The 10th anniversary event for ELSA Speak recently took place in Ho Chi Minh City. During the event, company representatives reflected on their journey from a startup to a leading EdTech platform, now operating in over 195 countries and territories.

ELSA Speak leadership and partner representatives cut a cake to mark the 10-year milestone. Photo: *ELSA*

ELSA Speak emerged at a time when AI-powered language learning was a novel concept. The platform was founded on a practical need: many individuals possessed strong grammar skills but lacked confidence in communication due to inaccurate pronunciation. Drawing from the founder's personal experience while studying abroad, ELSA Speak developed proprietary speech recognition technology, capable of analyzing and providing detailed feedback on each syllable.

Over the past decade, ELSA Speak has recorded over 90 million downloads globally. In Vietnam, the application has become a familiar English learning tool for students and working professionals. A key differentiator for ELSA lies in its personalization capability, which helps users focus on their weak skills through continuous interactive exercises with AI.

At the anniversary event, Van Dinh Hong Vu, founder and CEO of ELSA Speak, emphasized the transformative power of language confidence in an individual's career and life. "When employees confidently share, businesses will change; when people confidently speak, life will also change", she stated.

The ELSA Speak team took a commemorative photo at the ceremony. Photo: *ELSA*

Beyond pronunciation correction, ELSA Speak consistently innovates, introducing new tools such as AI conversation tutors, realistic simulated conversation practice (AI role-play), and long speech analysis. These features enable learners to not only speak correctly but also naturally, using English flexibly in various contexts.

According to ELSA's representative, users can now engage in direct conversations with AI in diverse situations, including interviews, negotiations, and daily communication. The AI functions as a private tutor, offering error correction and suggesting natural, native-like expressions.

Ms. Van Dinh Hong Vu shared at the anniversary ceremony. Photo: *ELSA*

ELSA is expanding its partnerships with businesses and educational organizations worldwide through AI-powered English training solutions. This comprehensive system assesses communication competence and personalizes learning paths based on industry, position, and proficiency level. Accompanying management tools allow leaders and educators to monitor real-time learning progress, thereby standardizing foreign language proficiency for teams and optimizing training effectiveness.

The company reports ELSA Speak has users in 195 countries and territories. In its next phase, the startup will dedicate resources to research and development (R&D) to further advance its AI technology. The goal is to provide more equitable access to high-quality English learning for everyone.

In Vietnam, ELSA plans to expand collaborations with businesses and schools to enhance the English proficiency of the workforce, meeting the demands of international integration.

"Over the past 10 years, ELSA Speak's journey demonstrates that when technology is guided by human empathy, it can break down language barriers and expand global connections", Ms. Van Dinh Hong Vu emphasized.

Thai Anh