This AI Helps You Get Fluent In Any Language – Plaudli Startup Review

Most of the language apps out there are great for vocab. Flashcards and quizzes can help. But do they teach you to speak?

For many students, teachers, and business professionals, the answer is no. They use apps like Duolingo. They feel they’re learning. But then comes the real test: actual talks. It’s not the same. They want real conversations. They want to speak without hesitation.

Plaudli is a startup tackling this problem. This AI helps you speak languages for real this time. We did an interview to find out how.

What is Plaudli?

Plaudli offers a unique way to practice speaking languages using AI. Designed for students, educators, and business professionals, it solves a common issue with popular language apps: they often fail to teach effective speaking and listening skills. Plaudli addresses this by letting users engage in real conversation settings. Imagine speaking directly into a mic and receiving feedback on your responses. This method builds genuine fluency and confidence.

The platform caters to a diverse audience, including learners who feel stuck in the traditional learning loop. Users often experience a new level of engagement as they converse in natural settings with AI replicating human interaction. It’s like having a tutor ready whenever you need one. The feedback mechanism ensures you’re always moving forward, not just memorising words.

What sets Plaudli apart is its rapid feature development. The startup rapidly integrates user feedback, enhancing the tool with new capabilities within days. This agility allows Plaudli to stay relevant and useful, adapting quickly to learners’ needs. It’s not about gimmicks; it’s about practical, user-driven improvements that make language learning more effective.

Plaudli Founders

Viktor Hendelmann isn’t your typical tech entrepreneur. Before founding Plaudli, he wore many hats—first as a blogger and then a freelance product manager, each role shaping his approach to the problems that Plaudli tackles today. If you’ve ever wished for a language app that truly helps you speak with confidence rather than just acing quizzes, Viktor shares that sentiment.

He didn’t need to look far to find his inspiration. Viktor knew the struggle firsthand as someone who speaks Russian and Spanish at an intermediate level. Classes were too time-consuming, and he sought a practical alternative—a tool he could quickly access to practice real conversations on the go. That’s how the idea for Plaudli started taking shape.

In the early days, Viktor was laying the groundwork solo. Imagine being the sole architect of a venture, trying to capture those elusive first-paying users. It’s a scene many entrepreneurs will recognize, full of trial, iteration, and persistence.

Plaudli sets itself apart in one significant way: feature velocity. This means listening to its early users and making necessary changes swiftly. Viktor’s experience has taught him that adaptation is key. The ability to implement user feedback almost instantly ensures the platform remains relevant and useful. As you can see, Plaudli’s story is not just about innovation but also about an individual’s journey to solve a problem many of you might face.

Interview with Viktor Hendelmann, Founder of Plaudli

We got the chance to sit down with Viktor Hendelmann, the founder of Plaudli. We wanted to dig deeper into what makes this startup tick. Here’s what we found out.

Q: In simple terms, what does Plaudli do?
A: Plaudli allows people to practice languages with AI.

Q: Who is Plaudli for? Who is your target audience?
A: We built Plaudli for students, educators, teachers, and business professionals.

Q: What problem is Plaudli trying to solve? What’s the main issue you’re tackling?
A: Many language tools, like Duolingo, don’t really teach you how to speak and listen properly. They can give you a false sense of fluency. I wanted to address this head-on. I built a tool that lets you practice in real conversation settings to strengthen your actual speaking skills.

Q: How does Plaudli solve this problem? What’s your approach?
A: We allow users to have natural conversations with an AI. You speak into the mic, and you get feedback on your responses. It’s about practising speaking, not just memorising words.

Q: Tell us about the team behind Plaudli. Who built this?
A: It’s just me for now. I used to be a blogger, and now I work as a freelance product manager. Building Plaudli is something I do on the side.

Q: What inspired you to start Plaudli? What’s the origin story?
A: I speak Russian and Spanish at a B1 level. But I don’t have the time for long, scheduled classes. I wanted a tool where I could quickly use my phone and just speak those languages for practice whenever I had a few minutes. That’s where the idea came from.

Q: What’s the current stage for Plaudli? What’s happening right now?
A: Right now, I’m focused on getting our first paying users. It’s all about growth and getting people to see the value.

Q: What makes Plaudli different from other language learning startups? What’s your unique selling point?
A: Feature velocity. We build new features based on early user feedback really quickly, often within days. We adapt fast to what users need.

Q: Has Plaudli received any funding?
A: No, Plaudli is currently self-funded.

Q: What does the future hold for Plaudli? What are your plans?
A: We have lots planned. More language learning tools for beginners are coming. We’re also working on leaderboards and ways for users to connect and learn together with friends. We want to add more languages and conversation scenarios too.

Q: Can you share some information about Plaudli’s revenue? What does that look like?
A: Currently, monthly revenue is about £30.

Q: How many customers do you serve on average each month?
A: We have about two paid users per month. Most users are still on the free plan as we are just starting out.

Q: What kind of growth are you seeing? Year-over-year percentage growth?
A: We just launched this year, so we don’t have year-over-year data yet. It’s early days.

Q: Any advice for people wanting to start their own business? Any key lessons learned so far?
A: Listen to your users. And work your arse off. That’s what it takes.

Feedough’s Take on Plaudli

Plaudli is trying to shake up language learning, and that’s interesting. Existing apps are good for some things, but speaking? Not so much. Plaudli’s focus on actual conversation using AI is smart. The speed at which they add new features is a real plus. That user feedback loop can be gold. Looking ahead, if they keep listening to users and expanding languages and features, they could really carve out a space.

The challenge? Being self-funded and with a solo founder means resources are tight. Getting those first paying users to stick and grow is crucial. But, if they nail the user experience and keep that feature velocity going, Plaudli has the potential to become a go-to for people who actually want to speak a new language, not just study it. Keep an eye on this one; their approach is different.