Localized

The Washington, D.C.-based company raised $1.2 million in a seed round from investment firms including Bisk Ventures and Next Wave Impact.

ITWORX

In 2008, ITWORX sold 79 percent of its shares to an investment consortium: Euromena Fund, Venture Capital Bank and Proparco.

Luminus Education

Luminus Education received an $8.8 million investment from the IFC in 2013.

Funzi

Funzi is a Finnish startup working towards solving the global problem of access to quality education. They deliver learning to people around the globe, and without cost for the end user.

Voxy

Voxy provides personalized English language instruction to educational institutions, governments, and corporations across the globe. Launched in 2010, it has been used by millions of learners and hundreds of institutions in over 50 different countries. With annual revenue over $7 million, Voxy is well positioned to be a leader in English language instruction.

NaTakallam

Established in 2015 by two graduates of Colombia’s School of International and Public Affairs, NaTakallam is an award-winning social enterprise that connects refugees and displaced people to remote work opportunities in the language sector. To date, more than 150 displaced persons have self-generated $520,000 through translation jobs or by connecting with over 4500 unique users, who sign up as individuals or through K-12 and university partnerships (including Yale, Georgetown, Columbia, and others). NaTakallam has been featured in dozens of media outlets, notably in Fast Company, PBS, NPR, Al Jazeera and Reuters and by the UNHCR in a recent video. Translation services are delivered by refugees in 9+ languages (past clients include the International Rescue Committee, Buzzfeed, and Malala Fund). Conversation partners are also available to join your next company brown bag, or any other kind of event, as a virtual guest speaker to give a personal, first-hand perspective on the global refugee crisis.

Chatterbox

Founded by Mursal Hedayat, a refugee from Afghanistan living in the UK, and Guillemette Dejean, a Y Combinator alum, Chatterbox is an online language learning platform designed and delivered by refugees. Language skills and cultural knowledge are increasingly necessary for professionals in the globalized economy. The Chatterbox digital platform uniquely combines AI-powered self-study courses alongside algorithmically matched native language coaches from the refugee community. Coaches are paired with students based on shared professional backgrounds and interests, achieving industry topping completion rates and unbeatable relevance in learning. On the app, engineers are learning Arabic from fellow engineers and aid workers are learning French from medical doctors. And while Chatterbox clients learn, their refugee coaches earn a living, improve their employability, and reclaim their professional identities. Classes can be offered one-on-one, in small groups, to whole classrooms, or for organizations who purchase lessons on behalf of their members.