About Us

At Luduan, we believe human-AI interaction is an indispensable part of learning. With a human-centered design, we strive to develop a platform that leverages cutting-edge AI to provide teachers with an intelligent companion, helping them maximize their time while offering students personalized learning packages perfectly tuned to their levels and interests. In other words, AI for you, not instead of you. This inclusive, engaging, and adaptive approach ensures that language learning is accessible and effective for everyone.

Our Mission

To transform language learning with greater efficiency and less stress. We are committed to optimizing the personal learning experience through the power of AI. We aim to create an organic relationship between technology and humans, cultivating an ecosystem where AI is seamlessly integrated into the process of human language learning.

Our Vision

To be an adaptive platform that both teachers and students love. We believe the future of language learning involves a three-way interaction: Learner-AI-Teacher (LAT). With AI, the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) applies to language learning. The Learner-AI (L-A) interaction solves 80% of issues, whereas the Learner-Teacher (L-T) interaction addresses the remaining 20% of issues that cannot be solved by the L-A interaction. We fine-tune our system to maximize efficiency and minimize cost. As such, learning with Luduan is intuitive, inclusive, and inspiring.

Our Values

Innovation, inclusivity, and excellence are at the core of everything we do. We strive to create an adaptive learning environment that meets the needs and interests of each individual learner, ensuring that education is engaging, intuitive, effective, and accessible.

Luduan - Where Learning Takes Flight With AI

Our Team

Jonathan Becker

Co-Founder, CEO
(Brown University)

Jonathan leads our team with a passion for language learning and innovation.

Feng Xiao

Co-Founder, Head of Learning Science
(Pomona College)

Feng drives our learning science initiatives, ensuring our educational impact.

Jeffrey Zhong

Technical Product Manager
(Rice University)

Jeffrey ensures all technical aspects of Luduan meet the highest standards of quality and usability.

Cindy Zhang

Product Manager
(Claremont McKenna College)

Cindy improves the user flow of Luduan and makes sure new features align with the goals of the platform.

Teja Reddy

Head of Engineering
(Harvey Mudd College)

Teja leads our engineering team, driving technological advancements.

Tony Xiong

Head of Design
(Northwestern University)

Tony crafts our visual identity, ensuring a cohesive and engaging design.

Ivan Kolesnikov

Finance Controller
(Claremont McKenna College)

Ivan ensures our financial health and sustainability, managing our resources with precision and foresight.

Henry Wojnicki

Software Engineer
(Harvey Mudd College)

Henry builds and maintains all layers of our platform, implementing new features and improving existing ones.

Viola Ni

Marketing Manager
(Claremont McKenna College)

Viola manages Luduan's online presence and helps expand our reach to new institutions.

Special thanks to Jessie Zhang for the logo design!

Our Story

Luduan began as a small project during the 5CHack 2023 hackathon, driven by a simple yet ambitious goal: to leverage cutting-edge AI to create engaging, level-appropriate content for language learners. Our project won the award for Best Education Project, sparking the formation of a dedicated team committed to bringing this vision to life.

The name "Luduan" is inspired by a mythical creature from ancient Chinese folklore. The Luduan, known for its ability to traverse vast distances instantly and speak all languages, symbolized wisdom and justice. Believed to appear only in the presence of a just ruler, it guided and protected those in pursuit of truth and knowledge. At Luduan, we embody these qualities by using cutting-edge AI to dismantle educational barriers, creating an environment where learning is limitless and every student can thrive.

Timeline of Key Events

April 18, 2023: Luduan wins "Best Education" Project at the 5C Hackathon 2023 under the name "Tailored Tales."
August 28, 2023: Luduan is implemented in one Chinese course and one French course at Pomona College.
March 11, 2024: Luduan is showcased during an invited talk on AI and Adaptive Learning for the course AI for Humanities at Carnegie Mellon University.
April 5, 2024: Luduan is showcased during a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of generative AI for Chinese teaching at the annual conference of the Chinese Language Teachers Association in St. Louis.
April 25, 2024: Luduan is showcased during an international roundtable discussion on Chinese curriculum design and pedagogical practice at Princeton University.
May 23, 2024: Luduan is showcased during the software showcase at the annual Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium at Carnegie Mellon University.
September 1, 2024: Luduan begins its beta testing with instructors at roughly 20 universities across the United States, including Princeton, Penn, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, UVA, Tulane, and Pomona.
September 27, 2024: Luduan hosts a workshop for CALICO members, highlighting the platform's latest features.
November 9, 2024: Luduan hosts a workshop at LatinCALL 2024, introducing the platform to Spanish and Portuguese teachers.
December 6, 2024: Luduan hosts a workshop at Language Educators Symposium 2024, hosted by Penn Language Center and Educational Linguistics at Penn GSE.

Get in Touch

Have any questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you!

For general inquiries, please email us at info@luduan.ai.

To report bugs or give feedback, contact us at feedback@luduan.ai.