Oregon grads raise seed capital for hip English language education site "English, baby!"

WEST LINN, Ore. - Four recent University of Oregon graduates are preparing to expand their popular English-language education site, English, baby! (www.englishbaby.com). A supplement to traditional language education, English, baby! uses the Internet to meet the growing needs of the more than 1 billion people worldwide who are currently studying English. With educational content based on globally recognized American pop culture, English, baby! makes learning fun and entertaining.

The idea for the company was developed during the U of O grads' time teaching English in Japan where they realized the benefits of cultural and language immersion, as well as the potential of the Internet to be the perfect vehicle to supplement traditional language programs and replicate physical immersion.

English, baby! launched a test site in November 1999, and has since been growing quickly. Search engine placement and word-of-mouth has already attracted thousands of regular users, from more than 60 different countries. With additional funding from Insight Development Group (IDG) and other investors, the site will further develop a suite of collaborative tools, as well as expand the site's rich, interactive content.

English, baby! focuses on the benefits of physical immersion into the language when learning a foreign tongue. Users access lessons based on unedited scenes from today's most popular movies, lyrics from popular songs, and actual conversations between native English-speaking Americans. All are diagrammed and explained in simple English. Users are encouraged to move throughout the interactive areas of the site and apply their newly acquired knowledge, as well as the foundation they've established through traditional educational methods.

English, baby! launched a beta test site in November of 1999, and has since been compiling large amounts of market data. Search engine placement and word-of-mouth have attracted almost 3,000 regular users, from over 60 different countries.

The site's target market is 18- to 35 year-olds in countries such as, Japan, Brazil, China and South Korea. English language courses are required for all students in these countries, and the number of people online is experiencing rapid growth. English, baby! generates primary revenue from syndicated content and application licensing, and is currently working on partnerships with both physical and online English-language programs.

English, baby! currently consists of John Hayden, CEO and President, Miguel McKelvey, Chief Creative Officer, Zach Hoffman, VP Web Development and Jon Reed, VP Wireless Development, each of whom previously lived in Japan. All are between the ages of 25 and 26, and all graduated from the U of O. Interns, volunteers and part-time workers round out the staff.

With new offices in West Linn, English, baby! plans to continue raising capital until closing its seed round of $500,000 in September.