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somos surpasses $200k+ in pre-seed funding, valued at $5.6 million 🚀
In an exciting step for online language teachers looking to diversify beyond 1:1 teaching, creator-platform somos has successfully closed its latest fundraising round, bringing its total pre-seed funding to over $200,000 with a new valuation of $5.6 million.
UK based somos has now secured investment from a total of 25 individual investors and gifted equity to its community co-owner, Conversation Over Borders, reflecting the platform’s commitment to collective growth and shared success.
Supporting language teachers, preserving diversity
somos isn't just another tech startup; it's a mission-driven platform dedicated to supporting language teachers in building thriving online businesses. Founded by Khawar Malik, a multilingual entrepreneur with a background in both mergers & acquisitions and community organizing, somos tackles challenges faced by online language educators, such as low pay and the pressure from marketplaces to rely solely on 1:1 classes, which can lead to burnout and income instability.
“As someone who has used various tools to re-learn my heritage languages, I understand the need for flexibility,” Malik shares. “Our goal is to give teachers everything they need to teach creatively, build strong relationships with their students, and sell digital products - all in one place, for one affordable fixed fee. With somos, teachers can supplement their 1:1 classes with group language clubs and digital downloads, all while keeping their hard-earned revenue.”
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Community-led development drives growth
somos began as a community for language teachers, evolving its product through continuous feedback and iterations from over 50 teachers in 33 countries. This collaborative approach has shaped the platform into a comprehensive toolkit for teachers to grow their online businesses. The new product suite, now in beta, has already seen initial sign-ups and generated its first revenue.
With the upcoming launch of the co-ownership scheme for teachers, somos aims to build a loyal and engaged user base, creating a community where the the success of teachers and the platform are truly aligned.
"Our goal is to give teachers everything they need to teach creatively, build strong relationships with their students, and sell digital products - all in one place, for one affordable fixed fee. With somos, teachers can supplement their 1:1 classes with group language clubs and digital downloads, all while keeping their hard-earned revenue” khawar malik | founder & ceo, somos
What's next for somos?
With this new funding, somos is hoping to use the positive momentum to reach 200 paid users, continuing its community-led approach to refining the platform based on feedback.
The company's immediate plans include:
- Expanding Global Reach: Integrating Paystack to support teachers in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, beyond the 45 countries currently supported by Stripe Connect.
- Enhancing Advisory Board: Bringing in experts in engineering, policy, and storytelling to guide strategic direction.
what is somos? 🤔
somos is a creator platform that helps language teachers build an online storefront in a matter of minutes! 🚀
host your community, 1:1 classes, digital products, group language clubs, and even external links - all in one place for one affordable fee.
we don't charge commission so you can launch & grow your business without giving away your earnings. 💚
why should i switch to somos? 🧐
our mantra at somos is to help you teach, earn & live well. this means:
- helping you keep your earnings: as a teacher-first platform, we don’t charge commission. your only charges are: payment processing fees to stripe + a 1% donation to our impact fund. somos charges 0% on transactions.
- giving you the tools to teach creatively:
- online marketplaces have pushed 1:1 classes as the primary way of teaching.
- we want you to have the ability to offer private coaching but as part of a rounded product suite that allows you to not only diversify your income streams but engage students creatively in a range of ways!
- treating you like co-owners, not customers: somos offers language teachers co-ownership opportunities and has a community ownership programme for grassroots organisations along with a unique entry-level hiring programme in place for refugees living in limbo.
why shouldn’t i switch to somos? 🙀
if you prefer to focus solely on teaching without worrying about marketing, a marketplace model like italki, preply or verbling might suit you better.
- these platforms often promote teachers based on algorithms, which can mean less control over how you're discovered but also less effort required on your part to attract students.
- somos is not a traditional marketplace - we don't directly find students for you but do support your growth by providing strategies to effectively share your somos profile across various social media platforms.
if you're just starting out, a commission only model might work better than a pay monthly - but do get in touch when you find your feet!
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