Sololearn has a goal of building an accessible and effective technical learning experience worldwide. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sololearn co-founder and CEO Yeva Hyusyan to learn more.
Yeva Hyusyan’s Background
Hyusyan grew up in Armenia in the former Soviet Union, with limited opportunities but in a family of university teachers. And Hyusyan said:
“Education was seen as paramount, and I was able to go to college right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Learning by candlelight with no electricity and surrounded by war makes you hungry and want to do more with your life. I was instilled with an appreciation for education and the way in which it can transform lives.”
Formation Of Sololearn
How did the idea for the company come together? Hyusyan shared:
“During my time at Microsoft’s innovation center in Armenia, we founded one of the first startup accelerators in Eastern Europe, where we built products with student teams ranging from mobile games to robots to agricultural solutions.”
“To fund this passion, we established a coding bootcamp program, which, in 2011, was one of the first in the world. It became so successful that we kept hiring more teachers and renting more classrooms, yet it was difficult to scale. After leaving Microsoft in 2014, I founded Sololearn alongside my colleague Davit Kocharyan with the intention to make our boot camp program accessible to the world via mobile devices. Sololearn is the extension of that program that we put in a mobile phone and, today, we have over 30 million registrations and continue growing.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Hyusyan explained:
“Quite simply, Sololearn is the best way to learn to code. Anyone can join our global community for free and take over 20 courses designed by experts. Our experience is bite-sized, gamified, personalized, practice-based, and social—all components of active learning that ensure we are teaching effectively. Sololearn is available on the Web, iOS, and Android.”
Evolution Of Sololearn
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Hyusyan noted:
“Sololearn is committed to continually improving the online learning experience. We recently introduced Kodie, a generative AI coding partner available in the Sololearn app to support learners with a custom, collaborative experience. Kodie, using OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, is a coding partner and tech mentor who can find and fix bugs, write programs, explain or document what a piece of code does, and answer questions. With real-time help, learners will always know why and how to improve their code and keep moving forward.”
Importance Of AI
Why is it important for Sololearn to have artificial intelligence (AI)? Hyusyan replied:
“Sololearn’s AI copilot will continue to evolve and improve as it gets to know learners, providing more robust personalization with content that is specific to their needs, capabilities, and learning pace. Kodie will become a full-scale AI tutor, helping learners not only when they request help, but also by proactively analyzing behavior and jumping in to provide assistance. By producing vast amounts of content with the help of AI, the Sololearn curriculum team can spend more resources developing new learning paths and improving teaching.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Hyusyan cited:
“We’re accomplishing our goal every time someone learns something new, and that happens on a daily and even hourly basis. Sololearn has reached several notable funding milestones ($30M total) and registrations (30 million). As far as company accolades, Sololearn is proud to have been named the App of the Year by Facebook, Editors’ Choice by Google Play, and the Best Computer Coding Education Solution by the EdTech Breakthrough Awards.”
Customer Success Stories
Upon asking Hyusyan about customer success stories, Hyusyan highlighted:
“We have 30 million and counting, but here is one of our favorites from a customer named Hatsy Rei:
‘One day at the library, I noticed a stranger using an app that featured tutorials, questions, and exercises for C++ programming. It was Sololearn. I thought, ‘Neat, learning on your mobile phone!’ I was just starting to learn to code and I made all the usual beginner mistakes, so I gave Sololearn a try. Through Sololearn, I have found many learners who have helped me grow. I have met teachers, engineers, developers, data scientists, and more amazing people. The learning environment created by Sololearn served as a catalyst for me to pick up good practices, which go beyond learning and into the workplace.’”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Hyusyan affirmed:
“First and foremost, the convenience with which you can learn to code anytime and anywhere via Web, iOS, or Android. The bite-sized lessons make for an approachable experience. Additionally, Sololearn’s technology and community create an unmatched system for feedback and continual improvement. Now with the introduction of our AI copilot, Kodie, learners will have an even greater sense of customization and always feel motivated to keep moving forward.”
“Last but not least, Sololearn is fun. You can combine your passion and skill with creativity to make something new every day!”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Hyusyan concluded:
“To help everyone learn a new skill that enriches their lives and/or careers.”
