Lingokids

Lingokids /(lɪngoʊkɪds)/ is a playlearning™ app in English for children between the ages of 2 to 8 years old. The app includes more than 600 learning games, activities, and songs for children to learn numbers, colors, animals, and everyday language in English.
As of 2019, the company added 5 million new users in more than 190 countries, reaching a total of 15+ million users. 
== Company history ==
Lingokids was launched by CEO and Co-Founder Cristobal Viedma alongside his sister Marieta Viedma on February 17th, 2016, with a team based in Madrid, Spain. In partnership with Oxford University Press (OUP), Lingokids hosted OUP content in their app and the two companies co-developed the “digital” versions of some of their most popular pre-primary courses, such as Jump In!, Mouse and Me, and Show and Tell.
In June 2017, Lingokids raised USD 4 million in funding led by VCs (venture capitalists) Holtzbrinck Ventures and JME Venture Capital, with support from Bessemer Ventures Partners.
In August 2017, the company created its Educational Advisory Board, which brought on experts in early childhood education. As of 2020, the board includes Suzanne Barchers, EdD, Education Advisory Board Chair, David Pearson, Ph.D., Professor and former Dean of Education at the University of California, Yong Zhao, Ph.D., Foundation Distinguished Professor at University of Kansas, among other leading experts. 
In March 2018, Lingokids received the kidSAFE seal, the highest standard of online safety and privacy certification. 
In July of that year, Lingokids earned USD 1.3 million through the EU’s H2020 Program. And in October, the company raised USD 6 million in a round of funding led by Holtzbrinck Ventures, along with existing investors JME Venture Capital, Sabadell Ventures, Big Sur Ventures, and SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell. New investors included Silicon Valley ed-tech investor Reach Capital, Athos Capital, and All Iron Ventures. This brought the company’s total funding in 2018 to more than USD 11 million. 
In January 2019, Guillermo Garcia Carsi, creator of Pocoyo, joined the team as Creative Director in Madrid. He redesigned the Lingokids characters and created the interactive series The Robot Contest. By that time, the Lingokids team also included Yusuke Taniura, former Game General Manager at Electronic Arts (EA) Japan, as VP of Product and VP of Content. 
By August 2019, Lingokids had expanded its presence to more than 190 countries and added 5 million new users. This growth led the app to acquire more than 15+ million users worldwide. As of 2019, the countries with the highest registered growth margin included Brazil (78%), Mexico (73%), and the United States (44%). At the start of 2020, Lingokids was named one of the “top Spanish startups to follow in 2020.” 
Lingokids launched a new brand positioning in 2019 to create a learning-through-play experience more focused on the entire family. By the end of 2019, the company had developed nearly 100 new activities and games, launched new content exclusive to parents via a Parents Community, and released the first episode of The Robot Contest. 
== Collaborations ==
Lingokids’ 2020 new collaborations include Rakuten (Europe), Huawei (Spain), Cuetara (Spain), KidPass (USA), Happy Schools (Coding Academy) (USA), and RTVE/Ministry of Education (Spain). 
Lingokids also partners with Kidomi (USA), Education First EF Academy|Education First (EF), as well as companies in television, such as Kidoodle. TV, and Hopster. The company partners with Vodafone kids Planet and airlines such as Iberia, Avianca, LATAM, and Emirates. 
The company has agreements with Non-governmental organization|non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in different parts of the world: the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Queen Rania Foundation (Jordan), Pies Descalzos Foundation (Colombia), USA Hello (USA, Refugee Center Online), Ronald McDonald House (Spain), Juegaterapia (Spain), Teleton Mexico. https://www.expansion.com/expansion-empleo/emprendedores/2018/10/02/5bb347a2ca474147178b457c.html 
== Business model ==
Lingokids offers two versions of the app: Lingokids Basic and Lingokids Unlimited. Lingokids Basic is a free limited version that provides users with three free games per day. This version does not offer offline access, multiple profiles, or access to the app’s progress center.
The company’s Lingokids Unlimited membership is available for purchase in the App Store for the iPhone and iPad, on Google Play for Android devices, and in the App Gallery for Huawei devices. This subscription offers users unlimited access to its games, offline access, multiple profiles, access to the progress center, and additional learning content. 
The payment method for the app is linked to the user’s Apple or Google Play account on their device. Users can also pay on the Lingokids website via PayPal. Users are not required to provide payment information to access the Lingokids free version. 
== Recognition and awards ==
Lingokids received the enlightED award for “startup with the greatest social impact in education” at the 2018 South Summit.
In July 2016, Lingokids was selected as “best in family-friendly media, products, and services” by Mom’s Choice Awards, an organization administered by a panel of education and media experts, authors, and scientists. 
Lingokids received the Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) Seal of Approval in the summer of 2019. 
Lingokids was awarded the Product Hackers Awards 2018 for “best digital mobile product.” 
== Features ==
Lingokids is certified by the kidSAFE Seal Program and is Educational App Store certified. 
==== Description of software/services ====
The Lingokids program includes games, activities, songs, videos, audiobooks, writing exercises, printable worksheets, recommended family activities, and assessments. 
==== Curriculum ====
The app’s curriculum was designed by a team of experts with backgrounds in vocabulary development, reading instruction, and curriculum development. The curriculum comprises 10 units that each contain 6 topics. These topics include colors, numbers, body parts, shapes, food, animals, professions, and sports. In addition to teaching English, Lingokids focuses on 21st-century skills, such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. 
== The app's characters ==
The Lingokids app includes various animated characters in its educational content, including Lisa the Cat, Billy the Chick, and others. 
== Play-based learning ==
The Lingokids app incorporates a method it refers to as playlearning™, “a methodology based on play and interaction that manages to capture and retain the attention of the youngest children, motivating them in their advancement towards the knowledge of the new language and achieving excellent learning results.” 
==In the media==
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== References ==
==External links==
* Lingokids instagram page
* Lingokids twitter page
* Lingokids facebook page
* Lingokids youtube channel
* Lingokids - The playlearning™ app in English – Apps on google
* ‎Lingokids - English For Kids on the App Store
* Learning English for kids - Lingokids App Review
* Lingokids (Lingokids_english_for_kids) on Pinterest
* Lingokids | Crunchbase
* Lingokids | AngelList
* Lingokids - Edutainment Licensing
* Watch Lingokids: English for Kids | Prime Video - Amazon.com
* Lingokids | Hopster
Category:Educational websites
Category:Language learning software
Category:2016 software
Category:Educational games
Category:E-learning