![]() Now a Republic, Armenia remained a kingdom for a long time, having a number of very mighty kings. This again is a name of Armenian historical figure– Aram, after whom other nations started calling the country as ”Armenia”. Later, the more common name, which we know presently, was given to the country. This comes from the ancient times, where Armenia was considered to be the land of Hayk, an Armenian historical figure. Armenians call themselves Hay, the country- Hayastan. “We’re not a startup anymore,” he smiles.One of the oldest nations in the world has a very rich history. ![]() The producers turned him down because of the company’s successful track record. Acar seeks to raise $500,000 for 10% equity in the company to help develop new mobile applications, products and marketing.Īcar also applied for a spot on the popular television show Shark Tank, which features startup entrepreneurs seeking investor money. “We don’t have any investors,” he adds.īut Acar’s two years of acting school in New York City recently came in handy, when he made a pitch to angel investors at a VenturePitch event in Fort Myers. ![]() And he recently opened an office in Japan where the materials have become popular.Īcar built Dino Lingo with no debt and says he reinvests 90 cents of every dollar in sales back into the company. For example, he received emails from customers asking for Polish materials and that was the company’s second language. “We are very proud of that.”Īcar is also quick to respond to customer needs. “Everything is printed in Fort Myers,” Acar says. They can plug a video DVD in the car or moms can stash the flash cards in their purses. ![]() Materials are designed for parents on the move. The online subscription costs $99 a year. Online subscriptions are more popular with parents of older children aged 5 to 8.Ī premium set of all of Dino Lingo materials costs $250, which includes DVDs, CDs, flash cards, books and other items in a large colorful box. That’s because many parents of small children are uncomfortable letting them use the Internet, even if it’s Dino Lingo’s safe portal. “This is designed for small kids,” Acar says, who notes the most popular language is English.Ībout 70% of the company’s annual revenues come from printed materials. While he’s consulted with experts on learning languages, Acar says testing new products with children works best.Ībout half of Dino Lingo’s customers are international and about 60% of all customers have children between 3 and 4 years old. “The normal way to learn languages is boring,” he says. ![]() His Irish-born wife, Annique, landed a job as a technical designer at women’s retailer Chico’s FAS headquarters and the couple moved to Fort Myers that year.Īcar’s idea was to incorporate fun songs and games into the materials to keep young children’s attention. More languages are in development, including Creole, Gujarati, Slovenian and Western Armenian.Īcar started the company in 2010 after he had trouble finding Turkish-language materials for his young son. The company produces print, video and online materials in 45 languages, from Albanian to Welsh. Today, Acar, 40, is founder and president ofĭino Lingo, a Fort Myers-based developer of language programs for small children. “I wanted to be a star in Hollywood it was following a silly dream,” laughs Acar, who still speaks with a slight Turkish accent. Acar enrolled in acting school and learned English. When Serdar Acar moved to New York City in 2000 from his native Turkey, his dream was to be on the silver screen. BY: JEAN GRUSS | EDITOR/LEE-COLLIER / Business Observer ![]()
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