# Pingo AI

> Pingo AI is a San Francisco language-learning startup building an AI companion that teaches people to speak new languages through real, spoken conversations rather than flashcards and drills. Launched in January 2025 and backed by Y Combinator (S25), the app pairs learners with an AI tutor that sounds like a native speaker, guides them through everyday scenarios, gives real-time corrections, and remembers their progress. It grew from zero to hundreds of thousands of paying users and millions in annual recurring revenue within its first year and was named a Google Play Best of 2025 winner.

- **Founded:** 2025
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Michael Xing (Co-founder & CEO), Morrie Schonfeld (Co-founder & COO)
- **Team size:** ~4-24 (YC lists 4; other data sources list ~24 employees)
- **Products:** Pingo AI (mobile app), Conversation scenarios, Progress memory & transcripts
- **Notable:** Named a Google Play Best of 2025 winner, Grew from launch in January 2025 to hundreds of thousands of users within months, Reached ~$200K MRR by mid-2025 and reportedly millions in ARR within the first year

## Products & services

- **Pingo AI (mobile app)** — An iOS and Android app where learners build fluency by holding spoken conversations with an AI tutor. It runs realistic everyday scenarios, gives real-time pronunciation and grammar corrections, adapts to the learner's level, and tracks progress across sessions.
- **Conversation scenarios** — Guided real-life dialogues - ordering food, booking a hotel, small talk - that let learners rehearse practical situations before facing them in the real world.
- **Progress memory & transcripts** — Pingo remembers each learner's level, mistakes, vocabulary, and goals, and provides a transcript plus vocabulary list for every conversation.

## Achievements

- Named a Google Play Best of 2025 winner
- Grew from launch in January 2025 to hundreds of thousands of users within months
- Reached ~$200K MRR by mid-2025 and reportedly millions in ARR within the first year
- Accepted into Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch
- Maintained a 4.8-star average rating on the App Store
- Reportedly reached ~50-70% month-over-month growth with a very small team

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Pingo AI launches on iOS and Android.
- **2025-07** — Reaches 300,000+ users and ~$200K MRR.
- **2025-08** — Closes seed funding; part of Y Combinator S25 batch.
- **2025-12** — Named a Google Play Best of 2025 winner.
- **2026-05** — Third-party coverage reports continued rapid growth toward millions in ARR.

## Links

- Website: https://pingo.ai
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/pingo-ai

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/pingo-ai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-03