Spoken
Spoken was a small US-based mobile English language coaching app founded in 2012 in Boulder, Colorado, offering on-demand English coaching by phone. The company raised approximately $477,500 in seed funding between 2013 and 2016 but shows no disclosed activity since.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Spoken does
Spoken is a mobile English language coaching application founded in 2012 and based in Boulder, Colorado. The company operated with a small team of 1-10 employees and positioned itself as an on-demand English coaching service accessible via phone. According to available firmographic data, the company's short description states it provided "English Coaching on Your Phone," indicating a consumer-facing mobile product targeting language learners seeking conversational practice or guided English instruction.
The company's capital history consists of four disclosed funding events between 2013 and 2016, totaling approximately $477,500. The earliest disclosed round raised $277,500 in September 2013 from undisclosed investors. In February 2016, the company raised $100,000 from Right Side Capital Management and Techstars (announced February 18), followed by an additional $100,000 from Right Side Capital Management eight days later (February 26). An intermediate $0 round in August 2014 suggests a possible SAFE, convertible note, or non-cash transaction.
A significant data integrity issue exists: the original web domain (getspokenapp.com) currently serves content for an unrelated Chinese commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer (乐竞 / Lèjìng), which has no apparent connection to an English language learning product. This, combined with the absence of any disclosed funding, product, or operational activity since February 2016, strongly suggests Spoken the English coaching app is no longer actively operating. The current website content, including detailed product catalogs of commercial stoves, steam ovens, and ventilation equipment for institutional kitchens in Qingdao, China, pertains to a separate entity and should not be attributed to Spoken.
Spoken firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spoken
- Legal name
- 乐竞(中国)
- Website
- https://getspokenapp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Spoken was a small US-based mobile English language coaching app founded in 2012 in Boulder, Colorado, offering on-demand English coaching by phone. The company raised approximately $477,500 in seed funding between 2013 and 2016 but shows no disclosed activity since.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spoken industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Kitchen Equipment
- NAICS
- Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)
- SIC
- Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cafeteria, Kitchen & Foodservice Equipment (Serving Lines, Refrigeration, Smallwares) (EDAEAIAJ), Heat Exchangers, Coils & Hydronic HVAC Components (IMADANAF)
Keywords
Where Spoken is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spoken business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commercial Kitchen Equipment Manufacturing & Sales: Manufacture and direct sale of commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment including cooking appliances, ventilation/exhaust systems, refrigeration, and food processing machinery to enterprise clients.
- Kitchen Engineering Design & Installation Services: Professional kitchen design, engineering, and installation services including free site measurement, equipment layout planning, plumbing/electrical/gas specification, and project management for commercial kitchen projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Project-based custom quoting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Spoken product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spoken (乐竞(中国)) manufactures and supplies commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment—including cooking stoves, refrigeration units, steam cabinets, food processing machinery, and oil fume purification/ventilation systems—and delivers turnkey kitchen engineering services covering layout design, equipment supply, installation, and after-sales support for institutional and hospitality clients across China.
Product overview
Spoken (乐竞) is a commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment manufacturer established in 2002, specializing in providing complete turnkey solutions for institutional kitchens. The company operates a unified product portfolio organized across 12 main product categories: Commercial Stove Series, Commercial Refrigeration Series, Commercial Steam Cabinet Series, Commercial Conditioning Series, Environmental Protection Series (ventilation/oil purification), Western Food Equipment Series, Disinfection Cabinet Series, Food Baking Equipment Series, Food Processing Machinery Series, Fresh-keeping Display Cabinet Series, Buffet Stove Series, and Fast Food Table/Chair Series. Beyond equipment manufacturing, the company provides professional kitchen design services including layout planning, plumbing/electrical routing diagrams, and exhaust system design, along with professional installation teams and after-sales service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Commercial Stove Series (商用炉灶系列)
- Commercial Refrigeration Series (商用制冷系列)
- Commercial Steam Cabinet Series (商用蒸柜系列)
- Commercial Conditioning/Preparation Series (商用调理系列)
- Environmental Protection Series (环保系列)
- Western Food Equipment Series (西餐设备系列)
- Disinfection Cabinet Series (消毒柜系列)
- Food Baking Equipment Series (食品烘烤设备系列)
- Food Processing Machinery Series (食品加工机械系列)
- Fresh-keeping Display Cabinet Series (保鲜展示柜系列)
- Buffet Stove Series (自助餐炉系列)
- Fast Food Table and Chair Series (快餐桌椅系列)
- Commercial Kitchen Engineering Design and Installation Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Oil fume purification efficiency of 98%实测 (measured)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Spoken
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Spoken technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Spoken partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 中国人民保险公司 (PICC - People's Insurance Company of China)minorProducts are insured by the People's Insurance Company of China (PICC), providing product liability coverage and quality assurance to customers. This is a standard insurance arrangement for commercial equipment rather than a strategic business partnership.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Spoken competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Vatti (华帝): Chinese kitchen appliance maker with a commercial range hood and integrated kitchen equipment business. Comparable to Spoken in serving Chinese institutional and HoReCa buyers with combined cooking and ventilation solutions.
- Robam (老板电器): Chinese kitchen appliance specialist with strong commercial range-hood and ventilation offerings alongside consumer cooking equipment. Comparable to Spoken's Environmental Protection Series (oil fume purification, exhaust hoods) and shared focus on regulatory-driven fume control.
Broad incumbents
- Welbilt (Ali Group): Major global manufacturer of commercial foodservice equipment (Cleveland, Convotherm, Merrychef, Manitowoc Ice). Direct overlap with Spoken in combi ovens, cooking equipment and commercial refrigeration sold to hotels, schools and chain restaurants.
- Electrolux Professional: Sweden/Italy-headquartered maker of professional cooking, dishwashing, refrigeration and laundry equipment. Comparable to Spoken's full-scope commercial kitchen portfolio and shared institutional/hospitality customer base.
- Middleby Corporation: US-listed global leader in commercial kitchen equipment with a portfolio spanning cooking, refrigeration, food prep and ventilation brands (e.g., TurboChef, Garland, Blodgett). Comparable because it bundles full commercial-kitchen solutions for institutional and hospitality customers, the same end markets Spoken serves.
- ITW Food Equipment Group (Hobart): Division of Illinois Tool Works operating Hobart, Traulsen and Vulcan commercial kitchen brands. Comparable to Spoken as a broad-line commercial kitchen manufacturer selling to institutional, hospitality and chain restaurant customers.
- Midea Group: Chinese appliance giant with a commercial kitchen equipment division serving institutional and HoReCa customers domestically. Highly comparable to Spoken given shared Chinese market, vertical scope and overlap on stainless-steel cooking and refrigeration equipment.
- Haier Smart Home: Chinese appliance conglomerate headquartered in Qingdao (same city as Spoken) with a commercial kitchen and foodservice equipment business. Comparable because it competes head-to-head for Shandong institutional tenders and offers integrated kitchen solutions at greater scale than Spoken.
Direct peers
- Hoshizaki Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of commercial refrigeration, ice machines and kitchen equipment. Comparable to Spoken's Commercial Refrigeration Series and fresh-keeping display cabinet line serving hotels, restaurants and central kitchens.
- Rational AG: German specialist in combi-steam ovens for professional kitchens, including the SelfCookingCenter and iCombi Pro lines. Comparable to Spoken's Ten-Layer Universal Steam Oven in targeting hotels, central kitchens and institutional foodservice with premium steam-cooking equipment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Spoken social profiles
Digital presenceSpoken financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spoken leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Spoken funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spoken M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spoken
What does Spoken do?
Spoken (乐竞(中国)) manufactures and supplies commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment—including cooking stoves, refrigeration units, steam cabinets, food processing machinery, and oil fume purification/ventilation systems—and delivers turnkey kitchen engineering services covering layout design, equipment supply, installation, and after-sales support for institutional and hospitality clients across China.
Is Spoken a public or private company?
Spoken is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Spoken founded?
Spoken was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Spoken based?
Spoken is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spoken make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commercial Kitchen Equipment Manufacturing & Sales are the primary driver. The others are kitchen Engineering Design & Installation Services.
Who are Spoken's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Vatti (华帝) and Robam (老板电器). Broad incumbents are Welbilt (Ali Group), Electrolux Professional, Middleby Corporation, ITW Food Equipment Group (Hobart), Midea Group and Haier Smart Home. Direct peers are Hoshizaki Corporation and Rational AG.
Does Spoken have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spoken.
What industry is Spoken in?
Spoken's product category is Commercial Kitchen Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIALAB, Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale, with a secondary code of EDAEAIAJ, Cafeteria, Kitchen & Foodservice Equipment (Serving Lines, Refrigeration, Smallwares). Its NAICS code is 33331 and its SIC code is 3550.