Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped an EdTech Startup to Over $5M

LanguageBird CEO Karyn Koven has built a technology-enabled business that is already over $5M in revenue and sits at the cusp of a tremendous scaling opportunity by leveraging AI. If you are mulling AI startup ideas, this kind of tech-enabled service that is fully optimized with AI could create tremendous value.

Sramana Mitra: All right, Karyn, let’s start at the very beginning. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised? What kind of background?

Karyn Koven: I’m from Los Angeles. I currently live in Los Angeles. I’m a rare Los Angeles native. I was born in Santa Monica, which people visiting here always think is kind of funny. This is where I’ve lived except for college. For undergraduate, I went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. But LA is my home. California is my home. My family’s here. I grew up here, and obviously I’m in education. I have an EdTech company.

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Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: Is each instructor doing this individually, or have you built AI into your training and systems?

Karyn Koven: Absolutely. Over the past year, we’ve been developing our own platform that integrates all these AI and tech features. It includes scheduling, curriculum customization, evaluation tools, and more. The goal is to bring everything into one platform for a seamless experience.

Sramana Mitra: What kind of revenue level are you operating at right now?

Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 5)

Sramana Mitra: What kind of numbers are we talking about as we go beyond 2015? How many numbers of students, how many instructors, how was the business unfolding?

Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: And what were the numbers? 10 people in the beginning, and then how did that grow?

Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: Who were these people that you got an audience with?

Karyn Koven: I think it was because I had a background, and it was based on my reputation amongst other counselors and school officials.

Sramana Mitra: They were referring students to you?

Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: Let’s go back to the beginning of LanguageBird. When you were thinking about doing this project, were you already thinking of it as an accredited language school that would serve as supplemental education?

Bootstrapping an EdTech Startup with a Paycheck to over $5M: Karyn Koven, CEO of LanguageBird (Part 1)

Karyn has built a technology-enabled business that is already over $5M in revenue and sits at the cusp of a tremendous scaling opportunity by leveraging AI. If you are mulling AI startup ideas, this kind of tech-enabled service that is fully optimized with AI could create tremendous value.

Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapped a Cybersecurity Venture with a Paycheck

Christian Geyer convinced the board of his employer to let him incubate a cybersecurity startup idea as a division of the company with an express intent of spinning it off. Now, ACTFORE has been spun out, doing almost $20M in bootstrapped annual revenue, and may soon find a lucrative exit. This is a phenomenal story for entrepreneurs considering the Bootstrapping with a Paycheck route.

Sramana Mitra: All right, Christian, let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised? What kind of background?

Christian Geyer: Well, I was born and raised in Reston, Virginia. I’m almost what I would consider a homebody. So, I’ve pretty much lived in Reston, Virginia. The only time I left was for college. I’m very centrally focused on family. My business is in Reston, Virginia, just a few miles from my actual childhood home and my current home.

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