SpeakX, an English learning platform powered by Generative AI, has raised $16 million in a Pre-Series B funding round led by WestBridge Capital.
Other investors included Elevation Capital, Goodwater Capital, and individual backers like Ronnie Screwvala (UpGrad) and Shyamal Anadkat (OpenAI).
The startup will use the funding to improve its AI technology, expand its team, and add support for regional languages like Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and Bengali within the next year. Currently, around 70% of its learners speak Hindi.
SpeakX, previously called Yellow Class, was a platform supported by Elevation Capital and India Quotient that focused on children’s extracurricular activities.
In January last year, following a post-Covid slowdown, the Gurugram-based startup pivoted to using Generative AI for spoken English tutoring.
The latest funding round values SpeakX at $66 million post-money, a significant rise from its previous $25 million valuation when it raised $6 million as Yellow Class in 2021.
Sandeep Singhal, Managing Partner, WestBridge Capital, said, “Language proficiency remains a key driver of economic mobility. SpeakX.ai’s AI-native platform is enabling millions to overcome communication barriers at scale.”
Manish Advani, Principal, Elevation Capital, added, “SpeakX is at the forefront of applying AI to learning, empowering users with the confidence to speak, connect and advance in their careers.”
“After the pivot, raising capital seemed very far-fetched because we had zero revenue. We had to start the entire journey from scratch. Our first goal was to make the company profitable, as there was no clarity on when funding would come or how to manage the business with the burn,” founder and CEO Arpit Mittal said.
“This space looks crowded because before gen AI, language learning relied on human tutors costing at least Rs 500-1,000 an hour, making it unaffordable in India and other developing markets. With gen AI, this problem finally has an accessible solution, which is why you are seeing a lot of movement in the language learning space,” he said.
SpeakX.ai, founded by Arpit Mittal, offers an AI-powered tutor that simulates real-life conversations — from job interviews to workplace discussions — and provides real-time feedback, adjustable difficulty levels, and translation support.
The platform now has over 1 million monthly learners and 200,000 paying subscribers, generating $7.5 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). It has been EBITDA-positive since April 2025 earning $150,000 in monthly profits and $1 million in cumulative EBITDA over the past five months.
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