Linguo Smart Company Limited was born from a simple but painful problem I faced as a learner. When I was preparing for French exams, I realised that speaking and writing practice was incredibly expensive. A private tutor could easily charge HKD 300 per hour, and even then I only received feedback during that brief time. Outside the lesson, I had no affordable way to keep practising and improving.
I started to ask myself: Why is high-quality language exam practice so expensive and inaccessible? This question became the spark for LinguoTone, our AI-powered platform that helps students prepare for high-stakes exams such as IELTS and TCF speaking and writing at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Our mission is to make serious exam preparation both affordable and effective. Students can simulate real test situations, receive instant, structured feedback, and track their progress over time—without paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to human tutors. AI is a natural fit here: it can provide consistent, on-demand practice and feedback 24/7.
Building LinguoTone has not been easy. Technically, speaking assessment is challenging—we needed to handle speech recognition, scoring, and constructive feedback in a way that feels natural to learners and aligned with exam standards. On the business side, we learned that B2C is hard: reaching individual students, building trust, and convincing them to try a new solution requires strong marketing and distribution, not just good technology.
Along the way, one of my biggest lessons has been the importance of pitching the idea more—to mentors, schools, investors, and students. Every conversation sharpened our vision, clarified the product, and opened doors to potential partnerships and school collaborations.
HSUHK has supported this journey by providing a nurturing environment where I could test ideas, get feedback from peers and teachers, and access entrepreneurship resources. This ecosystem gave me the confidence to move from “just an idea” to an actual product with real users.
LinguoTone is still growing, we have expanded to Canada to continue our journey. Our goal remains clear: democratise high-quality language exam preparation with smart, accessible AI tools.
Talk about your idea early and often. Don’t wait until your product is “perfect.” By pitching your concept to classmates, mentors, and potential users, you will learn faster, avoid building in the wrong direction, and discover unexpected partners and opportunities.