SpeakUp Coach press kit

Facts and assets for journalists. Every figure below says what it counts and the date it was measured. For anything else, email press@speakupcoach.com.

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About SpeakUp Coach

SpeakUp Coach is a free, browser-based AI public speaking coach in English and Spanish. You record yourself speaking and it gives feedback on pace, filler words, pauses, pitch variation and clarity, with structured learning tracks to practice against. There is no paid tier, no download and no credit card. It was founded by Rahul Iyengar, a competitive Public Forum debater, and built with the Spanish Speech & Debate Network, which he also founded.

Key facts

Counts are rounded down, so each one is a floor the data supports. Usage is counted from March 17, 2026, when event tracking began, unless a row says otherwise.

speeches recorded
110,000+
Completed recordings on speakupcoach.com, one per physical recording (duplicate events removed). Abandoned takes are not counted.
As of
people have recorded a speech
32,000+
Distinct people who completed at least one recording: signed-in accounts, plus browsers for people without an account (browser IDs exist from July 21, 2026).
As of
countries
175+
Countries where at least one person completed a recording, by the country of each person’s first visit (IP geolocation). Measured from July 21, 2026, when browser IDs began.
As of
free accounts created
11,000+
Accounts created on speakupcoach.com, excluding accounts flagged as bots.
As of
fewer filler words per minute by the fifth take (median)
22%
Median filler words per minute fell from 2.3 on a speaker’s first English take to 1.8 on their fifth, across the 2,853 people who recorded at least five takes of 20 seconds to 10 minutes between August 19 and October 22, 2026. 52% of them used fewer, 37% more. Takes got longer, not shorter. Not a controlled study.
As of
lessons across 8 learning tracks
85
Counted from the curriculum the site serves.
As of
founded
March 2026
The month SpeakUp Coach was founded.
price
$0
No paid tier, subscription or credit card.
languages
EN + ES
English and Spanish. The Spanish is written in Spanish, not translated.

Founder

Rahul Iyengar

Founder, SpeakUp Coach

Short bio

Rahul Iyengar is the founder of SpeakUp Coach and the Spanish Speech & Debate Network. A high school junior in Denver, Colorado, he is a competitive Public Forum debater who placed 17th at the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament and serves on the National Speech & Debate Association Student Leadership Council.

Long bio

Rahul Iyengar founded SpeakUp Coach in March 2026 and builds and runs it on his own. He is a high school junior in Denver, Colorado, and a competitive Public Forum debater: he has competed since middle school, captains his school’s debate team, and placed 17th at the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament. He serves on the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Student Leadership Council. In July 2025 he founded the Spanish Speech & Debate Network. SpeakUp Coach was built with it, which is why the product treats native Spanish coaching, and muletillas, as first-class rather than an afterthought. He is also a leader in his local Scouts troop. He built SpeakUp Coach because communication is the skill employers ask for most (LinkedIn ranked it the most in-demand skill of 2024), and he wants practicing it to be free, so that more people can compete for the jobs that ask for it.

Story angles

  • It’s the fear students name most and the skill employers want most. A high school junior built a free way to practice it.

    In a study of 815 college students, public speaking was picked as a common fear more often than any other fear, death included (Dwyer & Davidson, 2012). LinkedIn ranked communication the most in-demand skill of 2024. Rahul Iyengar, a high school junior in Denver who placed 17th at the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament, built SpeakUp Coach on his own so it costs nothing: record a speech in the browser and get feedback on pace, filler words and pauses in seconds. Since March 2026, people have recorded 110,000+ speeches on it, in 175+ countries.

  • He placed 17th in the nation at debate. Then he built a company to coach everyone else.

    Rahul Iyengar has competed in Public Forum debate since middle school, captains his school’s team, placed 17th at the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament and serves on the NSDA Student Leadership Council. In July 2025 he founded the Spanish Speech & Debate Network; in March 2026 he founded SpeakUp Coach, operated by SpeakUp LLC, which he builds and runs alone. Since March 2026, people have recorded 110,000+ speeches on it, in 175+ countries. He is a high school junior in Denver.

  • AI speaking coaches charge up to $45 a month. A high school junior thinks practice should be free.

    VirtualSpeech lists $45 a month, Speeko $29.99 and Yoodli’s Pro plan $8 (prices as listed in July 2026). Rahul Iyengar built SpeakUp Coach because he wants practicing the skill employers ask for most to cost nothing, so that more people can compete for the jobs that ask for it. It has no paid tier, no subscription and nothing to install, and runs in a phone browser in English and Spanish.

Quotes

“Not a feedback. Just appreciation. This app that you have developed is mind-blowing. Honestly thank you.”
Jay P., a SpeakUp Coach user, in a message to the founder

For a quote from the founder, email press@speakupcoach.com.

Logos and images

Media contact

press@speakupcoach.com