Language Bird

What Language Bird does

LanguageBird is a Los Angeles-based, privately held online private school founded in 2015 that delivers live, one-to-one world language instruction to middle school, high school, and adult learners across 15 languages, including ASL, Arabic, ESL, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. All instruction is delivered via Microsoft Teams with student scheduling, attendance, lesson history, and enrollment managed through the proprietary MyLanguageBird platform; the curriculum is textbook-free, project-based, and aligned with ACTFL standards and NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. The company holds WASC and Cognia institutional accreditation, NCAA approval, and UC A-G approval, allowing its high school courses to confer accredited credit that counts toward college admission and athletic eligibility.

The business model is primarily direct-to-consumer, with one-time course purchases at three high school tiers (Excel, Achieve, Core) priced between $1,843 and $5,803, tutoring and test-prep packages ranging from $902 to $2,943, and a recurring subscription in the form of Chirp Room small-group conversation sessions. Revenue is also generated from a $195 Global Seal of Biliteracy exam fee and ancillary services such as makeup lesson charges. Distribution combines self-service website enrollment (Stripe-processed) with a partner channel spanning K-12 schools and districts, independent educational consultants, affiliate referrers, and corporate accounts, supplemented by attendance at industry conferences (HECA, ACTFL, NACAC) and content/SEO marketing. The company is bootstrapped under founder and CEO Dr. Karyn Koven, with 11-50 employees and no external funding rounds, M&A, or restructuring disclosed.

Name

Language Bird

Legal name

LanguageBird® Inc.

Website

https://languagebird.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LanguageBird is an accredited online private school offering live, one-to-one world language instruction in 15 languages to middle school, high school, and adult learners via Microsoft Teams, with credit-bearing courses approved by WASC, Cognia, NCAA, and UC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Language Learning

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), Language Schools (61163), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Online Language Tutoring & Small-Group Classes (EDAMAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bilingual/ESL/ELL & Multilingual Learner Support Tools (EDAFAOAK), Exam Preparation for Language Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/DELE/HSK/JLPT, etc.) (EDAMAFAF), World Languages Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAJ)

Keywords

• Online language learning
• Live language instruction
• World language courses
• Language tutoring services
• Foreign language education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Course Enrollment (Credit Programs): One-time purchase of semester or full-year language courses with a set number of instructional and mastery lessons. Programs include Excel (comprehensive with 1:1 mastery to instruction ratio), Achieve (balanced with 1:2 ratio), and Core (instructional lessons only). Pricing varies by program tier and duration.
2. Tutoring, Test Prep, and Conversational Lessons: Flexible lesson packages (6, 12, 18, or 24 lessons) for targeted language support, exam preparation, or conversational fluency without academic credit.
3. Chirp Room Chat Room Subscriptions: Small-group conversation practice sessions available by subscription to schools, districts, businesses, and individual learners.
4. Global Seal of Biliteracy Exam: Exam fee for nationally recognized bilingual proficiency certification.
5. Official Transcripts: Transcript processing and delivery through third-party provider Parchment. Fees set by Parchment and paid directly to Parchment for electronic or mail delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LanguageBird provides live, one-to-one online world language instruction delivered via Microsoft Teams by native-level instructors. The company sells accredited middle school and high school language courses (Excel, Achieve, and Core tiers), tutoring and test prep packages, adult language programs, small-group Chirp Room conversation subscriptions, and Global Seal of Biliteracy exam administration across 15 languages.

Product overview

LanguageBird is an accredited online private school offering personalized, live, one-to-one language instruction. The core offering consists of Middle School Courses (foundational language learning), High School Courses for credit (Excel, Achieve, and Core programs with varying levels of instructional and mastery lessons), Adult Programs, and Tutoring/Test Prep/Conversational Lessons. Supporting products include Chirp Room Chat Rooms for small-group practice and the Global Seal of Biliteracy Exam service. The company offers 15 languages including ASL, Arabic, ESL, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. All instruction is delivered via Microsoft Teams, with student management through the MyLanguageBird platform. LanguageBird follows a textbook-free, project-based curriculum aligned with ACTFL standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle School Courses Live, one-to-one online language lessons for middle school students in grades 6-8, offering foundational instruction in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Programs do not award high school credit and are designed for pre-high-school skill building.
• High School Excel Program Comprehensive accredited high school language course providing 24 instructional and 24 mastery lessons per year in a 1:1 ratio of mastery to instruction. Designed for students seeking deeper curriculum engagement and stronger speaking confidence; recognized for college credit, NCAA eligibility, and UC A-G requirements.
• High School Achieve Program Balanced accredited high school language course with 12 instructional and 6 mastery lessons per semester (1:2 mastery-to-instruction ratio). Combines guided instruction with self-directed work for motivated learners seeking flexibility.
• High School Core Program Independent-focused accredited high school language course offering instructional lessons only (no mastery lessons). Ideal for self-directed learners or those on shorter timelines; available semester or full year.
• Tutoring, Test Prep, and Conversational Lessons Flexible one-to-one language instruction available in all 15 languages for targeted academic support, exam preparation (AP, IB, Global Seal, TOEFL, DELF), or conversational fluency development. Sold in 6, 12, 18, or 24 lesson packages without academic credit.
• Chirp Room Chat Rooms Live, video, moderated small-group conversation sessions led by an instructor for learners at similar levels to practice speaking and listening. Available by subscription to schools, districts, businesses, and individual learners; not for credit.
• Global Seal of Biliteracy Exam Exam preparation and administration service providing a nationally recognized credential certifying bilingual proficiency, available for high school students and adult learners.
• Adult Programs Language learning programs for adults focused on career advancement, travel, heritage connection, or personal enrichment through flexible conversational lessons that prioritize relevant content over standard curriculum.
• MyLanguageBird Platform Online student information system where learners set schedules, view class schedules, track lesson history, contact instructors, review enrollment details, reschedule lessons, and complete the Learner Orientation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of parents say their student looks forward to lessons
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ParchmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationParchment is LanguageBird's third-party transcript service provider for official transcript processing, electronic delivery, and mail delivery to schools, colleges, and universities.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Teams is used as the virtual classroom platform for live online language lessons. LanguageBird recommends using Teams on the browser rather than the app for reliability.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe processes individual enrollment payments as LanguageBird's third-party payment processing service. Customers must agree to Stripe's Services Agreement to complete purchases.
• ACTFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguageBird courses follow ACTFL standards and NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements and Benchmarks to guide learning goals at each level. Company attends ACTFL Conference annually.
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguageBird world language courses are NCAA-approved and count toward core course requirements for Division I and Division II initial athletic eligibility.
• University of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguageBird is a UC-approved Online Publisher. Courses may be used to meet UC A-G requirements with permission from California high schools or through concurrent enrollment with a LanguageBird partner school.
• Global Seal of BiliteracycoreOthersLanguageBird offers preparation for and administration of the Global Seal of Biliteracy exam, allowing students to earn an internationally recognized credential certifying bilingual proficiency.
• HECAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLanguageBird attends the HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) Conference to connect with educational consultants and promote language programs.
• NACACminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLanguageBird attends the National Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Conference to connect with college admissions professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rosetta Stone: Established consumer and institutional language-learning brand offering self-paced software plus live tutoring add-ons. Comparable because it serves overlapping consumer and education-buyer segments for language learning, but its core delivery is asynchronous software rather than live 1:1 instruction.
• Duolingo: Mass-market language-learning app with free and premium tiers, now adding AI-powered conversational features and Duolingo for Schools. Comparable as a brand and channel competitor for online language learning, but its core product is a low-cost app rather than accredited 1:1 instruction.

Direct peers

• Preply: Online marketplace for 1:1 language tutoring with tutors across dozens of languages, including K-12 and adult segments. Comparable because it competes for the same 1:1 language learner with broad language coverage, though it operates via a tutor marketplace rather than LanguageBird's accredited in-house instructor pool.
• italki: Global marketplace connecting learners with native-speaking language tutors for 1:1 online lessons across many languages. Comparable because it sells live, personalized 1:1 language instruction at flexible scheduling, overlapping with LanguageBird's tutoring and adult conversational offerings.
• Middlebury Interactive Languages: Provider of online world-language courses for K-12 schools and districts built on Middlebury's language pedagogy. Comparable because it targets the same K-12 institutional and homeschool channels with accredited language coursework, though it leans more on asynchronous curriculum than 1:1 live instruction.
• Varsity Tutors: Online 1:1 and small-group tutoring platform that offers language tutoring and AP/standardized test prep. Comparable because it sells live, personalized language instruction to students and families with flexible scheduling, overlapping with LanguageBird's tutoring and test-prep packages.
• Outschool: Online marketplace for live small-group and 1:1 classes for kids and teens, including a large catalog of world-language courses. Directly comparable because it competes for the same parent-paid K-12 language learner with live instructor-led delivery, though it uses a marketplace model rather than LanguageBird's accredited credit-bearing framework.

Regional players

• Powerspeak Languages: Online world-language courses historically sold into K-12 schools and districts. Comparable because it targets the same institutional K-12 buyer with online language curriculum, though its model is more software-driven and less live-instructor-centric than LanguageBird.

Emerging players

• Vivaling: Live, online 1:1 language learning for children led by native-speaking teachers. Comparable because it serves the same parent-paid K-12 language learner segment with live instructor delivery, though it does not appear to offer accredited credit-bearing high school courses.
• Verbling: Online platform for live group and private language classes with vetted teachers across many languages. Comparable as a 1:1/group language instruction offering, though it skews adult and professional rather than K-12 credit-bearing courses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/language_bird
• Facebookfacebook.com/LanguageBird

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Language Bird