EP #498 - Philipp Hadjimina: Reaching Language Fluency with an AI Tutor
May 29, 2025
Co-produced by
Co-produced by
8:35 - Why enter a crowded market?
15:24 - Language learning in AI
28:02 - When Univerbal got into YC
37:30 - How to get into YC
41:00 - Getting 50K+ people to test your prototype
DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded several months ago, and since then Philipp has left his role at Univerbal. We nonetheless thought the episode was still worth sharing, as it is a great startup story about building an AI language tutor and making it to YC. We hope you enjoy the content!
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About Philipp Hadjimina:
Philipp Hadjimina is the co-founder and former CEO of Univerbal, an AI tutor for language learning and conversation. He holds a MSc in Management, Technology, and Economics from ETH, which he completed in 2022, after which he co-founded Univerbal (then named Quazel).
Univerbal empowers language learners to practice new languages by talking with an AI Agent about anything they want in a completely unscripted way. Their product allows specific analysis of the individual learning stage, and can thereby offer tailored feedback and customized suggestions for improvement. Univerbal aims to position itself between traditional language learning apps like Duolingo and Babbel and online tutoring services like Preply and iTalki — retaining the personalized experience of tutoring, but making it as affordable and accessible as a traditional language learning app.
Univerbal has raised a total of $2M in funding over 2 rounds, and got into Y Combinator in 2022 (their launch year).
The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.
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