Parrot 🦜 Launches: TikTok for Language Learning
"Turn doom scrolling into fluent Spanish with short, addictive videos designed to keep you hooked, but smarter."
Founded by Amir Hanna, Erik Dahl & Julia Hudea
When their co-founder and CTO, Erik, told them he wanted to build another language app, they weren’t convinced.
He had already taught himself Spanish, French, and Italian in a year, but they asked:
“Why would they compete with a $15 billion giant?”
“How did Duolingo make hundreds of millions and still get no one fluent?”
They had worked on a few startups together before, so they knew Erik wouldn’t let go of the idea easily. Then Julia joined them. They had met in a university entrepreneurship class where they built a pharmacy voice assistant. It worked - but none of them cared deeply about it. After a few false starts, they realized they wanted to build something that actually mattered to people - and to them.
The research
Before writing a single line of code, the team did the homework.
- They downloaded and used 52 language learning apps. Every single one.
- They interviewed 65 learners across Reddit, Discord, and their own circles.
- They studied Comprehensible Input - the most research-backed method for language learning, developed by Dr. Stephen Krashen at USC: learn through listening and context first, just like a child.
That’s when they saw the gap. The market leader wasn’t helping people go from beginner to fluent. The problem wasn’t motivation - it was that no one had built a mobile-first, science-based product that actually made learning feel natural.
The first test
They built a simple MVP, a video player with captions - and went to a local university. Standing outside a Spanish 101 classroom, they stopped 20 students and showed them Parrot V0. They asked one question: “If this helped you understand Spanish videos effortlessly, would you pay $30 for early access?”
60 percent said yes - on the spot. That was the moment they knew they might be onto something.
Why they are building Parrot
Parrot makes learning a language as fun and addictive as scrolling TikTok. Every swipe exposes you to real-world Spanish videos you can actually understand - powered by the science of Comprehensible Input.
They started this because learning a language shouldn’t feel like homework. It should feel like discovery. Like travel. Like connecting with someone new.
Learn More
🌐 Visit parrotapp.com to learn more.
🦜 Try Parrot → https://www.parrotapp.com
👣 Follow Parrot on LinkedIn.
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