Amid growing evidence of the ongoing democratization of learning, out of the classroom and into the hands of self-paced students around the world, Rosetta Stone, a product-based language learning software focused on the US, has grown revenue from $15.5 million in 2003 to $137.3 million in 2007. This week the company filed with the SEC to take the company public in an IPO. The public filings suggest a sale of up to $115 million in securities. The company has applied for the ticker “RST” on the NYSE. The offering will be underwritten by Morgan Stanley, William Blair, Jefferies, Piper Jaffray, and Robert W. Baird.

-jim pickell

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By Clara Zabludowsky
Newsweek (Sep 22, 2008)

Framed by mango trees, palm trees and pink and blue haciendas, this oasis town, with its array of galleries, restaurants and uncorrupted natural beauty, offers visitors a breathtaking haven away from Baja’s more touristy locales.

STROLL on Los Cerritos beach, where the swelling waves are home to world-class surfers and a prime spot for whale watching in the winter months.

DINE at Café Santa Fe, one of the best Italian restaurants in Mexico, located in front of the main plaza. Owned by Italian émigré Ezio Colombo and his wife, it features homegrown organic vegetables along with fresh seafood. Don’t miss the stir-fried shrimp and octopus with arugula and lime (Calle Centenario 4).

SHOP the many art galleries along Calle Benito Juárez, the main street; Galeria Indigo features a large variety of local art, from oils and acrylics to handcrafted jewelry. Pop into the Hotel California, rumored to be the inspiration for the Eagles song.

DRINK a michelada, the refreshing combination of beer and lime juice served in a salt-rimmed glass, at La Copa Wine Bar—the perfect place to watch the sunset (Todos Santos Inn, Legaspi 33).

See original article in Newsweek www.newsweek.com/id/158719

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Just returned from the annual September trip to Italia with Ellie. We stayed in Conegliano for a few nights with the family and then moved up to Cortina d’Ampezzo for the remainder. I suppose I am starting to sound like I am taking it for granted when I say it was more of the usual — outstanding food, drink, daily hiking in the Alps, near perfect weather and world class company. However, any suggestion that I will ever tire of this now routine could not be further from the truth as this is always my favorite week of the year (if I can disconnect from work even close to 50%).

This year we did three great hikes, each about 4-5 hours, including (i) Via Rifugio Ra Stua to Rifugio Senes and Biella (tough decline), (ii) Tre Croci a Podestagno (Cristallo), (iii) we took the funivia to Rifugio Faloria and hiked around Rif. Tondi and down to town (again, difficult going down – almost lost the toe nails).

Certo, we always stopped to refill at one of the Rifugi, the Enoteca, Mamma’s or Zia’s for Casunziei, Zuppa d’Orzo Polenta e Salciccia, Prosciutto and Formaggio (among many other delicacies I have grown to crave), and, to drink my favorites, Skiwasser, Grappa, Birrini, Spritz con L’Aperol or a Radler. Posted some photos at www.flickr.com/jpickell/sets.

Many thanks and love to Rafaella, Giulio, Marco, Zia, Lapo, Lorenzo (I and II), Giuliana, Lorenza, Joe, Luciana, Massimo, Stella, and all the other fabulous and generous hosts.

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It’s indisputable that the web is beginning to change the way we access knowledge. While many have been asking over recent years where are all the investments in online educational start-ups, several are starting to turn the corner.

Tutor.com, an early stage company that provides instant homework help, connected students to an expert tutor over 900,000 times during the 2007-2008 school year. On average, during any given hour on a school day over 200 students were online working with a tutor to get their homework done and get on with their lives. Tutor.com received of funding last year, lead by Intel Capital. Recently TutorVista, one of Tutor.com’s competitors, a Bangladore company, raised $18 million from Sequoia Capital and LightSpeed Venture Partners to fund its expansion into a hybrid (online-offline) education model. The company was reported to be in talks with strategic investors to raise another $15 million independently.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Dr. John Stuppy, the President of TutorVista about language needs in India. John’s primary source of tutors are teachers with advanced degrees in India so he’s got direct experience on the market. I was not surprised by his comments. “Teach a common Indian worker 50 words of English and he can triple his income by becoming a taxi driver. Teach him 50 phrases and he can triple his income again by obtaining a front desk job.” This confirms our experience every day at Open English and represents only the beginning of global trends that I predict will exceed even the most aggressive growth projections by market analysts. I’m looking forward to watching these trends uunfold.

Click here for full press release on Tutor.com and here for article about TutorVista.com.

-jim pickell

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