Tandem was founded in Hannover in 2014 by Arnd Aschentrup, Tobias Dickmeis, and Matthias Kleimann. Now headquartered in Berlin, Tandem launched its mobile app on iOS in 2015, followed by Android in 2016. Prior to Tandem, Aschentrup, Dickmeis, and Kleimann founded Vive, a members-only mobile video chat community. In 2015, Tandem closed a seed round of €600,000 from angel investors, including Atlantic Labs, Hannover Beteiligungsfonds, Marcus Englert, Catagonia, Ludwig zu Salm, Florian Langenscheidt, Heiko Hubertz, Martin Sinner, and Zehden Enterprises. In 2016, an additional €2m was raised from new investors, Rubylight and Faber Ventures, as well as existing investors Hannover Beteiligungsfonds, Atlantic Labs, and Zehden Enterprises. In 2018, Tandem introduced Tandem Pro, a subscription-based offering to access all the language learning features available on the app.
Concept
The Tandem app and its name was inspired by Tandem language learning, a method of learning a language through language exchange. In a , or a tandem, each person is a native speaker of the language the other person wants to learn. The discussion is divided equally between both languages to ensure both partners are able to learn their target language. The Tandem app is supported by Tandem Fundazioa, the organization that developed the tandem language learning method.
Features
Tandem requires its members to submit an application before being accepted into the Tandem community. As part of Tandem’s moderation policy, each application is individually reviewed. Once accepted, Tandem presents its members with a stream of potential Tandem partners who are native speakers in the language they want to learn. Members can then chat with their Tandem partners via instant messaging, voice messages, audio calls, and video calls. The list of partners can also be refined using location, age and gender filters.
Reception
In 2015, Tandem was named in Apple’s “Best Apps of 2015”. Tandem was also recognized as one of Google Play’s “Best Apps of 2017”.
Awards
In 2018, Tandem received an award from the German initiative :de:Deutschland_–_Land_der_Ideen|Deutschland - Land der Ideen in their “Ausgezeichnete Orte im Land der Ideen” competition. This initiative recognizes the top ideas and projects in Germany that encourage the interconnection of cultures and an open-minded society.
Criticism
Tandem has received criticism for not accepting members into the community immediately. In some countries there is a waiting list and applicants can wait up to 7 days for their application to be processed by the human moderators.
Languages Available on Tandem
There are more than 160 languages available to learn on Tandem, potentially resulting in more than 11,000 language combinations.
