Live Lingua

What Live Lingua does

Live Lingua is a privately held, founder-owned online language school founded in 2008 by Ray and Laura Blakney and domiciled in the United States. The company operates a marketplace platform that connects learners with vetted, certified native-speaking tutors for live 1-on-1 instruction across multiple languages, with Spanish as its primary offering alongside English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Japanese. The platform supports a curated bench of approximately 69 tutors and has served over 17,000 lifetime students, with a free resource library covering 130+ languages that functions as a long-tail acquisition channel. The product surface has expanded beyond live tutoring to include an AI Language Tutor App for Spanish and English, a self-paced Zero-to-Conversation digital course, and corporate language programs targeted at government and enterprise clients.

The business generates revenue through multiple pricing tiers: private 1-on-1 tutoring at $22-$32 per hour, group classes at $37-$77 per month, unlimited subscription plans at $897-$2,497, and corporate programs ranging from $1,799 to $4,997 per cohort. Operations are run on a lean core team of four staff, with scheduling, payments, and delivery running on third-party integrations (Google Meet, Zoom, Google Calendar, Stripe). The named enterprise reference base includes U.S. Department of State, USAID, DOJ, HUD, St. Jude, Peace Corps, IDB, and others, alongside a long-tail of individual consumers. The company is bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds and no public revenue or ARR figures.

Name

Live Lingua

Legal name

Live Lingua, Inc.

Website

https://livelingua.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Live Lingua is a US-based, founder-owned online language school connecting learners with vetted native-speaking tutors for live 1-on-1 instruction across multiple languages, serving both individual consumers and government/enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Language Education

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Tutoring, Conversation Exchange & Language Coaching Platforms (EDAFAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Online Language Tutoring & Small-Group Classes (EDAMAFAD), On-Demand 1:1 Live Tutoring Marketplaces (EDANAGAA), Group & Class-Based Live Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAB)

Keywords

• Online language tutoring
• Live language lessons
• Corporate language training
• Spanish language school
• Private language classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Weymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Per-Hour Private Lessons: Students purchase lesson hours at tiered pricing ($22-$27/hour for Spanish, $27-$32/hour for exam prep). Volume discounts apply with more hours purchased upfront. Hours remain valid for one year.
2. Unlimited Subscription Plans: Monthly/quarterly/annual subscription plans offering unlimited one-on-one Spanish lessons. Plans include 3 assigned teachers and 30-day money-back guarantee. Billed upfront for subscription period.
3. Group Conversation/Grammar Classes: Monthly subscription for unlimited group classes (100s monthly) at $37-$77/month depending on plan length. Classes limited to 6 students maximum.
4. Corporate Language Training: Enterprise B2B language training programs for corporate clients. Pricing includes small group cohorts ($4,997 for 6 learners), 1:1 coaching (from $1,799/learner), and executive programs (from $3,297). Custom scope based on organizational needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Live Lingua is an online language school offering live, 1-on-1 private lessons, group conversation and grammar classes, and subscription packages with 69 vetted native-speaking tutors across Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Portuguese. The company also sells an AI Language Tutor mobile app and runs tailored corporate language training programs for organizations.

Product overview

Live Lingua is an online language school offering a multi-product portfolio centered on live tutoring with certified native-speaking teachers. The core offering is 1-on-1 private lessons available for Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, and other languages. The product suite includes subscription tiers (Unlimited Spanish Lessons with 3/6/12-month options), small group classes (Group Conversation Classes and Group Grammar Classes limited to 6 students), an AI Language Tutor App for AI-powered conversational practice, specialized courses (Spanish for Business, Tourism, Medical, Teachers, Priests), exam preparation (DELE, ECELE), and corporate language programs for enterprise clients. Supporting free resources include the Live Lingua Podcast, Blog, Spanish Verbs & Conjugation tool, Spanish Vocabulary resource, and the Live Lingua Project hosting 130+ languages of free materials from Peace Corps, FSI, and DLI archives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1-on-1 Private Language Lessons Live, one-on-one private tutoring sessions with vetted native-speaking tutors across Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Portuguese, sold by the hour with volume-based tiered pricing.
• Unlimited Spanish Lessons (Subscription) Multi-month subscription plan (3, 6, and 12 month tiers) granting learners unlimited Spanish lessons with a dedicated tutor.
• Group Conversation Classes Scheduled live group conversation classes with native tutors for learners who prefer small-group speaking practice over 1-on-1 lessons.
• Group Grammar Classes Scheduled live group grammar classes with native tutors covering structured grammar instruction in the target language.
• AI Language Tutor App Mobile AI-powered language tutor app that supplements human tutoring with on-demand AI-driven practice for learners.
• Zero-to-Conversation Digital self-study program designed to take a beginner from zero knowledge to holding a conversation in the target language.
• DELE Exam Preparation Targeted preparation for the DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) Spanish proficiency exam, delivered by vetted tutors.
• ECELE Exam Preparation Targeted preparation for the ECELE Spanish exam, delivered by vetted tutors.
• Corporate Language Programs Customized group and individual language training programs for organizations and government agencies, with tailored curriculum and a dedicated sales motion.
• Spanish for Tourists Specialized Spanish course tailored to travelers and tourism-industry professionals.
• Spanish for Business Specialized Spanish course focused on business vocabulary, communication, and professional contexts.
• Spanish for Teachers Specialized Spanish course designed for teachers who need Spanish-language proficiency for classroom or instruction contexts.
• Spanish for Medical Professionals Specialized Spanish course tailored to medical professionals needing clinical and patient-facing communication skills.
• Spanish for Priests Specialized Spanish course designed for clergy who need Spanish-language proficiency for ministerial work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000+ students taught
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate social responsibility partnership where Live Lingua sponsors 10 children through Save the Children program. When customers learn with Live Lingua, they enable the company to sponsor children through this program.
• Peace CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founders have Peace Corps background. The company hosts Peace Corps language learning materials on its free Live Lingua Project platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Duolingo: Mass-market gamified language-learning app adding AI-powered conversation features. Competes with Live Lingua for budget-conscious learners and is forcing the live tutoring category to defend premium positioning.
• Babbel: Subscription language-learning app with live conversation classes (Babbel Live). Adjacent competitor that bundles self-study with human tutoring, putting pressure on pure live-tutoring models like Live Lingua's.

Direct peers

• Verbling: Online platform offering live group classes and 1:1 lessons with vetted language teachers. Directly comparable to Live Lingua in live tutoring delivery, tutor vetting, and target audience of adult language learners.
• Preply: Online marketplace connecting learners with 1:1 language tutors across many languages. Direct competitor to Live Lingua in the live 1:1 online tutoring space, with similar pay-as-you-go and subscription models.
• Wyzant: US-focused online tutoring marketplace for academic and language subjects with 1:1 live lessons. Comparable in marketplace-style live tutoring model and SMB/individual learner focus.
• Lingoda: Online language school offering live group and 1:1 classes with native teachers, plus corporate language training. Competes head-on with Live Lingua's group and corporate programs.
• italki: Global marketplace for 1:1 language lessons with native-speaking teachers via video conferencing. Closest direct peer to Live Lingua in product, delivery model, and target learner.

Broad incumbents

• Varsity Tutors: Larger, established online tutoring platform owned by Nerdy covering many subjects including language. Overlaps with Live Lingua in live 1:1 tutoring but operates at much broader scale across more subjects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/livelingua
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiveLingua
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/live-lingua

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Live Lingua