Univerbal
Language learning with a conversational AI Tutor
Univerbal is an AI-powered language learning app that helps people boost their confidence simply by talking. In unscripted and dynamic conversations, users can talk about anything they’d like using the microphone, with the AI responding as it adapts to their level and skills. Each user gets a personal AI Language Tutor that creates a custom learning plan based on the language goals they’d like to work towards and their own interests, offers instant corrections after every message and helps users in their own language. Based in the country with 4 official languages, Switzerland, in 2024 we were selected as one of WIRED’s Hottest 100 Startups in Europe.
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Jobs at Univerbal
Active Founders
Philipp Hadjimina, Founder
Philipp has a deep technical background from his Computer Science undergraduate degree from ETH Zurich and his graduate research experience on NLP at UC Berkeley. Wanting to learn Greek, he took 1-1 tutoring lessons and noticed how tailoring a session based completely on the student's interest and need can drastically accelerate learning as well as be more engaging.
Samuel Bissegger, Founder
Co-founder of Univerbal and a master's graduate in general management at HSG with a great interest in understanding markets and people. I am driven by making a meaningful business into a growth case and revolutionizing language learning through AI.
David Niederberger, Founder
Co-Founder at Quazel and enthusiastic to revolutionize language learning through NLP. Currently finishing a graduate degree in Computer Science at ETH Zurich with specialization in data science and explainable AI.
Company Launches
TL;DR: Language learning that’s as unique as you are.
If you’ve ever learnt a language, you’ve probably spent hours memorizing vocabulary or doing infinite grammar exercises only to then realize you can’t really… speak the language.
The Univerbal app helps you get confident to speak by practicing with real-life, open conversations with an AI conversation partner that adapts to your answers and your level. Most importantly, never judges you!
Your personal AI Tutor creates a language study plan combining both the language skills you’d like to work towards, based on CEFR language education standards and the conversation topics you’re interested in. No two study plans are the same because no two language learning journeys are the same.
Try it for free:
🌐 Web app | 🍎 Get the iOS app | 🤖 Get the Android app
Watch the demo here and try the app for free.
🤔 The problem
People learn a language to be able to speak it, but they end up memorizing vocabulary and doing boring grammar exercises and in the process, forget or they get too shy to actually practice speaking
Practicing with native speakers can feel like a burden, language tutors can soon get expensive and using some language apps can only get you so far.
💡 The solution
We’re based in Switzerland: the country with 4 official languages🇨🇭 so it was only natural to try to solve this problem by building an AI-powered language learning app to help everyone increase their confidence to speak a new language.
Univerbal was born out of our own frustration as language learners (initially Philipp’s as he was learning Greek to connect to his Cypriot family heritage). It was obvious that the only way to get better was to speak, but it became both difficult to find the time for tutor sessions and very expensive 💸
Univerbal gives everyone access to a conversation partner and language tutor that’s customized to their own needs.
👉 How does it work?
With the Univerbal app, each user gets a personal AI Language Tutor that creates a study plan based on the language goals they wants to work towards and the topics they’re interested in talking about.
Developed in collaboration with the Language Department at the University of Zürich, this ensures that everyone gets the language training based on CEFR language education standards, that’s also personalized to their own needs, skills and interests!
No two study plans are the same.
Users can practice with real-life conversations like ordering coffee or going for a job interview, get help from their AI Language Tutor in their own language and practice with short vocabulary exercises.
👋 Ask
- We need your input: What would you like to see in terms of vocabulary features? What’s helped you in the past as a language learner? Speaking is essential, but we don’t want to neglect vocabulary building.
- Offer: 30% off on the 3M and 12M plan with code STUDYPLAN at this link Univerbal
- Try it and leave us feedback: 🌐 Web app | 🍎 Get the iOS app | 🤖 Get the Android app
- Join us on Discord or follow us on Instagram
- Spread the word to other language lovers
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Company Photo
Selected answers from Univerbal's original YC application for the W23 Batch
Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.
Conversational language practice by talking to AI
What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.
It's a language learner chatbot app that teaches people conversational fluency in a foreign language. In dynamic and unscripted conversations with an LLM-based AI users can practice their language skills. Learners record themselves saying something and the AI responds in turn, just like in a conversation with a human.
With the scene builder, learners can customize what they want to talk about by filling in the blanks: "I want to talk about CHESS with A GRAND MASTER in A HOTEL LOBBY while roleplaying A NOVICE CHESSPLAYER". Thus learners can exactly tailor the scene to their desires.
We also offer predefined scenes which focus on different areas of vocabulary useful to learners (e.g. getting to know someone, public transportation, etc). Additionally, in every scene, users can analyze the grammar of their responses or use hints to help them out when they get stuck.
Obviously, there is more to it but it's easiest if you just try our beta yourself at talk.quazel.com