Preply has raised $150 million in a Series D financing round led by WestCap, valuing the online language learning marketplace at $1.2 billion as it pushes deeper into what it calls “human-led, AI-enhanced” tutoring at a global scale.
The company, which positions itself as the world’s largest language-learning marketplace, said its platform connects more than 100,000 tutors with learners across 180 countries for one-on-one lessons in more than 90 languages. Preply has been building out an AI-supported “tutoring co-pilot” suite designed to help tutors track learner progress, surface insights, and automate administrative tasks, while keeping instruction centered on human interaction.
Preply framed the funding round against the growing demand for second-language proficiency, citing HolonIQ estimates that roughly 1.8 billion people are actively learning a second language. The company also pointed to forecasts that the direct-to-consumer language learning market could reach $227 billion by 2035, following significant growth over the last five years.
Operationally, Preply said it has more than tripled its number of bookable tutors since its Series C round and expanded its catalog by adding more than 40 languages. Over the last 12 months, the company said it improved EBITDA and became EBITDA positive.
Alongside WestCap, Preply said additional backers in the round include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Horizon Capital, among others. Preply plans to use the new capital to advance its AI and data capabilities, expand product and engineering teams, and accelerate global growth to add more learners and tutors to the marketplace.
As part of the transaction, WestCap partner Allen Mask, a former senior executive at Airbnb, is joining Preply’s board. Preply said it expects WestCap to support the company’s marketplace strategy, drawing on the firm’s experience scaling consumer platforms.
Preply also highlighted findings from its 2025 “Efficiency Study,” conducted with LeanLab Education, which it said showed learners progressed up to 3 times faster than average benchmarks, with 1 in 3 learners advancing a full CEFR level in 12 weeks. The study also reported that 96% of learners view learning with a human tutor and real conversations as essential to progress, and 97% said those interactions improved confidence.
With the Series D, Preply said its total funding now stands at about $299 million. Goldman Sachs International served as the sole placement agent for the transaction.
KEY QUOTES:
“We feel extremely fortunate and deeply responsible for shaping how people will learn in the future. Today, we connect people with the world’s best tutors, amplified by AI, bringing learning efficiency to a level that was previously unreachable. We are happy to partner with the WestCap team, who has deep expertise in helping founders to build legendary world-changing brands. This investment will help us to continue to innovate at the intersection of human tutoring and AI, creating opportunities everywhere for people to connect, belong, succeed, and ultimately to progress in their lives no matter where they are in the world.”
Kirill Bigai, Co-Founder and CEO, Preply
“Preply is setting a new standard for personalized education at scale, and the opportunities are virtually limitless. Data shows that learners thrive when real human instruction is supported by technology, and in today’s increasingly connected world, there is a real demand for democratizing access to high-quality learning in a modern and effective way. Preply has the market-leading product, the experienced leadership team, and the vision to shape how people communicate globally.”
Allen Mask, Partner, WestCap
