Language learning start-up concludes funding partnership
The Estonian language learning start-up Lingvist has concluded its €1.5m partnership under the Horizon 2020 programme, after using the funding to further develop its learning platform.
Lingvist received the €1.5m grant in May 2015 from the SME Instrument initiative. According to the company, the grant provided it with the resources to increase the efficiency of its software, bringing the language learning app ‘closer to its goal of making language learning ten times faster’.
Under the Horizon programme the company was also able to expand its language offerings, creating new courses in Spanish, French, German, Russian and English.
Lingvist was set up in 2014 by Mait Müntel, who developed the prototype software to learn French in 200 hours. Encouraged by his progress, he launched it as a start-up.
The software is based on statistical analysis and adaptive machine learning algorithms. Using mathematical optimisation, the tool tailors tasks according to a person’s knowledge and skills. It takes languages apart and arranges them into micro-lessons that each learner can complete in an order that is the most efficient for them.
