Superprof is an online tutoring marketplace that connects students with private instructors across a wide range of subjects, including academics, languages, test preparation, music, art, and fitness. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Superprof CPO Mickaël Laires to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Mickaël Laires’ Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Laires said:
“I am a creative turned product strategist. The adventure began back in August 2013, in the earliest days of Superprof when I was designing the interface and refining the user-experience of the platform, until I eventually stepped into the role of Chief Product Officer. For over 10 years, I’ve been shaping every pixel, every feature, every detail with one obsession: delivering a simple, seamless, and deeply human experience. With a compact but highly effective product team, we’ve built an innovative and adaptive platform used by over 30 million students and teachers across more than 60 countries.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Laires shared:
“The idea of Superprof was rooted in a universal need: to learn. To find an easily accessible trusted teacher and expert, online or nearby. Our CEO Wilfried Granier wanted to reinvent the classified ads model by building a modern, caring, and truly useful platform where learning knew no borders. We built everything ourselves, line by line, screen by screen with the constant belief that everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn, and guided missions to connect students and teachers worldwide. Our product DNA was shaped by simplicity, efficiency and a real obsession with meaningful impact.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Laires reflected:
“One of the most memorable and impactful experiences I’ve had at Superprof was in the first hours of our international launch. Seeing the platform come to life in Spain, then Germany, then Brazil, and reading the first messages from users on the other side of the world was a powerful moment. The feeling of having created something truly useful only ignited our fire to continue our international expansion and extend our impact into now more than 60 countries. Another pivotal moment that comes to mind was when we had to completely rethink our tech stack to support our scale. It was intense, but transformative, and with the ever evolving educational landscape, we’ve been on a persistent journey of exploration and experimentation.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Laires explained:
“At its core, Superprof connects students and teachers – enhanced by a clean, intuitive user experience. Our pillars:
- A fast, intelligent search engine
- A smooth booking and payment system
- A network of qualified teachers across more than 2,000 subject
- And coming soon: an AI assistant to help every profile shine”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Laires acknowledged:
“One challenge that has come with international expansion is global moderation. We have to ask ourselves: How do you maintain high quality standards across 30 languages and 60 cultures? Well, we’ve developed a smart system combining AI and human review to meet those expectations. This has allowed us to continue our innovative journey and adapt to various global markets, and redefine the boundaries of what is possible in online education. Given the growth and expansion in online education, we’ve also faced increasing competition, but our strength remains unchanged: an organic, trust-based product with high-quality profiles and frictionless UX.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Laires noted:
“From a platform coded by only two developers, we’ve grown into a robust, scalable, international product. We’ve internalized everything – from moderation to CRM, analytics tools, and matching algorithms. Today, we’re entering a new phase, putting AI at the heart of the experience: from profile creation to messaging, search, and support but always with the same dedication to simplicity and performance.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Laires cited:
- Reaching our first million users
- The launch of our first international markets
- A 100% organic growth, with no ads and no funding
- Bootstrapped, and still proudly operating with a lean, focused team
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Laires highlighted:
“One of our most inspiring stories is from a piano teacher in Lyon. She joined Superprof during the pandemic and was struggling with no students and no visibility. Two years later, she was running her own studio, teaching over 20 lessons a week, and now lives entirely from her passion. She wrote to us: ‘Superprof literally allowed me to live from my passion.’ And she’s not alone. It’s stories like these that fuel our mission every single day.”
Funding
When asking Laires about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“Superprof has raised zero external funding, yet we generate €60 million in annual revenue – sustainable, profitable growth. Our model is based on product quality, excellent UX, and a premium subscription that converts naturally based on the value we deliver. It’s a rare and healthy model today and we’re proud of it.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Laire assessed:
“The online education market is massive and worth hundreds of billions of euros globally. In Europe alone, we estimate over 30 million potential learners in the private tutoring segment – and we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Laires affirmed:
“What differentiates Superprof from its competition is our organic growth model, which we’ve built from the ground up on strong SEO, the quality of our tutor profiles, and a commitment to full transparency. From the very first click, users experience a simple and elegant interface designed to make finding a tutor as seamless as possible and build trust in the process. We are also proud of our global presence and impact. Superprof is present in over 60 countries, and we pair that with deep local expertise to ensure that every user, no matter where they are, feels supported and understood.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Laires concluded:
“Looking ahead, one of our key goals at Superprof is to integrate AI across the entire product experience, from search functionality to messaging, to make the platform smarter, faster, and more intuitive for our users. We are also focused on reinventing the teacher profile page, drawing inspiration from the best in product design to better showcase our tutors’ skills and personalities. International expansion remains a priority as well. We plan to enter new markets with a thoughtful, localized approach that caters to the unique needs of each region. We are striving to become a market leader in the U.S., while maintaining the values of quality, trust, and community that have brought us this far.”
