courtesy Duolingo
Duolingo co-founders Luis von Ahn, left, and Severin Hacker, right.
Pittsburgh-based startup Duolingo was named the iPhone app of the year for 2013 by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL).
Duolingo first launched its free language-learning app though the Apple iStore in November 2012 and since then has seen more than 10 million downloads.
"We're honored to have been named App of the Year, especially because apps in the entertainment category made in the Silicon Valley are usually selected," Gina Gotthilf , head of communications for Duolingo said in an email. " As such, we're particularly happy that an education app from Pittsburgh was chosen this year."
With a game-like interface, the free app can teach users six languages--Spanish, French, German, Italian, English and Portuguese.
Today the Shadyside-based startup is up to 30 employees. To generate revenue , native Spanish, Portuguese and French speakers learning English translate BuzzFeed and CNN articles while practicing their English. The articles are then published in the international versions of the sites.
Justine Coyne covers manufacturing and higher education.
No comments:
Post a Comment