Concise, captivating, and enjoyable videos have increasingly become a preferred method for younger generations to acquire knowledge. Consequently, the idea of utilizing short-form video platforms, similar to TikTok, for English language acquisition led Angelo Huang to create BlaBla.

Huang, originally from Taiwan, moved to Shanghai in 2019 to establish BlaBla following more than ten years spent working in Silicon Valley. The following year, BlaBla was selected for inclusion in Y Combinator’s summer 2020 program. At that time, the spread of the coronavirus in the United States led to widespread stay-at-home orders, and there was a renewed interest in remote educational opportunities.

“This represented my eighth application to YC,” Huang, who had previously founded two companies prior to BlaBla, shared with TechCrunch during an interview.

This week, BlaBla announced the successful completion of a $1.54 million seed funding round. The investment was led by Amino Capital, Starling Ventures, Y Combinator, and Wayra X, the venture arm of the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica. Although Y Combinator did not play a significant role in BlaBla’s growth within China – a major market for English language learning – the founder stated that the well-known accelerator proved invaluable in connecting the young company with potential investors.

The BlaBla application compensates native English speakers on an hourly basis for producing brief, engaging videos specifically designed for English learners worldwide. Content creators benefit from BlaBla’s unique software, which identifies and categorizes scenes, alongside external translation services that provide video subtitling. Students, in return, pay a subscription to receive customized video suggestions aligned with their English proficiency level. They can enhance their skills through the app’s integrated speech recognition technology, as well as features like speaking competitions and quick assessments.

The startup operates within a very competitive market. In China, the online English learning sector is dominated by established businesses such as VIPKID, which has backing from Tencent and Sequoia Capital. Huang pointed out that BlaBla offers a more economical option compared to VIPKID’s one-on-one tutoring approach, with a starting price of 39 yuan ($6) per month.

“Students [using popular English learning applications] may need to invest several thousand RMB before they can engage in a substantial conversation with their instructors. We, however, repurpose our videos, allowing us to provide lessons at considerably lower costs.”

Currently, the app has approximately 11,000 weekly users and 300-400 paying subscribers, with 80-90% of its user base located in China. The company’s objective for the current year is to reach 300,000 students. The newly acquired funding will facilitate BlaBla’s expansion into Southeast Asia and Latin America, and Wayra X could potentially assist in scaling the platform to Telefónica’s 340 million global users. The company also intends to pursue branding collaborations with influencers on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The additional capital will also enable BlaBla to introduce new functionalities, such as connecting language learners based on shared interests and profiles.

BlaBla’s ambitions extend beyond English instruction, with plans to incorporate instructors for other languages. “Our vision is to become a worldwide online platform for paid knowledge sharing,” Huang stated.