Preply, the world’s largest online marketplace for language learning, has raised $150 million in a Series D funding round. The investment was led by WestCap, a firm managing over $6 billion in assets. Goldman Sachs International acted as the sole placement agent. This funding values Preply at $1.2 billion, marking a significant step towards its mission to make quality language education accessible worldwide.

Growing Platform and Market Opportunity

Preply continues to expand its global platform, connecting over 100,000 tutors with learners in 180 countries. The platform offers personalized one-on-one lessons in more than 90 languages. It combines expert human tutors with AI tools that monitor progress, provide insights, and handle administrative tasks. This setup allows tutors to focus more on teaching and less on paperwork.

The timing of the funding reflects a booming market. According to HolonIQ, about 1.8 billion people—roughly one in four worldwide—are trying to learn a second language. The online language learning market has tripled in size over the past five years and is expected to reach $227 billion by 2035. Experts believe this growth will continue at an accelerated pace.

Achievements and Future Plans

Since its last funding round, Preply has more than tripled its number of tutors and added over 40 new languages. In the past year, the company became EBITDA profitable while improving its margins. CEO Kirill Bigai expressed excitement about shaping the future of learning. He highlighted that AI-driven tools now enable more efficient and effective learning experiences.

The new funding will support several key initiatives. Preply plans to enhance its AI and data systems, grow its product and engineering teams, and accelerate global expansion. The goal is to reach more learners and tutors around the world, offering better tools and more language options.

WestCap brings expertise from scaling successful marketplaces like Airbnb and StubHub. While some competitors focus on automation, Preply emphasizes human connection. Its AI supports tutors rather than replacing them, helping create a balanced and personalized learning environment. The company recently conducted a study showing that its approach improves learning efficiency without sacrificing the human touch.

Overall, this investment positions Preply to lead the future of online language education, combining the best of human teaching with innovative AI tools. With growing demand and a clear strategy, the company aims to make language learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for learners everywhere.

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• https://justainews.com/industries/education-and-edtech/preply-raises-150m-series-d-to-scale-ai-powered-learning/