Carnegie Speech

What Carnegie Speech does

Carnegie Speech Company, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based developer of spoken-language training and assessment software, founded in 2001 as a spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute by Dr. Jaime Carbonell and Dr. Maxine Eskenazi. The company's products are built on speech recognition and AI technology licensed from CMU and combine a proprietary Pinpointing engine — which detects pronunciation, prosody, fluency, grammar, and pace errors at the phonemic level across 63 native languages — with an Intelligent Tutoring system that generates individualized curriculum paths based on the learner's native language, gender, and proficiency level. Core commercial products include NativeAccent (personalized English training), Carnegie Speech Assessment (automated spoken-English evaluation), Climb Level 4 (aviation English aligned to ICAO Level 4/5 requirements, co-developed with Mayflower College), and a School Partnership Program variant for K-12 and adult learners; government variants include SpeakIraqi, SpeakRussian, and SpeakFarsi built for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

The platform is delivered via desktop, LAN, web, and IVR channels and is monetized through individual annual licenses (NativeAccent at $300/year), school partnership subscriptions ($500/year), per-use assessment fees ($10 per Carnegie Speech Assessment), term-based Climb Level 4 licenses ($55–$710), enterprise volume agreements, and an OEM/API program ('Powered by Carnegie Speech') that lets partners such as MetaMetrics and Mercer Mettl embed the speech recognition engine. Customers are organized into four primary verticals: Enterprise/BPO/call centers (e.g., Fortune 50 IT services firm, Indian and Filipino BPOs), Aviation (Alitalia, Iberia, AZANS, Pan Am, Gestair), Education (Kaplan International, UMeWorld, Sunburst Digital, MetaMetrics), and Government/U.S. Intelligence Community (via In-Q-Tel). Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales, an e-commerce online store at carnegiespeech.com, and a global network of regional resellers and channel partners spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South America, and Africa.

Name

Carnegie Speech

Legal name

Carnegie Speech Company, Inc.

Website

https://carnegiespeech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carnegie Speech develops AI-driven spoken-language training and assessment software for global enterprise, aviation, education, BPO, and government customers, using CMU-licensed speech recognition to deliver personalized English tutoring and ICAO-compliant aviation English products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Annual/Subscription): Annual licenses for NativeAccent and other products. Pricing tiers include individual annual licenses and enterprise agreements.
2. One-time Product Purchases: One-time purchases for specific products including Carnegie Speech Assessment at $10 per use and term-based Climb Level 4 licenses.
3. Enterprise/Volume Licensing: Volume purchase options and enterprise agreements for organizations deploying across multiple users or locations.
4. Powered-by OEM Licensing: Technology licensing partnerships where partners integrate Carnegie Speech's language training technologies into their products and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carnegie Speech develops and licenses spoken-language assessment and personalized training software based on speech recognition and artificial intelligence technologies licensed from Carnegie Mellon University. Its commercial portfolio centers on NativeAccent (personalized English pronunciation and fluency training), Carnegie Speech Assessment (automated oral English proficiency evaluation), Climb Level 4 (aviation English training aligned with ICAO requirements), and several government-oriented Speak language products. The company sells through enterprise direct sales, an online store, regional resellers, and an OEM/partner licensing program.

Product overview

Carnegie Speech is a spoken language training software company offering multiple products centered on speech recognition and artificial intelligence technologies licensed from Carnegie Mellon University. The core product portfolio includes Carnegie Speech Assessment (evaluation tool), NativeAccent (personalized English training), and Climb Level 4 (aviation-specific training). Additional products target government/intelligence applications (SpeakIraqi, SpeakRussian, SpeakFarsi). The company operates a partner program ('Powered by Carnegie Speech') that allows third-party integration of its speech recognition API. All products feature patented Pinpointing Technology for error detection and Intelligent Tutoring Technology for personalized curriculum delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NativeAccent®: Personalized spoken English training software using speech recognition and AI technologies
• Carnegie Speech Assessment™
• Climb Level 4™
• SPP NativeAccent®
• SpeakIraqi™
• SpeakRussian™
• SpeakFarsi™

Products and services

• Carnegie Speech Assessment™ Automated English proficiency assessment solution that evaluates spoken English by analyzing phonemes, prosody, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary against statistical models of native speakers; used by organizations to optimize hiring decisions, perform quality assurance, and measure language training effectiveness.
• NativeAccent® Personalized spoken English training software that uses speech recognition and intelligent tutoring to improve pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and prosody for adult learners; delivers up to 100% improvement in speaking skills with as little as 10 hours of training and adapts the curriculum to each learner's native language, gender, and proficiency level.
• Climb Level 4™ Aviation English training software co-developed with Mayflower College for pilots and air traffic controllers seeking ICAO Operational Level 4 (or Level 5) English proficiency; covers Vocabulary, Comprehension, Structure, Fluency, Pronunciation, and Interactions with aviation-specific content and a 100-hour program aligned to ICAO Document 9835.
• School Partnership Program NativeAccent® Education-sector edition of NativeAccent that gives schools teacher and administrator access, student license management, and implementation support; enables schools to offer the product to students at reduced pricing through coupon codes.
• SpeakIraqi™ (Phrasal and Advanced) Spoken Iraqi Arabic training software available in two editions — Phrasal for novices learning key words and phrases, and Advanced for Modern Standard Arabic speakers to learn Iraqi dialect — built for government and intelligence community applications.
• SpeakRussian™ Spoken Russian training software for English speakers with Advanced Beginner or Intermediate Russian skills, using Carnegie Speech's pinpointing and intelligent tutoring technologies.
• SpeakFarsi™ Spoken Farsi training software for English speakers, using speech recognition and intelligent tutoring technologies, marketed to government and intelligence customers.
• Powered by Carnegie Speech OEM partner program that licenses Carnegie Speech's speech recognition API and intelligent tutoring technology to companies that integrate spoken-language assessment and training into their own products and services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100%+ improvement in speaking and listening skills in 10 hours of instruction
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, regional and core.

• MetaMetricsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2022Extended partnership to integrate Carnegie Speech's speech recognition technology with Lexile Framework for Oral Reading. Enables edtech companies to automate evaluation of oral reading fluency for PreK-12 students. Used by Stanford, Yale and Northwestern.
• Mercer MettlmajorTechnology or Integration · 27 September 2022Mercer Mettl delivers highly accurate diagnostic CEFR assessment powered by Carnegie Speech technologies for evaluating BPO candidates' English speaking skills.
• UMeWorldmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2015Partnership with UMeWorld and South China Normal University to launch English language speaking and listening solutions in China. First product addresses IELTS test preparation for Chinese students, targeting Writing and Speaking sections where Chinese test-takers score lowest.
• Kaplan International CentersmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 July 2013Partnership to launch NativeAccent online program in 23 Kaplan English-language schools in North America. Kaplan performed extensive trials showing significant student pronunciation improvement. Students and teachers expressed enthusiasm with overwhelming teacher recommendation for inclusion in training program.
• ITEC (Dubai)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 July 2012ITEC in Knowledge Village, Dubai selected NativeAccent for English language training and serves as authorized reseller of Carnegie Speech's NativeAccent in UAE and Middle East region.
• Pan Am International Flight AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2012Global agreement to integrate NativeAccent technology and Climb Level 4 Aviation English software at Pan Am's training centers in the United States and abroad to increase English proficiency within aviation field.
• IberiaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 November 2010Iberia selected Climb Level 4 software and Test of English for Aviation (TEA) methodology for ICAO Level 4 training and evaluation of pilots.
• GestairregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 September 2010Gestair, a multinational aviation training company, distributes Climb Level 4 software to aviation enterprises and professionals in Brazil, Portugal and Angola. Gestair Flying Academy is one of Europe's largest pilot training schools.
• AZANS - Azerbaijan Air Navigation ServicesregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 June 2010AZANS selected Climb Level 4 software to prepare air traffic controllers to meet ICAO Level 4 English language requirements. Azerbaijan Air Navigation Services is developing aviation professionals across the region.
• AlitaliaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 December 2009Alitalia selected Climb Level 4 software to prepare pilots for ICAO English language proficiency requirements. Climb Level 4 provides personalized, aviation-relevant internet-accessible training.
• In-Q-TelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2009Strategic partnership and technology development agreement with In-Q-Tel, the independent strategic investment firm supporting the CIA and U.S. Intelligence Community. In-Q-Tel identified Carnegie Speech's spoken language training software as innovative technology for government agencies requiring rapid learning and understanding of words and phrases.
• Mayflower CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2009Joint product development initiative with Mayflower College to create Climb Level 4 aviation English training product. Mayflower College provides aviation English training expertise; Carnegie Speech provides speech recognition and AI technology. Climb Level 4 combines CMU technology with Mayflower's aviation training knowledge.
• Sunburst DigitalregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to bring patented spoken English language learning technologies to K12 student populations.
• learndirectregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal immersive online language product for learning English.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SpeechAce: Speech-recognition API for pronunciation assessment and accent scoring, targeting edtech and language learning platforms; competes with Carnegie Speech's Powered-by OEM / API offering.
• ELSA (ELSA Speak): AI-powered English pronunciation and accent training app using speech recognition; directly competes with NativeAccent at the consumer/SMB tier and increasingly in BPO hiring assessments.
• Speechling: AI-augmented pronunciation coaching platform with speech recognition scoring and human coach feedback; competes head-to-head with NativeAccent for individual learners seeking accent reduction.
• Versant by Pearson: Automated spoken English proficiency tests used by enterprises and BPOs for hiring; directly competes with Carnegie Speech Assessment for high-volume spoken language placement and certification.

Broad incumbents

• Rosetta Stone (IXL Learning): Large-scale language learning platform with consumer and enterprise tiers; overlaps with NativeAccent on English pronunciation and with Carnegie Speech Assessment on placement, though it does not specialize in accent training.
• Duolingo: Mass-market language learning app with AI-driven speaking exercises; competes for consumer pronunciation learners and is increasingly moving into English proficiency assessments for BPO/enterprise hiring.
• Pearson English: Global education publisher and assessment provider with PTE Academic and Versant; competes with Carnegie Speech Assessment in high-stakes English proficiency certification and with enterprise training programs.
• Pimsleur (Simon & Schuster): Long-established audio-based language learning program focused on speaking and listening proficiency; overlaps with NativeAccent on adult spoken English acquisition, though delivered as audio courses rather than adaptive software.

Emerging players

• Sanas: Real-time accent translation technology for call centers; targets the same BPO hiring and CSAT outcomes as Carnegie Speech but via voice modification rather than training, and represents a disruptive adjacent approach.
• Mercer Mettl: Online assessment platform whose CEFR-aligned spoken English product is already powered by Carnegie Speech's API; also competes for assessment-driven BPO hiring budgets and is both a partner and adjacent competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carnegie_speech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carnegie-speech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carnegie Speech