EnglishCentral
| File:EnglishCentral logo.png | |
| Private[1] | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Founded 📆 | 2009[2] |
| Founder 👔 | Alan Schwartz[3] |
Area served 🗺️ | |
Key people | Alan Schwartz (CEO) |
| Products 📟 | GoLive!, Group Lessons, IntelliSpeech, MiMi AI Tutor, TestCentral |
| Services | Online English learning platform, one-on-one lessons, group classes, AI tutor (MiMi), exam preparation, institutional and corporate training |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | www |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
EnglishCentral is a private educational technology company that provides an online platform for learning English. The company offers one-on-one and group lessons, video-based practice, and an AI tutor called MiMi. EnglishCentral's services are used by individual learners, schools, and corporate clients worldwide.[2]
History
EnglishCentral was founded in 2009 by Alan Schwartz. In the same year, it raised US$3.5 million in funding from Google Ventures and Atlas Venture.[2]
In 2013, the company partnered with NTT Communications in Japan to promote blended learning in schools and companies.[8]
In 2015, EnglishCentral acquired the one-on-one tutoring provider Langrich.[9][10][11]
In 2017, its content was launched in Japanese high schools through Classi, a joint venture of SoftBank and Benesse.[12]
The company also partnered with Vietnam's VNPT for nationwide delivery under "VNPT MyEnglish".[13]
In 2023, the government of Paraná, Brazil, adopted the platform to train more than 4,000 public school English teachers.[14]
Products and services
EnglishCentral combines live instruction with self-study built around authentic videos and adaptive practice:
Products and services
Live lessons
EnglishCentral provides one-on-one online English lessons through its GoLive! feature. Each session lasts 25 minutes and is conducted by a professional tutor. Lessons can follow a structured curriculum or be based on videos selected by the learner. After each session, students receive a short lesson report with feedback on their performance.[15]
Group lessons
The company also offers small group classes for premium subscribers and institutional users. These lessons are led by a tutor and bring together learners from different backgrounds. Group sessions are designed to encourage interaction, collaborative practice, and exposure to multiple accents.[15]
Video-based learning
EnglishCentral hosts a large library of video lessons covering business, travel, academic, and everyday topics. Lessons are organized by proficiency level and include interactive captions and vocabulary activities. The company's IntelliSpeech technology provides automated feedback on pronunciation and fluency, allowing learners to practice by repeating selected video lines.[16]
MiMi (AI Tutor)
MiMi is an AI-powered speaking tutor integrated across the platform. It engages learners in role-plays and open-ended conversations and gives instant feedback on grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. The tool is designed to provide additional speaking practice beyond scripted exercises.[15]
Exam Preparation
The platform includes dedicated preparation materials for international English proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS. These materials are structured to cover reading, listening, speaking, and writing components, and are supported by progress tracking aligned to the CEFR framework.[15]
EnglishCentral Kids
EnglishCentral provides a dedicated program for young learners under the EnglishCentral Kids brand. The program includes age-appropriate video lessons, structured courses, and optional one-on-one sessions with tutors. Parents can create and link child accounts to their own profiles, which allows them to monitor progress and manage access settings.[17]
Mobile Applications
EnglishCentral maintains mobile applications for iOS and Android, which include the same core functions as the web platform. Features include daily video lessons, speech recognition feedback, CEFR-based progress tracking, synchronization of learning history, booking of one-on-one GoLive! sessions, and access to the AI tutor MiMi.[18][19]
MiMi (AI tutor)
MiMi is an AI-based conversational tutor integrated across the platform. It engages learners in role-plays and context-aware dialogues and provides immediate feedback on pronunciation, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary. The system also includes guided role-play scenarios such as ordering in a restaurant.[20]
Assessment (TestCentral) and Pearson partnership
In 2025, EnglishCentral introduced TestCentral, an assessment suite for institutions and companies. It combines the company's own speaking test with Pearson's Versant Speaking & Listening and 4-Skills tests, providing automated scoring and analytics.[21] In 2024, EnglishCentral and Pearson announced a partnership to deliver Versant-aligned learning and assessment programs for universities in Japan.[22]
Institutional and corporate solutions
EnglishCentral licenses its platform to schools, universities, and companies. For educational institutions, the company offers customization of courses from its video library, integration with learning management systems (LMS), and teacher dashboards with functions such as "Listen In" to review learner practice.[23] Corporate solutions include role-specific study plans, CEFR-based reporting, AI chatbot practice, and access to both individual and group lessons for employee training and upskilling.[24]
Academic research and impact
EnglishCentral has been examined in the academic literature on computer-assisted language learning. *Language Learning & Technology* has described the platform as an example of video-driven practice for second language acquisition and analyzed its automated speech feedback system.[25][26]
Funding
EnglishCentral has raised a total of US$15.3 million across five funding rounds, with investors including Google Ventures, Atlas Venture, Valor Capital Group, Accomplice, NTT Finance, and Kirihara Shoten.[citation needed]
- Seed Round (October 2009): US$1.4 million, led by Google Ventures.[2]
- Series A (December 2009): US$3.5 million.
- Private Equity Round (November 2010): US$7.1 million.[1]
- Venture Round (January 2013): US$2 million.
- Venture Round (December 2016): US$1.3 million, with Kirihara Shoten.[27]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "EnglishCentral 2025 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Schonfeld, Erick (21 December 2009). "Backed By Google Ventures, EnglishCentral Raises $3.5 Million For Video Language Learning". TechCrunch.
- ↑ "Alan Schwartz — Founder & CEO at EnglishCentral". The Org. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "EnglishCentral - Learn English on the App Store". Apple App Store. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "EnglishCentral - Learn English". Google Play. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ Strong, G. (2021). "Review of English Central". Language Learning & Technology. 25 (3): 56–61. doi:10.64152/10125/73448. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral revenue & investors". Zippia. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ↑ "NTT and EnglishCentral collaboration". 14 December 2021.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral Acquires Japanese Online Tutoring Company, Langrich - EdSurge News". EdSurge. September 10, 2015.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral Acquires Leading Online English Tutoring Company Langrich". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). 10 September 2015. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral via Classi". 26 December 2016.
- ↑ "Tổng công ty Truyền thông - VNPT-Media". VNPTMedia. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral'dan Haberler". EnglishCentral.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Your Personal English Teacher - Live Lessons 24/7". EnglishCentral.
- ↑ "Automated feedback in online language learning: A review of EnglishCentral". Language Learning & Technology. 2016.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral FAQ: Kids accounts". EnglishCentral. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral on the App Store". Apple App Store.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral – Apps on Google Play". Google Play Store.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral launches MiMi AI tutor". EdTech News.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral launches TestCentral assessment suite". 11 April 2025.
- ↑ "Pearson partners with EnglishCentral in Japan". 8 November 2024.
- ↑ "Your Personal English Teacher - Live Lessons 24/7". EnglishCentral.
- ↑ "EnglishCentral Corporate Training Solutions". 11 April 2025.
- ↑ "Review of EnglishCentral and video-driven practice in SLA". Language Learning & Technology. 2016.
- ↑ "IntelliSpeech feedback and learner performance". Language Learning & Technology. 2021.
- ↑ "Online English Learning Program Receives $1.3M from Kirihara Shoten K.K. - EdSurge News". EdSurge. December 23, 2016.
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