Analyst Report: Upgrade for access Fluent Forever Struggles With Unclear Market Strategy

Fluent Forever's language-learning app is backed by science. But the company's path to success is far from clear.

Details
Company: Fluent Forever
Security Type: SAFE
Valuation: $35,000,000
Min Investment: $150
Platform: Republic
Deadline: Oct 11, 2022
$5,000,000
Teddy Lyons - August 30th, 2022

The Promise of a Polyglot

Learning a language is hard.

I couldn’t even get a basic grasp of Spanish in middle school. So I eventually just threw in the towel and took Latin — a dead language that’s barely spoken.  

I’ve always held the belief that gaining fluency in a language as an adult is next to impossible without innate abilities. It’s one of those things that everyone wants to do — but it’s too difficult to seriously pursue. I grew up speaking Serbian in my house. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to try and learn Serbian in my adult life. And the stats support this. Studies show that the ability to learn a language is strongest until age 18, after which it drastically declines.

So when I came across Fluent Forever — a company claiming that its language-learning method could help users gain fluency in less than a year — I was naturally intrigued. The company’s CEO, Gabriel Wyner, is a polyglot and New York Times bestselling author of the book Fluent Forever. He learned four languages in just a few years by starting with pronunciation, moving onto vocabulary and grammar, and ending with language immersion.

He wrote about this method in a viral Lifehacker article in 2012. Wyner then secured a book deal and began creating pronunciation and language resources through an advanced flashcard app called Anki. While these products were successful in their own right, customers wanted Fluent Forever to take the next step by developing a mobile app. Wyner obliged them by launching an app in 2019. The app stresses ear training, pronunciation exercises, and word-image association to teach languages more quickly. It also offers daily and weekly language coaching that allows customers to practice what they’ve learned in a more immersive way.

Fluent Forever has seen strong early growth over the last three years. The company hit $1 million in annual revenue and raised $4.9 million in a venture capital round in 2020 at a $13.5 million valuation. In 2021, the company’s revenue was $1.9 million, and it raised $1.1 million at a $25 million valuation. Now the company is looking to raise up to $5 million at a $35 million valuation.

With those basics out of the way, let’s get into the meat-and-potatoes of Fluent Forever as an investment opportunity.  

For me, this boils down to three main questions:

  • Is Fluent Forever verifiably more effective than competitors?
  • Is there a clear growth strategy for business?
  • Is there a path to a 10x return?

Lets approach these one by one.

Pay Annually - save 17%

This content requires: Edge

Data-driven startup investment ratings, AI analyst reports, and portfolio company exit and failure tracking

$
15 /month
12.50 /annually
 

What's included

  • Everything in Free plus
  • Data-driven investment ratings and AI analyst reports
  • Advanced company search table (with ratings and reports)
  • Markets page filters and historical industry data
  • Startup investment exit and failure tracker

Recent Analyst Reports

Analyst Report
 
Teeccino Is Ready for Explosive Growth

Teeccino Is Ready for Explosive Growth

Teeccino, a coffee alternative, has achieved product-market fit and is looking for explosive growth in the coming years.

Teddy Lyons Teddy Lyons

Teddy Lyons

Analyst Report
 
Zencastr Tackles Advertising and Monetization Problems for Podcasts

Zencastr Tackles Advertising and Monetization Problems for Podcasts

Zencastr, despite having just a few months of runway, has an impressive product that solves some major pain points for podcasters.

Olivia Strobl Olivia Strobl

Olivia Strobl

Analyst Report
 
Skillest Brings Golf Amateurs and Pros Together in the Best Way

Skillest Brings Golf Amateurs and Pros Together in the Best Way

Remote golf coaching app Skillest is attracting a growing population of golfers with enthusiastic coaches and free advertising.

Teddy Lyons Teddy Lyons

Teddy Lyons

Take your startup investing to the next level with powerful data and expert analysis from Kingscrowd.

Get a free weekly Pitch Review!

Sign up for our 3 minute newsletter with fresh takes on the top-rated investments and key startup trends you should know.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.