Livemocha receives second round of funding, promotes online language learning

Bellevue-based company, Livemocha , a Web site that lets people learn other languages for free by matching them with other native speakers online, has raised $8 million more in a second round of funding.

The free site offers language learning courses in 30 languages and has more than 4 million members from over 200 countries.

With a worldwide reach, Livemocha caters to both beginners and advanced language learners.

The venture capital firm, Maveron, led the company’s first round of investments, with $6 million. The second round of funding was provided by August Capital.

"Our goal is to make language learning more accessible worldwide," Founder and CEO Shirish Nadkarni said in a November news release. "The viral growth of our community is a testament to the quality of our language courses and the appeal of our social learning experience."

Livemocha launched in 2007 and works to promote an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Once an individual registers on the site, they are then paired with a native speaker of the language of their choosing. If the individual wants to learn Spanish for instance, the site will locate a person who speaks Spanish who is wanting to learn English.

To learn more about Livemocha, visit www.livemocha.com .

Contact Bellevue Reporter Staff Writer Lindsay Larin at llarin@bellevuereporter.com or 425-453-4602.

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