The problem we're solving

Dear Life-Long Learners,

I'm Leon, and I am one of you. Most of my life, education has been what enabled me to pursue the opportunities I wanted. I grew up in a small town in Northern Germany, and attribute a lot of where I am today to the friends and teachers that have taught me along the way.

I know how transformative education can be for people's lives, and how important it is to have access to it. I was lucky to have that access, but the truth is that your future should not depend on luck, where you are born, or who your parents are.

Immigration is a pathway to education, opportunity, and connection for millions of people around the world. But those who went through the process know how unfair it can feel. Language exams are part of this.

They suffer from the usual societal inequities: they're more accessible to people with higher incomes, in certain locations, and with better access to resources. Most students prepare for months, often costly, and the fee itself makes it a stressful and high-stakes experience. It is a barrier that stands between your future and you. Every year, millions of people want to build a life in a new country—to be closer to family, to find better opportunities, to start fresh.

Syllabus was founded on the belief that education is a fundamental right, and that technology can help make it more accessible and effective. We want to enable everyone to achieve their dreams, by giving them the tools to succeed on their language exams, with affordability and accessibility at the core.

We want those who have the most to gain from these opportunities to be at the core of our mission – and build a community and platform that serves them.

We also want to stand by the side of the official institutions that make these exams; to be their partner in improving and evolving them. In doing so, our goal is to rebuild the trust that made the world an open place for so many of us, and keep the spirit of connection and opportunity alive in these unbelievable times.

At its core, language is about connection. Every person who gets better at a second language is one more conversation, one more friendship, one more collaboration that wouldn't have happened otherwise. That's the thing I think about when I'm building this.

Syllabus is still early. But this vision has been with me my whole life, and it's what led me to start this company.

If that resonates with you, I'd love for you to try it.