EVA Recommendation

The final determination for Speak is "Buy." 

This recommendation is based on several factors:

• Speak's rapid growth and strategic partnerships with various high-profile investors, including the OpenAI Startup Fund. While traditional EdTech venture capital has seen a 10% decrease in volume compared to 2025, Speak’s ability to double its valuation five years in a row demonstrates the the value that leads to confident investments.

• The proven success of current investors. Accel, for example, bought 10% of Facebook in 2005, and has invested in other successful ventures such as Perplexity and Bumble. 

• The proprietary speech recognition system, which cuts error rates by 60%, provides the necessary competitive edge to maintain market strength against rising agentic AI competitors. Additionally, their enterprise platform has diversified their audience to target not only individual learners but corporate clients, which made up 70% of venture capital in Q1 of 2026.

• The enormous target market of global language learners, addition of six non-English languages, and relative lack of qualified language tutors mark an unambiguous opportunity for continued growth.

• The decade-long business relationship between founders Connor Zwick and Andrew Hsu suggests clear delineation of responsibilities and a strong trust. Individually, each has had their successes in the field, and together they have formed a strong business bond and a highly successful startup.

However...

Prudent investors must also be mindful of the inherent risks of the fast-changing AI landscape. The recommendation to proceed is contingent on Speak maintaining its data flywheel advantage, in which its growing amount of user data contributes directly to its product's capabilities and efficacy. This investment represents a high-growth opportunity in a conversational AI market projected to reach $79 billion by 2033, making it a wise invesment for those seeking to capitalize on the explosion of AI in language training.