. Verbling currently supports English-Spanish exchanges but reports strong demand for additional language combinations. The company recently launched Verbling Flashcards for beginners; since launch 74% of visitors have used the new feature. Financially, Verbling has raised $1 million and says the funding will be used toward hiring.

Total raised

$4M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2015