fluency
(2)
ELSA, Corp
ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) is an AI-powered English pronunciation and speaking coach built on proprietary speech-recognition technology trained on non-native accents. Founded in 2015 by Vu Van and speech scientist Xavier Anguera, the app gives learners real-time, phoneme-level feedback on how they actually sound - not just what they type. It has grown to tens of millions of users across 100+ countries and expanded from a consumer app into ELSA Business, ELSA Schools, an API, and a generative-AI conversation tool called ELSA AI Tutor.
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.