Teuida is reshaping the language learning landscape by tackling the long-standing challenge of speaking proficiency, often hindered by time, cost, and educational inequality. Founded as a Korean edtech startup, Teuida’s innovative platform leverages interactive video simulations to provide unlimited speaking practice with native speakers. We dive into Teuida’s product vision, expansion strategy, the evolving role of AI, and the company’s commitment to bridging cultural gaps through language education.
Inspiration and Concept
Teuida’s founder, Ji Woong Jan,g shares the vision to democratize language speaking practice, overcoming barriers many learners face today. Unlike typical language apps focused on vocabulary and gamification, Teuida targets spoken fluency by offering conversations with native speakers through immersive simulations filmed with real people.
Q: What inspired you to create Teuida?
Ji Woong Jang: Language skills can bring new opportunities into people’s lives—whether getting a job or studying abroad. But reaching a certain level of proficiency, especially in speaking, often requires a lot of time and money. We saw that as educational inequality in language learning. We wanted to find a way to provide both quantity and quality in speaking practice with native speakers. That’s how we developed our interactive simulation, where users can have unlimited conversations with native speakers. It’s not just about learning the language—it’s also about building the confidence to speak. As a Korean company, we started with Korean language courses and now offer Korean, Japanese, and Spanish.
Product Differentiation: Speaking-Focused Immersive Learning
Teuida sets itself apart from apps like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and iTalki by focusing exclusively on speaking practice with interactive video simulations that users can access anytime. The platform enables unlimited, real-feeling conversations without the scheduling hassles or limited speaking time common on other platforms.
Q: Could you explain how Teuida’s approach to language learning differs from popular apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone?
Ji: Our focus is on speaking. Most existing language apps—like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, or Babbel—are designed to help users stay engaged through gamification. But their content mainly focuses on vocabulary and sentence-building exercises. After using those apps, many learners say they know the language but still can’t speak it. That’s the biggest difference—they focus on vocabulary, we focus on speaking. Then there are platforms like iTalki or Tandem, which offer one-on-one tutor sessions. While those provide real speaking practice, scheduling and video calls can be costly, and the total speaking time is limited. Our app uses interactive video simulations that learners can access anytime, anywhere, offering unlimited speaking opportunities. Because our content is filmed with real people, users feel like they’re having genuine conversations—which helps build confidence in speaking foreign languages.
Expansion and Future Language Offers
With Korean, Japanese, and Spanish courses underway, Teuida plans to finalize those by March and expand into French, Chinese, and Italian. The startup is leveraging AI to enable faster multilingual content production, enhancing accessibility.
Q: What languages does Teuida currently support, and what are your plans for future course expansions?
Ji: Our team is currently producing more lessons for Korean, Japanese, and Spanish. We aim to complete those courses by next March. After that, we plan to release new courses such as French, Chinese, and Italian.
Immersive Curriculum and Unique K-Drama Participation
Teuida uniquely blends a structured, step-by-step curriculum with immersive, conversation-driven K-drama-style episodes. Learners can progress through a well-organized language program or actively participate as characters in engaging storylines, choosing their preferred drama and shaping their learning experience. This participatory approach sets Teuida apart from other language apps that feature passive drama watching by immersing users directly in the narrative, enhancing practical speaking skills and cultural understanding through active engagement.
Q: How is the content for real-life simulation videos selected? Do learners follow a set curriculum or choose their own lessons?
Ji: For Korean language learners, we have a structured curriculum they can follow step by step. But in our conversation-based content, we provide many K-drama-style episodes. Learners become part of the story as a character, forming relationships and progressing through the narrative. They can even choose which drama they want to be in.
Q: Some language apps focus on teaching through watching K-drama series. How does Teuida’s approach differ from these?
Ji: Yes, but that’s where we differ. In those apps, users watch dramas. In our app, users participate in them. You’re part of the story—you’re one of the characters.
The Role and Future of AI in Language Learning
Currently, Teuida uses real videos to provide free speaking practice and localization. Teuida will keep providing immersive content where users can speak with a real person to boost their confidence in speaking. AI-generated videos may help in free-speaking practice, but that’s for much later. AI is also poised to assist in content localization through dubbing and translations.
Q: How do you see immersive language learning evolving over the next 5 to 10 years, particularly with advancements in AI?
Ji: AI will make immersive simulations even better. Right now, we film all our videos with real people, but as AI technology advances, we’ll be able to use AI-generated video conversations created from transcripts alone. Currently, there is no plan to use AI to create videos, as we believe in providing an interactive experience with real people. However, in the future, AI may contribute, especially when it comes to creating conversation content for intermediate-level. Our target users are beginners to early intermediates who are not yet comfortable with free talking. After about a year and a half, many reach an advanced level and want to practice free conversation.
Q: Does Teuida currently utilize AI for conversation simulations? If not, how do you plan to integrate AI in the future?
Ji: Not yet. We’re keeping an eye on it. Right now, AI video quality isn’t perfect, so we’re not using it yet. But in the next few years, as AI-generated video becomes more realistic, we’ll definitely consider integrating it.
Q: Korea recently introduced the AI Basic Act. Does that impact how you develop your app or handle data privacy?
Ji: Honestly, not much. As I mentioned, we’re not worried about AI replacing us. In fact, such regulations can help us use AI more effectively. For example, producing multilingual content is costly because we need tutors who speak two languages, like Korean–Vietnamese or Korean–Japanese. With AI dubbing and translation systems, we’ll be able to localize our existing videos into multiple languages faster and cheaper. So we’re actually looking forward to more advanced AI tools.
Bridging Culture Through Language
Teuida recognizes that language learning, intertwined with cultural understanding, is critical for mastery. Lessons include cultural context, tailored explanations by native language backgrounds, and real-life scenario filming across Korea, Japan, and Mexico.
Q: To what extent do you believe language learning apps can help bridge cultural gaps? How does Teuida incorporate cultural understanding into its lessons?
Ji: Language and culture are deeply connected. Without understanding culture, it’s difficult to master a language—and vice versa. In our lesson and conversation videos, we always explain the cultural context behind expressions. For example, if an expression is rooted in culture, our tutor explains that context so users understand its background. We even adjust explanations based on the learner’s native language—for instance, English-speaking vs. Japanese-speaking users—because cultural perspectives differ. We also film real-life scenarios—for example, ordering coffee at Starbucks—in Korea, Japan, and Mexico, so users experience cultural differences in behavior and atmosphere. Through this, language becomes a bridge to understanding other cultures, which is one of our main goals.
Government Support and the Startup Ecosystem
Korean government startup programs have been instrumental in Teuida’s international expansion, providing funding, global accelerator connections, and market insights critical for scaling. The ecosystem also supports AI-driven personalized learning tools, aligned with broader national innovation goals.
Q: How have Korean government programs and international partnerships contributed to Teuida’s growth and global expansion?
Ji: I’ve participated in many startup programs run by the Korean government. Korea is a small country, so our domestic market isn’t enough. That’s why both the government and society emphasize global expansion. The government supports startups in several ways: Funding, covering salaries, business trips, or marketing costs. International programs: partnering with accelerators and investors abroad. I’ve joined programs in Vietnam, Paris, San Francisco, New York, and Japan. These helped us understand global markets and connect with local partners. Overall, the Korean government has been very supportive of startups expanding overseas.
Challenges and Vision: From Value Discovery to Global Impact
Teuida’s evolution from offering native conversation access to immersive simulations reflects deep user insight. Its shift to recurring subscriptions boosted retention and revenue. The ultimate vision is to empower global learners to speak confidently, becoming the next generation of platforms that truly bridge language and culture.
Q: What were the most significant challenges you faced while building Teuida, and how did you overcome them?
Ji: The first challenge was identifying the real value our users wanted. Initially, we thought it was simply the chance to speak with native speakers. But we learned that users wanted more—they wanted interactive communication and a sense of connection. That’s why we shifted to immersive simulations. The second challenge was the business model. At first, we used a one-time purchase system (1, 3, or 12 months). Users didn’t often repurchase. After introducing subscriptions and improving the product, our revenue and retention grew significantly.
Q: How do you envision Teuida’s role in the global language learning market in the coming years?
Ji: Our vision is to be the next generation of Duolingo. Duolingo made learning fun through gamification—but we want to go further by helping people actually speak the language. In the next few years, we’ll focus on expanding our language offerings and empowering people to speak confidently—helping them unlock new opportunities through language.
Advice to Entrepreneurs
Navigating the path from local success to global impact is a defining challenge for many Korean entrepreneurs. Understanding cultural nuances, user expectations, and market differences is critical to building products that resonate worldwide. Ji shares his firsthand experience and strategic advice based on Teuida’s journey and lessons learned along the way.
Q: What advice would you give to Korean entrepreneurs aiming to build startups with global impact?
Ji: Many Korean entrepreneurs first focus on success in Korea and then plan to expand abroad, but the markets and users are completely different. If you want to build a global product, you must understand the culture and people in your target countries. Success in Korea doesn’t automatically translate overseas. Understanding your target audience is key to building a truly global service.
Industry Implications and Outlook
Teuida’s pioneering approach highlights a shifting edtech trend where speaking confidence and cultural immersion take center stage, powered by evolving AI capabilities and supported by proactive government policies. For investors and industry leaders, this signals fertile ground for innovation at the intersection of language, technology, and global connectivity.
Key Takeaways
- Teuida fills an important gap by focusing on building speaking confidence through unlimited native speaker simulations with immersive videos.
- Unlike vocabulary-focused apps, it prioritizes real conversation practice anytime, eliminating scheduling and cost issues common in tutor platforms.
- The platform currently offers Korean, Japanese, and Spanish, with plans for French, Chinese, and Italian, using AI to scale multilingual content.
- AI-based video conversations are not yet live but are planned once technology matures.
- Cultural understanding is integral, with lessons reflecting real-life cultural contexts to deepen language mastery.
- Korean government support via funding and international programs has been key to Teuida’s global expansion.
- Global startup success requires deep cultural empathy and market understanding; domestic success alone is not enough.
- Teuida aims to help learners confidently speak languages, moving beyond gamified learning to real communication.
Company Snapshot
| Category | Detail |
| Startup Name | Teuida |
| Founded | August 2018 (app launched 2020) |
| Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
| Founder | Ji Woong Jang |
| Product | Immersive language learning app offering first-person virtual conversations with native speakers, focusing on speaking confidence and real-life scenarios |
| Mission | Teuida empowers people to unlock new life opportunities through confident communication in immersive learning experiences. |
| Market Focus | English speaking countries, primarily North America |
| Partnerships | Supported by Korean government startup programs; partnerships with investors like JB Investment and others for global expansion |
| Recent Milestone | Surpassed 4 million cumulative downloads worldwide; doubled revenue in the last year; recognized as a top Korean and Japanese language app on major app stores |
| Website | https://www.teuida.net/ |
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