Learning Labs, a Birmingham-based education technology company, has recently raised £250,000 in a funding round led by MEIF and The FSE Group to help scale up its platform which teaches English from almost 50 different languages.
With this investment, the startup plans to create jobs and expand its digital marketing department.
Co-founder in 2013 by Veejay Lingiah and Richard Allen, Learning Labs has developed FlashAcademy, which is used by schools and colleges across the UK to support teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL). The FlashAcademy app offers an independent learning experience on any device, smartphone, tablet or PC that can be used in a classroom setting or for remote learning.
Speaking about the company, Co-founder & CEO of Learning Labs & FlashAcademy, Veejay Lingiah, said:
“At Learning Labs we believe that every child and young person across the UK deserves to be getting the best from their education experience. Our product supports teachers in unlocking the potential of non-native-speaking students without the need for time and budget resources that many schools and colleges do not have. With this MEIF loan, FSE has provided the right funding at the right time to support this next phase of our growth as we continue to develop our offering, expand into the FE market, and further scale the business.”
The platform uses a mix of digital lessons, gamification and the world’s first object translator where the user can take a photo of any object to be instantly translated. It is currently being used in almost 1,000 schools across the UK and is supporting more than 250,000 individual learners.
Commenting on the funding, Portfolio Manager, The FSE Group, Harriet Saunders, said:
“Learning Labs has been on a high-growth trajectory since creating its EAL offering in 2018. Having already attracted significant equity investment, its management was keen not to dilute ownership with further equity at this stage. We are delighted to provide this market-leading business with the growth funding needed to support it through this next phase of growth and look forward to working with this innovative team.”
In 2020, Learning Labs had secured £500,000 in a funding round led by some existing investors including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) Equity Finance Fund, managed by venture capital firm Midven.
