Andrés Moreno

Andrés Moreno is a Venezuelan entrepreneur and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Open English, an online English-learning platform serving more than 30 markets, including Latin America, Brazil, the U.S. Hispanic market, Turkey, and Spain. The son of a diplomat, Moreno grew up across eight countries on three continents, learning four languages. This multicultural upbringing influenced his belief in the transformative power of language and the importance of English-language education in emerging markets.

Moreno began his entrepreneurial career in Venezuela, co-founding Optimal English, a company that provided one-on-one English instruction to Latin American executives at Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble and Sun Microsystems. Identifying the limitations of traditional, high-cost models, Moreno partnered with Wilmer Sarmiento to develop a new approach. Working from his Caracas apartment, Moreno and a team of programmers built the platform that became Open English, offering students unlimited, 24/7 access to live classes with native English-speaking teachers. After overcoming initial skepticism from U.S. investors, Open English launched and later relocated its headquarters to Miami.

Under Moreno’s leadership, Open English has become a global EdTech company, enrolling more than 3 million students and raising over $150 million in venture capital from firms including Insight Partners and TCV. The company expanded its offerings with "Open Mundo," providing live tutoring in French, Italian, and Portuguese, and serving individuals, businesses, and children through specialized programs. Moreno also founded "Next University," an online digital skills school acquired by Open English, and co-founded Escala, a marketing and sales automation platform for Hispanic small businesses, as well as Longevo, a virtual coaching service focused on health and wellness for Latin Americans. His ventures have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Miami Herald, and other major media outlets.

Moreno is a founding board member of Endeavor Miami, an organization that promotes entrepreneurship in emerging markets across more than 16 countries. He hosts "Éxito," a podcast highlighting Hispanic success stories in business, politics, and the arts, and delivers keynote addresses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and scaling businesses globally. Moreno’s work has been recognized with honors such as Latin American Entrepreneur of the Decade by Babson College, Person of the Year by the World Association of Journalists, inclusion among the top 25 Education Technology CEOs by the Software Report, and a place on Bloomberg's Latin America 500 list.