Duolingo investor relations material

Language Learning Platform

Duolingo is a digital language learning platform established in 2011. It offers a range of languages to users who are looking to learn through an online platform in a fun and casual setting. The platform employs a mix of lessons, quizzes, and gamified exercises to assist and guide its users in their learning. Its distinctive feature is the gamification of lessons, aiming to make the learning process more engaging. Duolingo can be accessed through its website or via its mobile application and caters to everything from travelers to students and professionals. The platform's mascot, a green owl, has become an immediately recognizable symbol of both the company and its platform.

Free Learning

Duolingo was launched in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, two computer scientists with the ambition to offer free language education to the masses. Founded in Pittsburgh, Duolingo began as an innovative platform designed to break barriers in language learning by uniquely combining gamified lessons with a crowd-sourced text translation model. Over the years, Duolingo evolved and grew, expanding its language offerings, and becoming one of the most downloaded educational apps globally. As of today, Duolingo has hundreds of millions of users worldwide and offers over 30 languages.

The Platform

Duolingo provides a multi-faceted platform that offers a user-friendly and fun way to approach learning new languages. Designed with gamification in mind, learners can engage in bite-sized lessons, reinforcing their knowledge through varied exercises, such as translation, listening, and matching tasks. The platform includes a streak system and experience points to motivate consistent learning. Furthermore, Duolingo Stories allow users to immerse themselves in short, interactive narratives in the language they’re learning, aiding comprehension skills and real-life application of what they’ve learned. The platform also introduced Duolingo Podcasts for some languages, providing real-life conversations and narratives suitable for intermediate learners. This is something that has been appreciated by users, as turning to a podcast on Spotify or SiriusXM can feel daunting while learning.

Free and Paid Users

Primarily known as a free language-learning platform, Duolingo has devised several revenue streams to sustain its operations. One of the primary sources is its "Duolingo Plus" subscription, which offers an ad-free experience, offline access to lessons, and progress tracking. The introduction of in-app advertisements for non-subscribed users has also helped Duolingo generate revenue. Furthermore, Duolingo has ventured into language proficiency testing. Their "Duolingo English Test" is presented as an affordable alternative to traditional English proficiency tests and is recognized by numerous institutions.