Ray Blakney

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