Mondosol — company fact sheet

Learn skills by living them.

Overview

Mondosol is a multilingual education platform that teaches languages and life skills through real-world experience. Founded in 2010 by Elio Mondello Anza and headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway, the platform serves a global audience in more than 100 languages with a learn-by-doing approach that puts practical fluency before textbook memorisation. Every course is free to start, with an optional Mondosol+ membership that unlocks the full premium path. Mondosol is self-funded and has never taken venture capital.

At a glance

• Founded: 2010
• Founder and CEO: Elio Mondello Anza
• Headquarters: Hønefoss, Norway
• Website: mondosol.com
• Platform: WordPress.com and Sensei LMS
• Languages: content available in more than 100 languages
• Model: free to start, with an optional Mondosol+ membership
• Funding: self-funded, no venture capital
• Stage: beta launch (2026)
• Crowdfunding: active on Ulule (ulule.com/mondosol)

What we offer

• Language courses: bite-size daily lessons with real conversation practice in several languages.
• Hosting and travel: the hosting playbook of a former top-rated Airbnb host.
• Digital skills: practical courses on entrepreneurship, AI tools and remote work.
• Cultural learning: immersive content drawn from six countries of lived experience.

Brand family

• Mondo Sol Learning: online courses and educational content.
• Mondo Sol Travel: cultural travel experiences and hosting.
• Mondo Sol Cafe: community and cultural exchange.
• Mondo Sol Home: lifestyle and accommodation concepts.

About the founder

Elio Mondello Anza is an Amazon bestselling author, a former top-rated Airbnb host (until 2022) and a recognised hospitality influencer (La Repubblica). He has lived in six countries, speaks five languages, and brings years of experience in content creation, digital business consulting and online education. His book about six countries has been translated into several languages.

Partners

Brand partners include Canva, Lodgify and Mailchimp. Active crowdfunding on Ulule with community-backed rewards.

About Mondosol — boilerplate

Ready to copy and paste. Use the version that fits your word count.

Short (about 50 words)

Mondosol is a self-funded experiential learning platform founded in 2010 by author and entrepreneur Elio Mondello Anza and headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway. Mondosol offers courses in languages, hosting, digital skills and cultural learning, free to start with an optional Mondosol+ membership, built on one belief: learn skills by living them.

Standard (about 100 words)

Mondosol is an experiential learning platform that teaches languages and life skills through real-world experience. It was founded in 2010 by Elio Mondello Anza, an Amazon bestselling author, former top-rated Airbnb host and certified business Norwegian instructor. The platform offers courses in language learning, hosting, digital skills and cultural learning. Every course is free to start; the optional Mondosol+ membership unlocks the full premium path. Mondosol is self-funded, has never taken venture capital, and is headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway, bringing 16 years of lived experience across six countries under one idea: learn skills by living them.

One line

Mondosol: experiential courses in languages, hosting and digital skills, free to start. Learn skills by living them.

Style notes

Write “Mondosol” as one word with a capital M. Founder: Elio Mondello Anza on first mention, “Mondello Anza” after that. Mondosol+ is the optional paid membership. Airbnb hosting is a past credential (ended in 2022), not a current activity.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · September 18, 2026

Mondosol launches its global learning platform and opens a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule

A multilingual education platform brings its learn-by-doing approach to audiences in 102 languages.

HØNEFOSS, NORWAY, September 18, 2026. Mondosol, a multilingual education platform founded by Amazon bestselling author Elio Mondello Anza, today announced the beta launch of its global learning platform together with a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule (ulule.com/mondosol). The platform delivers language courses, digital skills training and cultural education to a worldwide audience in 102 languages.

“The future of education is multilingual, and we are opening doors for learners everywhere,” said Mondello Anza, founder and CEO of Mondosol. “Our platform is built on a simple principle: you learn by doing, not by reading. Trial and error is how humans learn best. Mistakes are encouraged, never punished.”

Mondosol‘s learn-by-doing method draws on Mondello Anza‘s experience of living in six countries and speaking several languages. The platform offers bite-size daily lessons with real conversation practice, the hosting playbook of a former top-rated Airbnb host (until 2022), digital entrepreneurship courses and cultural learning. Every course is free to start, with an optional Mondosol+ membership that unlocks the full premium path.

The Ulule campaign has already passed its activation goal, raising 200% of the initial target, with supporters backing reward tiers from digital access to in-person school visits. The campaign funds platform development, new content and the growth of the Mondosol brand family: Mondo Sol Learning, Mondo Sol Travel, Mondo Sol Cafe and Mondo Sol Home. Mondosol is self-funded and has never taken venture capital.

Mondosol works with digital tools including Canva, Lodgify and Mailchimp, and runs on WordPress.com with Sensei LMS.

To learn more, visit mondosol.com or support the campaign at ulule.com/mondosol.

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About Mondosol

Mondosol is a multilingual education platform that teaches languages and real-world skills through experience-based learning. Founded in 2010 by Amazon bestselling author and former top-rated Airbnb host Elio Mondello Anza, Mondosol is headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway. Every course is free to start, with an optional Mondosol+ membership.

Story angles for journalists

Ready-to-pitch angles for newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and podcasts. Photos, logos and facts are on mondosol.com/press.

1. The self-funded alternative to venture-funded language apps

The story: while edtech startups raise hundreds of millions, one founder offers courses that are free to start and built on the idea that fluency comes from living, not swiping. Why now: growing doubts about screen time and app-based “fluency”. Best for: tech and education press, education podcasts, opinion pages.

2. From social housing to six countries

The story: told to choose vocational school, Elio chose the academic track at 16, ran the school newspaper, and went on to live in six countries, speak five languages and write an Amazon bestseller. Why now: social mobility and unconventional paths into entrepreneurship. Best for: Italian and Norwegian national press, human-interest features, lifestyle magazines.

3. The Airbnb Superhost who walked away

The story: once one of Italy’s top three Airbnb Superhosts, with more than €150,000 in hosting revenue, Elio stepped away in 2022 after the pandemic reshaped the market, and turned his hosting playbook into courses. Why now: the debate about short-term rentals, over-tourism and host economics. Best for: travel and hospitality trade press, business sections.

4. European edtech outside the big capitals

The story: a learning platform headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway, self-funded with no venture capital, where every course is free to start and an optional Mondosol+ membership pays the bills: a counter-model to the venture-funded startup playbook. Why now: regional innovation and the rise of self-funded, profitable-first companies. Best for: Nordic and Southern European startup and business press, entrepreneurship podcasts.

5. An Italian who teaches Norway’s business language

The story: an Italian who learned Norwegian by living in Norway became a certified business Norwegian instructor recognised by the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. Why now: integration, labour migration and language requirements in Norway. Best for: Norwegian national and regional press, integration and expat media.

6. Six countries, one story: the book, the song and the memoir

The story: a multilingual bestseller, a song (Vita/Life) and a memoir in progress: one founder’s life told across languages and formats. Why now: creator-authors building multi-format personal brands. Best for: culture and books sections, Italian diaspora media, arts podcasts.

Interviews: in English, Italian, Norwegian and other languages on request.

Elio Mondello Anza — short bio

About 100 words, for event programmes, article footers and podcast show notes.

Elio Mondello Anza is the founder and CEO of Mondosol, an experiential learning platform headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway. An Amazon bestselling author and former Airbnb Superhost ranked among Italy’s top three, he was featured by La Repubblica as a leading hospitality influencer. Elio holds degrees in Communication and Marketing and in Project Management from the University of Milan, is a certified business Norwegian instructor, and speaks five languages, each learned by living where it is spoken. Over 16 years in six countries, he has founded three companies without outside funding. His philosophy: learn skills by living them.

Elio Mondello Anza — full bio

About 500 words, for features, speaker introductions and media kits.

Elio Mondello Anza is an Italian-Norwegian entrepreneur, author and educator, and the founder and CEO of Mondosol, a self-funded learning platform built on a simple conviction: real competence comes from lived experience, not from apps or classrooms.

Elio grew up in social housing in Italy, where few expected him to take an academic path. At sixteen, against the advice of nearly everyone around him, he chose an academic high school over vocational training. There he took over the school newspaper and discovered what would become his lifelong craft: journalism, graphic design, marketing and communication. By seventeen he was organising large events, including a 2,000-person concert for which he personally signed the liability waivers. He went on to earn degrees in Communication and Marketing and in Project Management from the University of Milan.

What followed was sixteen years of living, working and building across six countries. Elio learned five languages the way he now teaches them: by living where they are spoken. Norway has been his home for most of that time. There he became a certified business Norwegian instructor recognised by the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, and worked as a teacher, where students responded strongly to his unconventional, experience-first approach.

In hospitality, Elio became one of Italy’s top three Airbnb Superhosts and was recognised as one of the platform’s top hosts worldwide, generating more than €150,000 in hosting revenue. La Repubblica featured him as a leading hospitality influencer. When the pandemic reshaped the short-term rental market, he stepped away from hosting in 2022 to focus full-time on education.

Elio founded Mondosol in 2010 and has built it, along with two other companies, without venture capital or outside funding. Headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway, Mondosol offers courses in language learning, hosting, digital skills and cultural learning. Every course is free to start, with an optional Mondosol+ membership for the full premium path, and the platform favours practical, immersion-based learning designed by someone who has lived it.

He is also an Amazon bestselling author. His book about six countries and one story, Sei Paesi, Una Storia, has been translated into several languages, and he is writing a memoir. As a professional speaker, Elio has shared stages with internationally known figures including Tony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki. He shares language, travel and entrepreneurship content as @eliomondelloanza.

His work is shaped by a multicultural outlook and a habit of questioning conventional paths. His guiding philosophy, taken from a film he first saw at sixteen, is the same one behind Mondosol: seize the moment, and learn skills by living them.

Elio Mondello Anza — bio in the first person

About 150 words, for podcast intros, LinkedIn, author boxes and speaker introductions.

I’m Elio Mondello Anza, founder of Mondosol, author and lifelong explorer. I grew up in social housing in Italy, and at sixteen I chose an academic path everyone told me was not for me. That decision set the pattern for my life: I learn by doing, and I rarely take the conventional route.

Over sixteen years I have lived in six countries and learned five languages by living where they are spoken. I became one of Italy’s top three Airbnb Superhosts, wrote an Amazon bestseller, and built three companies without outside funding.

In 2010 I founded Mondosol, a learning platform for languages, hosting and digital skills, free to start with an optional Mondosol+ membership, because I believe the best way to learn isn’t swiping through flashcards. It’s living it. Mondosol is headquartered in Hønefoss, Norway.

You can find me at mondosol.com and @eliomondelloanza.