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Ray Blakney

Award-winning Filipino-American entrepreneur and mentor

Ray Blakney is the CEO and co-founder of Live Lingua, an online language learning platform that offers an immersive approach to mastering new languages.12 Here are some key details about Ray Blakney:

Background and Education:

  • Born in Cebu City, Philippines to an American father and a Filipina mother
  • Grew up in Istanbul, Turkey
  • Received a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 20013

Career Path:

  • Started his career as a software engineer for various companies, including Silicon Valley startups and Fortune 500 companies
  • Joined the U.S. Peace Corps in 2006 and was assigned to Mexico
  • After completing his Peace Corps service, he married his Spanish teacher, Laura, and stayed in Mexico3
  • In 2008, they launched their first business - a chain of brick-and-mortar language schools in Mexico13
  • Started Live Lingua in 2008 to complement their physical language schools3
  • Sold the brick-and-mortar schools in 2010 to focus full-time on growing Live Lingua3

Entrepreneurial Achievements:

  • Live Lingua has become one of the largest online language schools worldwide
  • The company offers personalized language tutoring in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and other languages12
  • Live Lingua pairs students with certified, native-speaking tutors for online lessons12
  • The company has been growing about 20% year-over-year since its rebranding in 20121

Personal:

  • Describes himself as an introvert who can appear outgoing in social situations
  • Speaks 3.5 languages, though he admits "not very well"
  • Needs 3 cups of coffee to start his day
  • Enjoys the freedom and flexibility of running an online business3

Ray Blakney is known for building and helping others build 6- and 7-figure businesses on a bootstrap budget using SEO. He is also a speaker and podcaster.124

Related Questions

How did Ray Blakney transition from a brick-and-mortar language school to an online platform?
What challenges did Ray Blakney face when starting Live Lingua?
How does Live Lingua ensure the quality of its tutors?
What makes Live Lingua's approach to language learning unique?
How has Live Lingua grown since its inception?
Ray Blakney
Ray Blakney, photo 1
Ray Blakney, photo 2
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Experience

CEO/Founder at Rayvensoft Ventures, LLC (November 2008 - Present)
Mentor at Harvard Innovation Labs (July 2023 - Present)

Location

North Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States