Busuu

Busuu is a British language learning platform founded in 2008 by Bernhard Niesner and Adrian Hilti in London. Named after an endangered language from Cameroon, the company was established with the mission of making language learning more accessible and effective through digital technology and community interaction.

The platform combines structured language courses with social learning features, allowing users to practice with native speakers of their target language. This combination of curriculum-based instruction and peer-to-peer interaction distinguishes Busuu from traditional language learning methods and other digital platforms. The service offers courses in 12 major languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Polish, and Turkish.

Busuu experienced rapid growth, particularly as smartphone adoption increased globally, making language learning more accessible outside traditional educational settings. The company's business model evolved from a purely freemium approach to include premium subscription options offering additional features like grammar lessons, offline mode, and certified courses. In 2015, Busuu formed a partnership with McGraw-Hill Education to offer official language level certifications.

In 2021, Busuu was acquired by Chegg, a leading American educational technology company, for approximately $436 million. At the time of acquisition, Busuu had over 120 million registered users worldwide. The platform continues to evolve with the integration of artificial intelligence to provide personalized learning experiences, speech recognition for pronunciation practice, and adaptive learning technology that adjusts to individual progress and learning patterns.