Stirling supports graduate’s language school start-up

Universities have a strong culture of delivery which aligns closely with the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation. We’ve curated a set of 19 stories to show how universities support people, businesses, industries and Scotland’s regions towards economic transformation.

Elizaveta Frolova is the CEO of award-winning online learning company Inteldis, which offers personalised language learning at a speed that suits students.

Having developed her entrepreneurial skills and business idea during her studies at the University of Stirling, Elizaveta successfully launched the business after graduating in 2019 with a BA (Hons) in Economics and Finance.  With inclusivity at its heart, Inteldis addresses a unique market. It aims to help diverse learners access modern, quality and personalised education and delivers courses for people with learning neurodiversity which builds on Elizaveta’s own experience with Asperger’s syndrome and dyslexia.

The company is currently based in “The Hive”, the University’s start-up incubator at Stirling’s Innovation Park.  Going from strength to strength, in 2022 Inteldis won Scottish EDGE’s prestigious “Young Edge” award and a Santander grant at Hive 2022.

Inteldis operates interactive participation from its learners using online classes from the comfort of people’s homes. The company draws on the talents of qualified native UK tutors who have experience working at world-famous language schools and bring a high level of expertise to our online lessons.

Since launching, the model expanded to address Scotland’s changing cultural diversity, to support the Ukrainian refugee community. Courses are tailored for individuals to enable them to start working faster and become part of the Scottish community.  Inteldis also employs students to work as tutors and supports their development with relevant training opportunities.

Elizaveta says:

“As a qualified English teacher, my career has seen me work for Education First, Kings College London, an Oxford international school, and privately as a tutor. I have also been Finance Coordinator of the Stirling University Symposium and Partnership Coordinator for Stirling Tedx. Learning approaches vary immensely across different cultures. Becoming increasingly aware of the lack of quality education available to many in our world, as well as the power of education as a whole, the idea of starting my own online English language school was born.

“I was born with certain learning disorders like dyslexia, and Asperger’s syndrome and have managed to overcome these difficulties. My mission is to help other people achieve the same.”

The company name, Inteldis, is an abbreviation of ‘intelligent disobedience’ and embodies the company values of confidently and respectfully standing your ground when seeing a better alternative to the status quo. It challenges the idea of teaching students in educational settings to think and behave in stereotypical ways, and instead raises the idea of encouraging learners to question ideas, express their views, and develop their own voices.