Two years ago, Mynul Islam made the decision to leave his mathematics degree. Having already worked as a software engineer for two years, he felt his professional path lay elsewhere. Around the same time, he and his childhood friend Fardin discovered they shared a challenge familiar to many Bangladeshis despite years of formal education: neither felt confident speaking English.

That realisation eventually led to the creation of Talktivity AI, a Bangladesh-based startup that uses artificial intelligence to help users practise spoken English.

The two friends, who have known each other for more than 15 years, began tackling the problem in 2024 by creating a WhatsApp group where they and a circle of friends practised spoken English every evening. After eight months of regular conversations, they found their confidence had improved significantly.

The experience convinced them that the biggest obstacle for many learners was not grammar or vocabulary, but the lack of opportunities to practise speaking in a supportive environment.

That insight became the foundation of Talktivity AI, whose core feature is an AI-powered conversation assistant named Aleena. Designed primarily for learners aged between 16 and 25 across South Asia, the platform offers users unlimited speaking practice, personalised feedback and performance reports without requiring a human instructor.

Rather than focusing on gamified lessons, the founders chose to build a platform centred on real-time conversations. Weekly speaking exercises and automated assessments are intended to help users identify and improve specific weaknesses.

The founders said they relied heavily on user feedback while developing the product. During the design of the onboarding process, for example, they disagreed over how much information should be collected from new users. After testing different approaches with early users and mentors, they settled on a shorter nine-question process.

According to the founders, Talktivity AI has expanded primarily through word-of-mouth recommendations rather than paid marketing. They said the platform has attracted users from 81 countries, with the largest user bases in Bangladesh, the United States, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, France and Singapore. The website has recorded more than 50,000 visits and currently receives between 6,000 and 8,000 unique organic visitors each month.

The startup has also begun generating revenue.

Growth has not been without challenges. Running a real-time AI conversation platform requires significant computing resources, and the founders said limited funding initially affected server performance during periods of high demand. To maintain service quality, they temporarily suspended new free registrations while upgrading the platform’s infrastructure.

They also noted that securing international investment remains difficult for startups operating from Bangladesh, citing limited access to global investor networks despite increasing interest in AI-based products.

Looking ahead, the founders said their goal extends beyond language learning. They hope to reduce the confidence gap that prevents many capable students and professionals from performing well in university admissions, job interviews, scholarship applications and international language tests.

What began as a small WhatsApp study group between two friends has since developed into a technology startup seeking to address a challenge faced by millions of English learners across the region.