Contxto – There really is only so much Google’s powerful search engine can do. Reason for which we rely on other specialized sites, like Despegar, for example, to help us find flights that adapt to our travel plans and budget.
In that sense, Colombian/Argentine startup Golondrix developed a search engine for users to seek and find higher learning programs and online courses across the globe.
And while the programs it currently displays are only available in English, that may change very soon. As the startup has plans to launch a pilot program with content in Spanish, in collaboration with universities from Colombia.
This way, language barriers won’t be an obstacle to ongoing learning.
Related article: 17 edtechs from Buenos Aires changing the foundations of virtual education
Customized educational programs through AI
Searching for a program or online course can be a messy, improvised process. Perhaps you find one class you like on one site and another you think is interesting on a different page. So what you might do is bookmark both options, or perhaps paste the URLs in an accessible spot.
And that’s assuming the results you get actually match what you’re searching for.
Otherwise, you’ll probably waste time digging through dozens of options.
The messiness and lack of structuring are the difficulties edtech Golondrix wants to take on.
Through the startup’s search engine, a person opens an account, builds their profile, and then through artificial intelligence (AI), it displays programs that are curated to the user. Among its other features, there’s an option to save programs and compare them.
Related article: Quero Educação invests US$4.9 million in fellow Brazilian edtech, Melhor Escola
Golondrix at a glance
According to the startup’s website it has over 475,000 programs in English on its database.
Colombians María Clara Prieto and Diana Giraldo, alongside Argentine Leonardo López publicly launched their search engine in September of 2019.
But prior to its official release, in early 2019, Golondrix underwent an acceleration program in New York where sources report it raised US$130,000 through Starta Accelerator. These funds added to the US$180,000 it closed in its native Colombia back in 2018, fed its launch.
Nonetheless, the way Golondrix makes a profit isn’t entirely clear. As users aren’t charged to use the platform nor does the algorithm have a hidden agenda with the displayed institutions. However, the startup is looking to monetize through other means.
Specifically, the startup is working with companies in Colombia to develop programs for their employees.
Powerful search engines from edtech startups
Millennials and subsequent generations are keen on lifelong quality learning. And startups have taken notice.
In Brazil, there’s Quero Educação’s Quero Bolsa, a marketplace for finding post-secondary institutions in this Latam country. Meanwhile, Colombian/Argentine Golondrix offers a more global outlook of options.
In any case, the more curated in content and user-friendly the search engine, the more users can be drawn into these specialized platforms.
For everything else, there’s Google.
Related articles: Tech and startups from Colombia!
-ML
