How Buddy.ai Became the Leading AI Tutors for Kids Worldwide with Co‑Founder Ivan Crewkov

4 snips

Sep 15, 2025

Ivan Crewkov, CEO and Co-Founder of Buddy.ai, shares his journey from creating smart speakers to developing a unique AI tutor for kids. He discusses how Buddy.ai gamifies language learning and its widespread adoption in classrooms globally. Crewkov highlights the innovative speech recognition technology tailored for children and Buddy's unexpected role in aiding speech therapy for kids with special needs. The conversation also touches on using generative AI to enhance educational content, blending entertainment with immersive learning experiences.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Classroom Use Started Informally

Teachers already use Buddy informally in classrooms, mostly via pilot projects in Latin America.
Ivan says they plan a major push next year to add reporting, class management, and work-assignment features.

INSIGHT

Data Strategy Enabled Superior Kids' ASR

Buddy built an in-house kids' voice AI by launching first where child-data rules were less strict.
That allowed them to collect far more child speech data and outperform general models on kids' voices.

ADVICE

Plan For Long, Costly ASR Development

Expect building a proprietary kids' speech model to be multi-year and expensive; collect massive child speech data.
Consider offering your model as a service after raising funding and productizing it.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Send us Fan Mail

Ivan Crewkov is the CEO and Co-Founder of Buddy.ai, the leading AI tutor for kids under 12, reaching over 20 million students annually from all over the world. Buddy is not just a chatbot. It’s an AI-powered talking animated character in a mobile app teaching English as a foreign language to students all over the world. Buddy is unique because it operates in a highly regulated environment where most off-the-shelf AIs like Chat GPT can't be used.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

From voice AI experiment to global learning companion
Building child-focused speech recognition in a regulated space
Blending gaming, storytelling, and education to engage kids
Buddy.ai’s growing adoption in classrooms worldwide
The future of Buddy.ai as a personalized, adaptive tutor

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:02:11] Ivan Crewkov’s journey from building smart speakers to founding Buddy.ai.
[00:04:24] Designing Buddy.ai as more than a chatbot—a gamified, lovable learning companion.
[00:07:27] How kids around the world discover and champion Buddy.ai themselves.
[00:11:02] Expanding Buddy.ai into classrooms in Latin America and beyond.
[00:16:41] Building proprietary speech recognition for children where others struggled.
[00:20:56] Buddy.ai’s unexpected role in speech therapy for kids with special needs.
[00:25:50] Why Buddy is designed as a study buddy, not an authority figure.
[00:33:37] Using generative AI to accelerate content creation and storytelling.
[00:39:00] Guardrails for safe, child-centered AI companions.
[00:42:01] Lessons EdTech can learn from the entertainment and gaming industries.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow our Podcast on:
Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

Cooley LLP is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.