Case Study: Unlocking Growth for an English Learning Startup

founders357
Mar 21
2 min read

Updated: Mar 25

Venture Partner: George Burgess

Founder and Company: Parlo, an early-stage English learning platform for the Latin American market

The Challenge

Parlo was developing an innovative English learning application that leveraged short-form video content and interactive exercises. The company had invested significantly in high-quality product development and content creation, producing hundreds of professionally edited videos in a London studio with professional casting.

However, like many early-stage startups, Parlo faced several key challenges:

Product Development: Striking the right balance between feature depth and speed to market.
Strategic Direction: Defining the optimal product roadmap.
Go-to-Market Planning: Crafting an effective market entry strategy for Latin America.
Resource Allocation: Operating within the constraints of a small team.
Market Focus: Weighing up the potential of both B2B and B2C opportunities.

How We Worked Together

As a strategic adviser and fractional CPO, I partnered with the founders to drive clarity and execution in three critical areas:

1. Product Strategy & Execution

Refined and streamlined the product specification to focus on core value.
Introduced lean startup methodology to complement the team’s existing expertise.
Managed the external development team, improving communication and workflows.
Shared industry best practices for efficient product development processes.

2. Go-to-Market Strategy

Evaluated the potential of both B2B and B2C market approaches.
Recommended an initial focus on B2C to enable faster learning, while acknowledging the strong B2B potential.
Designed a phased approach to market entry, beginning with a focused product launch.

3. Team Structure & Recruitment

Designed the organisational structure for a dedicated full-time team.
Developed detailed role specifications and an effective hiring process.
Led recruitment efforts, identifying final candidates for the leadership team to interview.

What Happened as a Result

Within a year, Parlo successfully achieved:

Product Launch: Shipped the product after two years of development delays.
Team Formation: Established a dedicated, high-quality team.
Iteration Framework: Built a foundation for gathering user feedback and refining the product.
Strategic Clarity: Positioned the company for focused growth.

Key Reflection

Three core factors emerged as critical to early-stage success:

Focus: Ruthless prioritisation is essential for startups with limited resources. Helping the team narrow their focus enabled faster progress on key objectives.
Methodology: Implementing lean startup principles created a culture of building, measuring, learning, and accelerating development cycles.
Team Structure: Establishing a dedicated team with clear roles and expertise provided a solid foundation for sustained execution beyond my involvement.

At If Capital, we love working with founders navigating these challenges - especially when a great product needs the right pathway to scale. If you're in a similar position, let’s have a conversation.