Startup profile for Duolingo: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Duolingo funding, valuation and investors

Mobile-first language learning platform — gamified lessons at consumer internet scale.

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Not publicly disclosed

Latest known valuation

Not publicly disclosed

Total disclosed equity funding

Not publicly disclosed

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

public

public · Pittsburgh, PA

Source links not recorded Last verified: 2026-07-26

Overview

Duolingo is a Pittsburgh-based language-learning and education technology company founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. Its freemium app delivers gamified lessons across dozens of languages. Class A common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under ticker DUOL on July 28, 2021. SEC filings list principal executive offices at 5900 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Why Duolingo is interesting

Pittsburgh’s clearest public consumer-tech proof: CMU-founded product company that IPO’d on Nasdaq as DUOL (Jul 2021) while keeping principal executive offices on Penn Avenue.

Product & use cases

Gamified language lessons delivered primarily via mobile apps, with subscription tiers (Super Duolingo) and related learning products.

  • Self-paced language learning for consumers
  • Classroom and supplemental language practice
  • Brand-scale consumer education distribution

Key facts

  • Public (Jul 28, 2021): Nasdaq DUOL IPO (company / CNBC coverage)
  • HQ: 5900 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA (SEC filings)
  • Founders: Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker (2011)
  • Product: freemium mobile language learning at consumer scale

Funding history (newest first)

IPO

2021-07 ~$521M gross (reported)

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/language-learning-app-duolingo-pops-35percent-in-public-debut-on-the-nasdaq.html

Competitive landscape

Edge: Habit-forming product design and organic brand reach versus textbook and traditional language-school incumbents.

  • Babbel direct

    Subscription language learning competitor.

  • Rosetta Stone incumbent

    Legacy language software brand.

  • YouTube / TikTok creators alternative

    Free informal language content competing for learner time.

Notable stories

  • Duolingo kept its principal executive offices in Pittsburgh through and after the Nasdaq IPO — a rare consumer-internet public HQ story outside coastal metros (SEC prospectus / 10-K).

Industries

EdTech Consumer AI & Machine Learning

Market / IPO context

Ticker: DUOL (NASDAQ)

IPO status: public

IPO date: 2021-07-28

Editorial / static context — not a live quote.

Related funding articles

Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Duolingo's financing or category context.

FAQs about Duolingo

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

Duolingo runs a freemium mobile language-learning platform with gamified lessons across many languages.
Yes — Nasdaq: DUOL since July 28, 2021.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (5900 Penn Avenue per SEC filings).
Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker founded Duolingo in 2011.
Verified Pittsburgh HQ and public-market consumer-tech anchor for the city thesis.
Public company (Nasdaq: DUOL).
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By Venture Capital Tracker

Last updated:

Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.