About Us
Speaknow brings precision and authenticity to traditional language testing
We accurately assess English communicative proficiency using the power of AI.
Our story
Learning to Speaknow
2018
First Step
Eitan Noiman and Chanan Kupietzky establish Speaknow with a vision of creating an automated English language teacher. As the first step, they start developing an AI-based English assessment.
2019
Setting the standard
Dr. Elisabeth Levi joins Speaknow as a linguistics expert, creating the theoretical and psychometric framework and aligning the test with the CEFR - an international standard for describing language ability. At the same time, chief developer Volodymyr Kutsenko joins the team to build the technical backbone.
Speaknow issues its first commercial assessment to Bifrost University to evaluate the English proficiency of international students enrolling in classes. In addition, the first customized version of the assessment, built for children, is released to CET (Center for Educational Technology).
The startup receives the Reimagine Education Gold Award in the category of learning assessments.
2020
4-Skills
As the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of remote learning, Speaknow expands its assessment. From speaking and listening, the test is now a comprehensive four-skill assessment that also covers reading and writing.
The startup reaches a major milestone in the Indian market, with CSS Corp adopting its accurate assessments for highly effective large-scale hiring.
Speaknow becomes an Associate Member of ALTE - the Association of Language Testers in Europe.
2021
Partner with IDP
Speaknow enters into a partnership with IDP Australia, co-owner of the IELTS test, opening a new market.
The company collaborates with the Ministry of Labor, setting a standard for English proficiency within the local workforce.
Company activities expand to the Philippines, Bulgaria and the U.S.
2022
Series A
Speaknow completes a series A funding round, with a notable investment from IDP Australia.
A pilot with the local Ministry of Education is launched to test the feasibility of using the Speaknow test as a substitute for traditional oral exams administered by teachers.
2023
Speaknow goes global
The Speaknow team expands by welcoming new leadership, with Hagai Tzadok joining as VP of Product and Harmodio Deycaza as VP of Marketing and Sales, marking the beginning of an ambitious growth phase. This expansion paves the way for Speaknow's aspiration to become the global benchmark for English proficiency assessment, along with plans to extend its influence into the field of automated learning.
To support its global vision, Speaknow establishes an office in India and bolsters its workforce in Central and Eastern Europe.
Speaknow becomes an Institutional Member of ILTA - the International Language Testing Association.
Recognition
Gold Award winner
QS Reimagine Education Awards 2019-2020
Speaknow – Achievements worth measuring
QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), in association with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, promotes and coordinates The Reimagine Education Awards – the ‘Oscars’ of Education.
The Reimagine Education Awards & Conference- the ‘Oscars’ of Education, is a global conference and competition of remarkable educational innovations that award innovative approaches that enhance student learning outcomes and employability.
In 2019, Speaknow was the Gold Award winner of the Reimagine Education Award in the Learning and Assessment category, selected by an extended panel of over 180 international judges as achieving outstanding standards for innovation, scalability, efficacy, and uniqueness.
Our vision
Truly reflect communicative English proficiency.
Leadership
Management
Eitan Noiman
Co-Founder and CEO
Chanan Kupietzky
Co-Founder
Elisabeth Levi
Vice President of Linguistics
Harmodio Deycaza
Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Hagai Tzadok
Vice President of Product
Eitan Noiman combines the tactical skills and discipline he learned in defense and security work with his passion for language and his background in business management in his position as CEO at Speaknow.
Eitan has previous experience leading other successful startups. As a non-native speaker of English working in the world of business, he quickly became convinced of the need for strong language skills. Speaknow is a result of Noiman’s vision of a means to provide companies with workers with sufficient English skills and to provide employees the ability to demonstrate their language skill set. Experience with the expense and time of traditional tests led him to develop an exam that assesses language level quickly and affordably. Eitan’s leadership and innovative approaches have brought Speaknow to new markets and greater opportunities.
Eitan holds a Bachelor’s in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing from The College of Management Academic Studies. His blend of language proficiency, security expertise, business savvy, and entrepreneurial spirit has fueled Speaknow’s growth and social impact.
Chanan Kupietzky, a social and business entrepreneur, brings extensive experience in business management, ranging from private companies to several non-profits. His first startup venture, an instant translation service called “Ozen,” paved the way for his role as a co-founder at SpeakNow in 2018.
Motivated by the challenges he faced in standardized testing for a Master’s program abroad, Chanan’s commitment to developing a more innovative and cost-effective assessment reflects his dedication to saving future students from the stress and expense of traditional assessments. Chanan holds an MSc. in Management from UCL London and a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In his global travels fundraising for charitable causes, Chanan maintains gratitude for his native English proficiency and a commitment to providing resources for others to succeed.
Dr. Elisabeth Levi oversees the content and construct of the SpeakNow Assessment.
With a background in linguistics and education and experience in educational technology, Elisabeth holds a PhD in Educational Linguistics from Penn University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Manhattan College.
Her research on second language acquisition and lifelong language learning informs SpeakNow’s mission. Having worked as a teacher and administrator in high schools for immigrant students in New York City and as a university lecturer, Elisabeth’s leadership ensures SpeakNow assessments are linguistically robust, research-driven and educationally impactful.
Elisabeth combines academic excellence with a real-world classroom perspective. Her leadership in academic rigor and commitment to empowering multilingual learners help drive product success.
Harmodio Deycaza brings over 15 years of sales leadership experience in EdTech. He leads worldwide marketing, sales and customer success, and is responsible for developing the marketing and sales strategy necessary to achieve Speaknow’s mission.
In his previous role at Edusoft-ETS, Harmodio directed B2G and B2B sales across Latin America, Spain and the US, driving double-digit sales growth to achieve tens of millions in sales revenue as a top performer. An energetic, collaborative leader, he has been instrumental in devising Speaknow’s customer-centric solution framework.
Harmodio is skilled in sales planning, CRM optimization, contract negotiation, and team building. He holds an M.B.A. in Strategic Marketing from the University of Derby, and executive certifications in Leadership from MIT Sloan and B2B Marketing Strategy from Kellogg at Northwestern University.
Passionate about leveraging AI in education, Harmodio focuses on business development, managing sales, and recruiting partners and teams to drive rapid growth.
Hagai Tzadok brings deep expertise in building and scaling innovative products. He leads the design and development of solutions to create the impact necessary to achieve Speaknow’s mission.
Hagai expanded Speaknow’s target market by launching new product capabilities and growth strategies. Following the company’s relationship with IDP, he spearheads joint product development, instrumental in expanding the technological development of products.
In his previous role as product manager at HP (Hewlett Packard), Hagai drove global sales productivity, generating pipeline and accelerating revenue with adopted sales programs. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Reichman University and specialized CPO training from the Infinity Product Leadership Program.
Hagai blends creativity, strategic execution and product leadership. With his passion, vision and technical excellence he is able to evolve early ideas into market-leading products that deliver value.
