User:Alexeiruskos/sandbox

LinguaTrip.com is an online-platform for booking language courses and higher education abroad. It was founded in the United States by Russian citizens Dmitrii Pistolyako, Marina Mogilko, and Dmitrii Kravchuk in 2015. Company headquarters are located in Silicon Valley (USA).

History
MP Education LLC, an offline education abroad agency, was founded in 2011. The company’s first office opened in Saint Petersburg and was later supported by offices in Moscow and Stavropol. Managers in Stavropol decided to open a local branch, but closed it three months later when the company’s founders were unable to manage it.

In 2013, the founders aspired to develop an online booking system for study abroad language courses and higher education programs. Their goal was to eliminate unnecessary travel to their offices.

In 2014, the company secured a $100 thousand investment from 500 Startups.

In 2015, MP Education LLC became LinguaTrip Inc. LinguaTrip offered the opportunity to book short- and long-term language courses online.

On 24 April 2017, LinguaTrip launched an online service for editing texts in English by native English speakers called fluent.express.

At the beginning of 2017, LinguaTrip started to accept Bitcoin as a payment currency on their website.

500 Startups Acceleration
In 2014, LinguaTrip’s founders began studies at SumIT startup school, part of ITMO University. After graduation, they were invited to a meeting of startup founders with John Ramey, a businessman, mentor, and investor from San Francisco. After the meeting, Ramey introduced LinguaTrip’s co-founder, Marina Mogilko, to Poornima Vijayashanker, an established 500 Startups mentor. The application deadline had already passed, but Poornima agreed to look at their presentation. LinguaTrip had a chance to get a spot in 500 Startups’ accelerator program.

LinguaTrip was among 30 companies to receive an investment of $100,000 from 500 Startups. Christine Tsai and Dave McClure became investors in the company.

Management of the company
All the founders and owners of LinguaTrip Inc. are graduates of Saint Petersburg State University:
 * Dmitrii Pistolyako is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at LinguaTrip Inc. ;
 * Marina Mogilko is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at LinguaTrip Inc., one of the Women Founders Making Moves in Tech, according to Tech.co  ;
 * Dmitrii Kravchuk is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at LinguaTrip Inc.

Core Product
From its beginnings as a booking platform for linguistic and study abroad programs, LinguaTrip Inc. now offers online education, educational e-books, private consultations, and higher education abroad. It also launched its own English correction service called fluent.express in 2017.

Language courses abroad
When clients book a language course, they receive LinguaTrip consultant support at each step — from selecting a language school and accommodation to submitting all necessary documentation and getting a visa.

Higher education
Students who want to continue their studies abroad through higher education programs sign up for LinguaTrip consultations. Clients may receive help on university and program selection, exam preparation, and application submission, among other services. Their personal advice comes from a dedicated consultant who works on their case.

LinguaTrip also offers Skype lessons and online preparatory courses for IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT and other common exams that foreign students must pass to be accepted at American and European universities.

Online education
LinguaTrip offers a wide range of online courses, private Skype lessons, and webinars in both English and Russian.

Online courses cover English grammar and pronunciation, international exam preparation, and enrollment in study abroad programs. LinguaTrip offers several types of courses:
 * Intensive courses with flexible starting dates which provide students access to recorded video lessons, a certain number of live streams, access to private chats, and opportunities to book a personal consultation with a tutor;
 * Intensive marathons, offered in 2-4 week ranges, include daily lessons, live streams with tutors, regular homework, practical exercises, and access to chat rooms with tutors and other students.

Different packages include various services, from simple access to the lessons and live streams to more tailored educational opportunities, including chat rooms, personal consultations, and additional study materials.

LinguaTrip also offers private Skype lessons with leading tutors to students who prefer individual studies. During these sessions, tutors assess the level of a student, tailor a study plan to the student’s needs and knowledge gaps, and conduct personal lessons via Skype with regular homework and exercises. Dates, times, and intensity of the sessions are chosen by the student to meet his or her personal goals.

Private Consultations
LinguaTrip offers a range of private consultations for those who want personal advice and individual assistance with their university applications, exam preparation, and cover letters.

These consultants may help the student choose the right program, understand the application process, identify weak points, and prepare for exams, admissions interviews, and tests. Tutors also share their own experiences of studying and living abroad. The consultations are delivered in a friendly and supportive manner that ensures trust and collaboration between student and tutor. Usually, the consultations last 40 minutes. Consultations with Marina Mogilko, a co-founder of LinguaTrip and a successful YouTube blogger, are an especially popular option.

Books
LinguaTrip publishes and distributes books by Marina Mogilko and tutor Venya Pak in e-format. At the moment, customers can purchase the books “The Step by Step Guide to Enter a University in the USA” by Marina Mogilko in English and Russian and “10 Laws of Perfect English” by Venya Pak in Russian. Both books are available in digital format.

Also, LinguaTrip published its branded diary LINGUABOOK, which contains practical advice and tips for learning English, motivational quotes, and easy practical exercises for those who want to learn English on a daily basis. As of 2019, the diary is available only in the electronic version under the name “LINGUABOOK 2.0”.

Fluent.express
Launched in 2017, fluent.express is an online service for editing texts in English by native English speakers. The experts at fluent.express are professional editors and correctors, who offer grammar, punctuation, and stylistics checks for texts of various genres, including but not limited to business correspondence, marketing materials, study papers, essays, and reports.

Users can leave comments for the corrector if they prefer a specific style, or variant of English. After submitting a text, they will see the estimated correction time. If the wait time is too long, they may choose to close the tab and receive the checked text via email. Compared with other similar services, fluent.express offers the benefit of working with human corrector rather than AI and algorithms, and a relatively low price for professional editing services.

Clients
Among LignuaTrip’s clients are famous TV-host and blogger Regina Todorenko, who studied in NYFA, popular blogger Alexandra Mitroshina, actor Andrey Gaydulyan, business writer and blogger Maria Solodar, actor and musician Denis Kukoyaka, fitness-blogger Ekaterina Usmanova, and others.

Links

 * linguatrip.com — the official website of LinguaTrip Inc.
 * Linguatrip TV on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVHjF4F2gI1LsqDYqPajjRA
 * English with Linguatrip! on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDt4AwxX8H3BHiTNtmDu83Q
 * LinguaTrip on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/linguatrip_/
 * fluent.express — service for editing English texts