For the Founder & CEO of SpeakX.ai, spoken English isn’t just a language skill—it’s a gateway to confidence, opportunity and economic mobility.

By Journalist Priya Lalwani

From recognising one of India’s most overlooked barriers to opportunity to building SpeakX.ai, an AI-powered spoken English platform quietly emerging as a breakout success story from Bharat, Arpit Mittal, Founder & CEO of SpeakX.ai, has built his company around a simple belief—that confidence can change lives. At The Founder’s Edit, he shares insights on entrepreneurship, building with purpose, the future of AI in education, and the leadership principles shaping SpeakX.ai’s journey.

Across India, millions of people can read English, understand it and even clear written examinations. Yet when the moment arrives to introduce themselves in an interview, contribute in a meeting or simply hold a conversation, hesitation often takes over. For Mittal, that hesitation represents far more than a language barrier—it represents opportunities lost before talent ever gets the chance to shine.

It was this recurring observation that inspired the creation of SpeakX.ai. Rather than simply teaching grammar or adding another library of educational content, the AI-powered platform focuses on something remarkably simple: giving people a safe, affordable space to practise speaking English every day without the fear of being judged.

For Mittal, the idea wasn’t born from a single meeting or business plan. It was shaped over years of personal experience.

Growing up in Haridwar and studying in an English-medium school, he noticed two groups of students sitting in the same classrooms but walking towards very different futures. Those who spoke English confidently often secured better opportunities, while many equally capable classmates struggled simply because they lacked confidence in spoken communication. The same pattern followed him throughout his professional career, reinforcing a belief that the real divide wasn’t intelligence—it was confidence.

By 2023, after scaling Yellow Class to over a crore users, Mittal realised the next opportunity lay elsewhere. Artificial intelligence had matured to a point where personalised spoken English practice could finally be delivered at a scale and affordability traditional coaching never could. Bringing together that personal insight, a clear market gap and rapidly evolving AI technology became the catalyst for SpeakX.ai.

Building the company demanded choosing long-term value over short-term comfort. Every available resource was invested in improving the product, strengthening its AI capabilities and understanding learner behaviour rather than chasing growth for growth’s sake.

Yet one principle remained non-negotiable throughout the journey: learner trust.

Mittal believes that if someone spends just fifteen minutes every day with SpeakX.ai, those fifteen minutes should genuinely improve their confidence. That promise continues to guide every product decision the company makes.

In an education industry often driven by the race to create more content, Mittal challenges one of its most common assumptions. He believes learning doesn’t become better because there are more videos, courses or explanations. It becomes better when practising becomes easier.

Modern learners already have access to unlimited information. Their real challenge is applying that knowledge in conversations that matter. For SpeakX.ai, the future of education lies in personalised practice, immediate feedback and measurable progress—not simply producing more content.

That philosophy continues to shape the company’s strategy today.

The original mission was never to teach English for its own sake. It was to help people unlock opportunities through confident communication. Success is measured by capability rather than course completion, and the platform is intentionally built with learners across Tier 2 and Tier 3 India in mind. Every product decision begins with a simple question: Will this help someone speak with greater confidence tomorrow than they can today?

In an increasingly crowded AI landscape, SpeakX.ai has deliberately centred its value proposition around one outcome that truly matters: confident communication.

The platform combines generative AI, speech technology, behavioural science and personalised learning to help users practise English in situations they actually encounter—from job interviews and workplace meetings to customer conversations and everyday interactions. Learners don’t leave with another certificate; they leave with greater confidence to participate in opportunities that can change their lives.

Artificial intelligence has also transformed what personalised education can look like.

Where personalisation once depended on one teacher for one learner, SpeakX.ai’s AI adapts continuously to every user’s proficiency, confidence, speaking style, goals and learning history. It remembers previous sessions, adjusts lesson difficulty and evolves alongside each learner’s progress.

For Mittal, scalability doesn’t come from standardising education. It comes from making deeply personalised learning available to millions simultaneously.

Interestingly, SpeakX.ai defines its users less by demographics than by aspiration.

Whether they’re preparing for their first interview, seeking a promotion, pursuing an international career or simply wanting greater confidence in everyday conversations, they are united by quiet ambition—and by the fear of being judged for how they sound before what they say. That shared mindset, Mittal believes, is far more meaningful than age or profession.

One of the company’s most transformative product decisions emerged directly from listening to its learners.

Users repeatedly said they didn’t want constant correction—they wanted confidence first.

That insight fundamentally changed how SpeakX.ai’s AI teaches. Rather than pointing out every mistake, it focuses on the most meaningful improvements, encourages learners to continue speaking and adapts its tone according to confidence and engagement. Sometimes, Mittal believes, the best teaching decision is encouragement rather than correction.

Community and loyalty, too, are built through progress rather than promotion.

Daily speaking streaks, gamification and personalised milestones all contribute to engagement, but the strongest driver remains visible improvement. When learners realise they can answer interview questions more confidently or participate in conversations they once avoided, returning becomes second nature. Many go on to recommend SpeakX.ai to siblings, parents, colleagues and friends, making word-of-mouth one of the company’s strongest engines of growth.

Looking ahead, Mittal believes education is entering an era defined by outcomes rather than information.

Learners will increasingly expect AI tutors that understand individual goals, adapt continuously and demonstrate measurable improvement. Alongside rapid technological progress, responsible AI, transparency and privacy will become equally important. As careers evolve faster than ever before, lifelong learning will become a necessity rather than an option, and the platforms that successfully combine personalisation, trust and measurable outcomes will shape the future of education.

Although startup conversations often revolve around revenue and valuation, Mittal measures success differently.

For him, the strongest indicator of SpeakX.ai’s health is whether learners choose to return every day to practise. Confidence is built through consistency, and every learner who spends fifteen meaningful minutes speaking English is evidence that the platform is creating genuine value. Yet the milestones he values most happen beyond the app itself—when learners secure jobs, earn promotions or confidently speak up in situations they once avoided.

As the organisation has grown, so too has Mittal’s role.

Where his early years centred on building products, today his focus is building an organisation capable of continuously creating exceptional products. Leadership, he believes, is less about having every answer and more about creating clarity, attracting outstanding talent and empowering teams to make thoughtful decisions independently.

Maintaining culture has become equally intentional. Every significant decision is evaluated against learner outcomes rather than internal milestones. Teams regularly analyse learner feedback, study user behaviour and experiment rapidly while maintaining uncompromising quality standards. Curiosity, ownership and solving meaningful problems remain the foundation upon which the organisation continues to grow.

Perhaps the defining lesson of Mittal’s entrepreneurial journey came from recognising when conviction must give way to evidence.

Founders naturally become attached to their original ideas, but there comes a point when the market begins telling a different story. Ignoring those signals only makes the challenge greater. Mittal learned that changing direction isn’t a sign of failure—it is often the only way to build something people truly need.

That realisation ultimately led to rebuilding the company as SpeakX.ai, shifting away from being a broader education platform to solving one clear problem: helping learners speak English with confidence. Looking back, he believes that decision shaped the product, the technology and the company’s growth—and ultimately became the reason SpeakX.ai exists today.

Today, SpeakX.ai is doing far more than teaching spoken English. It is helping millions of Indians discover that confidence isn’t simply a communication skill—it is the foundation upon which careers, opportunities and aspirations are built.