Stimuler, a voice-first AI tutor designed for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners, has secured $3.75 million in funding from global venture capital firms Lightspeed and SWC Global. The round also included contributions from MVP, Rebright, Force Ventures, and GradCapital.
The AI tutor Startup plans to use the capital to expand its proprietary AI infrastructure, strengthen its tech team, and boost efforts to acquire new users.
“It’s one of those markets that is fundamentally changing with the development of AI. Over a billion people around the world are learning English in some form. So, we believe the market is truly massive for us,” chief executive Akshay Akash said.
Founded in 2022, the Bengaluru-based startup provides a platform that enables users to practice English while receiving instant feedback on key language aspects such as fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. The platform also includes targeted exercises to help users enhance their language skills.
Stimuler has already achieved over four million app installs and boasts more than 45,000 paying users. According to co-founder Akash, the app currently sees between 500,000 and 600,000 monthly active users.
“India is our third-largest market. First is Latin America — including countries like Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Costa Rica — followed by Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, and then India. We are also experimenting in other regions,” said Akash, noting that Latin America accounts for 40% of the company’s revenue.
The platform is aiming to grow its monetisation by over five times within the next 12 to 18 months, signaling aggressive expansion and revenue growth plans.
“We saw around 25x revenue growth last year and expect another 8 to 10x this year. But those are secondary targets. Our primary focus, given how early we are, is to build the core team, establish AI capabilities, and set up distribution channels so we’re prepared to scale further from there,” Akash added.
Commenting on the investment, Harsha Kumar, partner, Lightspeed, said, “Stimuler is solving a universal need – making spoken English proficiency more accessible with sharp execution and deep product insight. As voice AI transforms learning, I believe Stimuler has built a platform to lead the category for the next billion users.”
“Consumer AI is an interesting category globally for us, and the team at Stimuler has built a global-ready product which is seeing a strong user engagement,” said Tuck Lye Koh, founding partner at SWC Global.
Stimuler is rapidly emerging as a key player in the voice-first AI tutoring space for ESL learners. With strong backing from prominent investors, a growing user base, and ambitious plans to scale its technology and monetisation, the Bengaluru-based startup is well-positioned to make a significant impact in the edtech landscape over the coming months.
