Hypernova

Hypernova is a South Korean educational technology startup founded in July 2023 by Hyunmoo Park. The company operates an AI-based platform that provides a conversational AI companion for practicing real-life English conversations. Its primary service, 'Heyring', is an AI phone call English service designed to overcome learner reluctance by initiating calls to the user, thereby encouraging consistent practice.

The 'Heyring' service model, which combines elements from the movie 'Her' and the language app Duolingo, has shown rapid growth, achieving significant revenue and a high ranking in educational app sales within months of launch. The company reports a Day 14 retention rate of 58%, which is substantially higher than the average for educational apps, a success they attribute to the proactive nature of their service that removes the initial step of a user having to open the app themselves.

Hypernova is based in Seoul, South Korea, and has secured funding from investors like Spring Camp. The company has also been selected for the TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup), a government-led program in South Korea to support promising startups. Hypernova's mission is to create a service that makes users want to have conversations rather than just study, with the ultimate goal of providing an AI friend for the world's 1.5 billion language learners.

Keywords: conversational AI, language learning, English education, edtech, AI companion, mobile learning, AI tutor, language practice, speech recognition, educational software, Korean startup, Heyring, artificial intelligence, student engagement, user retention