Seattle – May 9, 2012

The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across North America. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list an valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

“This year was very rewarding,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and Chairman of Red Herring. “There are so many great companies producing truly innovative and amazing products and technologies. We had a very difficult time narrowing the field and selecting the Finalists from such a group of future stars. Livemocha shows great promise therefore deserves to be on the short list. Now we are faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners.”

Finalists for the 2012 edition of the Red Herring 100 Americas award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, life sciences, cloud, mobile and other sectors completed their submissions to qualify for the award.

The Finalists are asked to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring Americas Forum in Santa Monica, California, May 21-23, 2012. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony the evening of May 23 at the event.

Press Contact
Julia Bonnheim
press@livemocha.com
206-257-2500

Durham, NC – Livemocha, the world’s largest online language learning community, announces a new line of mobile learning products powered by Durham, NC based Urban Planet Mobile’s award-winning language learning content. Livemocha Mobile English is immediately available in the U.S., with rapid expansion to Livemocha’s 13 million members planned. The new line of Mobile English is a part of a new campaign to support the Livemocha mission of creating a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages.

Livemocha Mobile English takes advantage of Urban Planet’s effective delivery method and award-winning content. The Livemocha Mobile English line offers lesson packages at all proficiency levels from beginner to advanced, with programs for specific purposes from Hotel English, to transportation, to English for Health Workers and more. The program allows English students to learn at their own level and pace and choose the topics they wish to explore, all on their mobile device. Livemocha will also feature the newest and most exciting Urban Planet line: English Hip-Hop. This creative program teaches modern hip-hop words and phrases using music, rhythm, and rhyme.

All lessons are delivered using Slooce Technology Inc.’s two-way mobile messaging platform. Slooce is recognized as an industry leader in SMS-based delivery solutions and has proven to be a powerful and innovative solution-oriented partner.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Urban Planet Mobile and Slooce Technologies to expand our language learning options for the global Livemocha community,” CEO Michael Schutzler says. “We’ve been evaluating mobile solutions for quite a while and are pleased to have found the perfect partner with Urban Planet and Slooce. The demand for learning on a mobile device is enormous, and Livemocha Mobile English delivers a great experience for people with either a smartphone or a feature phone.”

While the smart phone platform with app-based delivery is appealing to users and tech developers both for its design and dynamic abilities, the opportunity for content delivery in the basic and feature phone market is far from hitting a saturation point. In Brazil, Livemocha’s largest subscriber market outside the U.S., 76% of mobile users access the internet by feature phone while only 24% use smart phones.

“If the feature phone market were a wagon train headed west that began on the East coast, then we haven’t even reached Appalachia,” says Urban Planet CEO Brian OliverSmith. “Partnering with Livemocha, the largest online language learning community in the world shows that there are others who believe in this model as well. We are happy to be providing our award-winning content, the largest library of content in the world, to Livemocha’s language learners”.

About Livemocha
Livemocha is the world’s largest online language learning community, fusing traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to nearly 13 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. Visit http://www.livemocha.com for more information.

About Urban Planet
Urban Planet Mobile is the leading provider of education and information products created specifically for worldwide, digital delivery. With products ranging from basic word and phrase lessons to SAT preparation for mobile delivery and computer-based comprehensive writing development and assessment programs, Urban Planet has the largest library of digital English educational content available. Visit www.urbanplanetmobile.com for more information.

About Slooce Technology, Inc.
Slooce Technology is the premier provider of interactive mobile solutions and services via text messaging. Using its advanced, easy-to integrate platform and text messaging solutions—mobile messaging, interactive learning, mobile billing, multiplayer SMS games, and localized content— Slooce Technology helps businesses reach their goals for new user engagement, service monetization, client retention, further market penetration, and creative loyalty programs. Visit http://www.sloocetech.com/ for more information.

Press Contact:
Julia Bonnheim
Livemocha
press@livemocha.com
206-257-2500

Will Gordon
Urban Planet Mobile
will@up-me.com
919-237-2755

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The purpose of the inaugural Sterling Awards is to identify the peerless products that enhance, empower and exemplify the lifestyles of the Boomer and Silvers audience. Research shows that learning a second language can exalt cognitive functions, by building IQ and improving attention switching abilities, and even postpone Alzheimer’s and dementia for years. Livemocha provides an online language learning service that helps seniors to maintain cognitive functions and brain health well into their later years. This ultimately enhances the health and wellness of the individual and aids longevity.

“Seniors are looking for ways to revitalize their cognitive thinking and consequently, improve their mental and physical health,” said Michael Schutzler, CEO of Livemocha. “People think that language learning is something that must be pursued during the adolescent years of an individual’s life, but Livemocha is dedicated to providing language learning for those of all ages. Our recognition by the Sterling Awards reinforces this idea.”

“We congratulate Livemocha and all of our Sterling Award winners who offer unique ways to enrich the lives of the 100 million boomers and silvers in our society today,” said Sherri Snelling, co-producer, Silvers Summit. “We hope the Sterling Awards become an annual showcase that illustrates the new and improved ways that technology can help us stay healthy, happy, connected to family and friends, living in our homes longer, and making a difference in the world as we age.”

Visit the Silvers Summit Web site for more information about the Sterling Award.

About Livemocha
Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve fluency in a new language. As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to nearly 11 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. For more information about Livemocha, please visit http://www.livemocha.com.

About Silvers Summit:
The Silvers Summit at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is where the thought leaders on an aging society and technology come together. The conference and exhibit assembles companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, and think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help consumers age 50+ stay engaged, empowered and help enhance their lives. The Silvers Summit and Exhibition is presented by Living in Digital Times, producer of the following summits and exhibitions at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show: Digital Health, Fitness Tech Summit, HigherEd Tech Summit, Kids@Play Summit, MommyTech Summit, Mobile Apps Showdown, and Last Gadget Standing. For more information about The Silvers Summit, visit: http://silverssummit.com/.

DISCLAIMER: Silvers Summit (a property of Living in Digital Times, Inc.) does not endorse or promote any of the Sterling Award winners. AARP, the Sterling Award sponsor, does not endorse or promote any of the Sterling Award winners.

Silvers Summit and Sterling Award are service marks of Living In Digital Times, Inc.

Media Contact:
Morgan Bradley
Barokas PR for Livemocha
Livemocha@Barokas.com
206-264-8220

In the United States today, less than 40% of high school students and 8% of college students are enrolled in the study of a foreign language. According to a recent survey on multilingual talent in the workplace, 33% of Fortune 500 companies will require knowledge of a foreign language in order to qualify for employment. These statistics highlight an alarming discrepancy between the need for foreign language in the corporate sector and the inadequate preparation in the U.S. education system. Livemocha has long understood the importance of world language acquisition in the United States and the Scholarship Program is dedicated to the inclusion of language learning programs in schools across the country.

“It’s clear that the English-only mentality is no longer acceptable in light of our increasingly globalized world,” said Michael Schutzler, CEO of Livemocha. “The first step in becoming a more globally competent nation lies in the ability to interact with individuals from other countries, and that requires a commitment to language learning. Livemocha is fiercely committed to providing language learning to every student in the U.S. and the Scholarship Program will help make this a reality.”

Livemocha’s initiative is also dedicated to enhancing English as a second language (ESL) instruction for students in the process of learning English, or English Learners. By doing so, English Learners gain the competitive edge they need to be successful members of their school and in time, the workforce. An improved language education system will help bridge language and culture throughout the nation.

“While creating quality education for English Learners is often viewed as a major challenge, I prefer to look at it as an opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of this growing population of learners from diverse backgrounds and native languages,” said Dr. Rosalinda B. Barrera, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language Acquisition. “I urge that we all work together to ensure these students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge they will need to achieve success in college and their careers.”

Schools can now apply for Livemocha 2012 Scholarship Program based on the following:

Eligibility requirements: Schools with budget for language programs reduced from 2010 levels; or only one world language elective since 2010; or no world language electives available today. Must have a teacher to serve as program facilitator ; School must conduct proctored testing and offer full credit to student; Each student registered within the Scholarship Program must volunteer 1 hour per month as a language guide for another student in the community; School and student must have online access to participate in Livemocha online coursework.

Scholarships based on the following criteria: How many languages does the school offer? How many language sections were cut since 2010? What is the current size of the student body? What is the number of students who will likely sign up for a world language? How much Title 1 funding does the school receive?

For more information on the Livemocha 2012 Scholarship program, and to access the application, please visit www.Livemocha.com/scholarship or e-mail questions to scholarship@livemocha.com. Scholarships and discounts awarded will be applied toward Livemocha English and world language programs.

About Livemocha

Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve fluency in a new language. As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to nearly 11 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. For more information about Livemocha, please visit http://www.livemocha.com.

Livemocha runs its Web-based software on AWS, but previously, the closest region for South American markets was still in the U.S. And that meant a distinct difference in quality. The more static elements of the site, like logos and other images, were hosted locally. But the main Web experience—the core of Livemocha’s product—had to make too many hops to get to the end user.

“When I’m in Brazil and I’m using Livemocha, it’s kind of painful in comparison to what it’s like in the U.S.,” CEO Michael Schutzler says. “It’s not terrible, but … it’s like the difference between 1999 and 2011.”

So when the AWS Sao Paulo region started coming to fruition, ”We were like, ‘Yes! Hallelujah,’” Schutzler says. “Because if we’re doing really well in Brazil now—serving from, you know, Dallas—it’s just going to be awesome for Brazilians using Livemocha.”

Livemocha added a Brazilian investor earlier this year, and is looking to the fast-growing country as a possible template for how to expand into other foreign territories in the future. That comes as the company has significantly grown its user base by branching out from consumers and into professional markets, including corporate users, and people in the public-sector sector who are seeking language lessons.

“There are a lot of companies that are starting to get serious about Brazil now, and kind of waking up to the fact that there are 200 million people there,” Schutlzer says. “And, hey, they have a middle class with disposable income. Maybe we should pay attention to that.”

See the full article on Xconomy here.

But there’s one spot where Rosetta Stone has always held an advantage: Retail. The company’s yellow-boxed CD-ROM titles are ubiquitous at retail locations in malls and airports.

But Livemocha, which has raised about $14 million from August Capital and Maveron, is now looking to toss some stones of its own into that territory.

Through a partnership with Harper Collins and Merriam Webster, Livemocha has begun selling language learning course books at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.com.

Schutzler tells GeekWire that they started testing the new titles, which integrate with Livemocha’s online learning community, in June. So far, he said sales are going very well.

“(The) bulk of Rosetta Stone’s sales that generate actual margin are in retail. Berlitz has been there for decades,” said Schutzler. “Our partners are Merriam Webster … and therefore we think we have a shot at winning in this arena as well.”

Schutzler says the books are ”beautifully crafted” and come with a code for a six-month free subscription to Livemocha’s premium language service. At this point, the company is selling books for Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Founded in 2007 by Seattle entrepreneur Shirish Nadkarni, Livemocha now boasts 12 million members in its online community.

See the post on GeekWire at http://bit.ly/usOikk

When: Friday, November 4 at 7:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (PST)

Where: TechDwellers Georgetown
6100 4th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108

Cost: $15 for members and $30 for non-members

Description
You have a gazillion members… but revenue, not so much. So what’s the plan? What’s the strategy? How do you make money? Many have tried and few have succeeded. In this session, Michael Schutzler will discuss best practices for monetizing online communities.

About Livemocha
Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve fluency in a new language. As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to over 11 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. For more information about Livemocha, please visit http://www.livemocha.com.

Contact:
Morgan Bradley
Barokas Public Relations
Livemocha@Barokas.com
Office: 206.264.8220

SEATTLE – October 25, 2011 – Livemocha™, the world’s largest online language learning community, today announced that CEO Michael Schutzler, will speak at the Seattle Interactive Conference, an inaugural event that will bring together the tech industry’s brightest leaders being held November 2-3 at the Washington State Convention Center.

In line with the conference theme of “transformations in interactive technology,” Schutzler will offer his insight on the growing necessity of language acquisition in the corporate context, specifically highlighting the benefits of virtual learning communities.

The Importance of Language Learning in a Global Economy

When: Thurs., November 3 at 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. PT

Where: Washington State Convention Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101-2350
Room 303

Description
In recent decades, there has been a rapid globalization of markets and skilled labor. In the past, the primary factor that drove US companies overseas was off shoring for cheaper labor. Today, however, the focus has shifted to acquiring skilled talent and gaining accessibility to fast growing markets. Businesses of every size must bolster their knowledge of other languages and cultures in order to compete effectively. In this session, Livemocha CEO Michael Schutzler will present a case for language training as an essential workplace tool along with examples of organizations that have created a more productive and dynamic workforce through the implementation of virtual language training on a company-wide basis.

About Livemocha
Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve fluency in a new language. As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to over 11 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. For more information about Livemocha, please visit http://www.livemocha.com.

Contact:
Morgan Bradley
Barokas Public Relations
Livemocha@Barokas.com
Office: 206.264.8220

Under the terms of the agreement, Abril Educação – a BM&FBovespa-listed company and controlled by Grupo Abril, one of the largest and most influential media corporations in Latin America – will promote Livemocha to consumers and organizations throughout Brazil. The partnership with Livemocha comes shortly following Abril Educação’s highly anticipated initial public offering on the Brazilian Stock Exchange that was announced on July 6 and raised 371 million Brazilian reais ($238 million). Abril Educação’s experience will be key in enabling Livemocha to reach Brazilian schools, homes and corporations. The partnership is focused in the near term on helping Brazilian students and citizens prepare to welcome millions of visitors from around the world for the upcoming World Cup and Olympic championships. In a related transaction, Livemocha raised $5 million in additional working capital to assist with the effort in Brazil and further global expansion. Abril Educação was joined by existing investors August Capital and Maveron in the financing.

Livemocha is the world’s dominant online language learning company, with over 11 million members from 190 countries helping each other learn 38 languages. Brazil, one of the world’s fastest growing economies and a culture that strongly embraces social media, has long been a significant segment of the Livemocha community, representing over 25 percent of the membership. Abril Educação is one of the largest education publishers in Brazil, supplying nearly 50 million textbooks in 2010, serving approximately 30 million students and over 125,000 schools with textbooks, learning systems and other services. Its books have received more than 30 awards for excellence in recent years.

“Brazil is a strategic market for Livemocha with its booming economy and strong adoption of social media technologies,” said Michael Schutzler, CEO of Livemocha. “This agreement establishes a blueprint by which we intend to continue our global expansion, build on our success in using language education to foster personal and professional growth, and remove barriers in an increasingly connected world. Abril Educação is the ideal partner to help Livemocha build upon our success in Brazil and expose our brand to millions of people wanting to learn another language.”

“The world is watching Brazil and we are preparing our nation to become a population of global citizens,” said Manoel Amorim, CEO of Abril Educação. “The foundation for competing globally is language and we chose to invest in this relationship because Brazil loves Livemocha. No other language company has either the experience or community to match Livemocha, and together with Abril Educação our companies will introduce millions more to the benefit of social language learning.”

About Livemocha
Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve fluency in a new language. As the world’s largest online language learning community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to over 11 million members from 190 countries, underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages. For more information about Livemocha, please visit http://www.livemocha.com.

About Abril Educação
One of the largest educational companies in Brazil, Abril Educação offers solutions for schools, based on publishers’ best available didactic content, comprising class planning, evaluation, pedagogic consultancy, digital complimentary materials and multidisciplinary projects. The company owns the publishing houses Ática and Scipione, as well as Anglo and pH, two of the most respected education groups in Brazil. Abril Educação is a leader in the textbook and learning systems markets in Brazil. The company recently completed an IPO in Brazil and is now listed on the BM&F Bovespa. It is controlled by Grupo Abril, one of the largest media conglomerates in Latin America.

About Grupo Abril
The Abril Group is one of the largest and most influential media groups in Latin America, providing information, education and entertainment for virtually all segments of the public and working seamlessly across media. Based on the principles of integrity, quality, leadership and innovation, the company was founded in April 1950. It also has the largest press in Latin America with expertise in database marketing, subscription and distribution.

US Media
Morgan Bradley
Livemocha@Barokas.com
206-264-8220

Brazilian Media
Bruno Soares
11 30713494
bruno.soares@ciadainformacao.com.br
Sao Paulo