# Vu Van

> Vu Van is the Vietnamese-born co-founder and CEO of ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant), an AI-powered app that gives non-native speakers instant feedback on English pronunciation, fluency and intonation. She built the idea out of her own struggle to be understood as a Stanford graduate student, teamed up with speech-recognition scientist Xavier Anguera, and has grown ELSA into one of the world's largest AI language platforms, with tens of millions of users across roughly 190 countries. She is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and Endeavor entrepreneur.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant)
- **Organizations:** ELSA, Corp, Vietseeds Foundation, Endeavor, World Economic Forum
- **From:** Hanoi, Vietnam
- **Nationality:** Vietnamese
- **Education:** MBA, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, MA in Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, BA in International Business and Economics, Foreign Trade University (Vietnam)
- **Known for:** Co-founded and scaled ELSA into one of the world's leading AI-powered English pronunciation platforms, reaching tens of millions of users across roughly 190 countries., Raised approximately $60M in total venture funding across pre-Series A through Series C from investors including Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund), Vietnam Investments Group and UOB., Named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and invited to Davos.

## Career timeline

- **pre-2009** — Worked in supply chain and operations, including a role at Maersk, with experience in Singapore and Denmark; earned a Six Sigma black belt.
- **2009** — Arrived in the US to begin an MBA and MA in Education at Stanford, where she struggled to be understood despite strong English skills.
- **2011** — Graduated from Stanford; worked at Booz & Company / Strategy& (PwC network) as an engagement manager focused on the education sector.
- **2015** — Co-founded and launched ELSA Speak with speech-recognition scientist Xavier Anguera.
- **2018** — Raised roughly $3.2M in pre-Series A funding.
- **2019** — Raised $7M Series A from Silicon Valley and regional investors.
- **2021** — Raised $15M Series B; joined and scaled with the Endeavor network.
- **2023** — Raised $23M Series C and launched ELSA AI Tutor built on generative AI.
- **2024** — Named to Inc.'s Female Founders 250; recognized among top San Francisco CEOs and Women Leading the AI Revolution in Education (ASU+GSV).

## Achievements

- Co-founded and scaled ELSA into one of the world's leading AI-powered English pronunciation platforms, reaching tens of millions of users across roughly 190 countries.
- Raised approximately $60M in total venture funding across pre-Series A through Series C from investors including Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund), Vietnam Investments Group and UOB.
- Named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and invited to Davos.
- Selected as an Endeavor entrepreneur (Endeavor Outlier).
- Named to Inc.'s 2024 Female Founders 250 and recognized among top CEOs in San Francisco.
- ELSA cited by Forbes among leading companies using AI to change the world and ranked among top AI apps.
- Co-founded the Vietseeds scholarship fund supporting underprivileged Vietnamese students.

## Latest updates

- **2023-09** — ELSA raised a $23M Series C round and launched ELSA AI Tutor, a generative-AI conversational tutor.
- **2024-04** — Vu Van featured in interviews (including Techstination) discussing ELSA's AI approach to spoken English.
- **2025-01** — Akshaya Aradhya joined ELSA as Chief Technology Officer as the company continued expanding its AI tutoring products.

## Links

- Website: https://elsaspeak.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/hongvuvan142
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/elsa_speak
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-rTRndBPY
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/elsaspeak/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/vu-van
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-22