Roy Mor and Yonatan Levin, both 40, served together in an elite IDF unit before founding Loora, an AI-based English learning app now used by 15 million people worldwide, and tell Ynet why Israel’s English gap didn’t surprise them, and why Arabic is nextThe results of the Education Ministry’s “Tnufa” English exams, administered to ninth-grade students to assess their command of the language and published about a month ago, pointed to an especially low level of proficiency, with only 22% of students meeting the required standards. Many were not surprised.Among them were Roy Mor and Yonatan Levin, developers and co-founders of Loora, an app for learning English through conversations with a virtual teacher.3 View gallery Roy Mor and Yonatan Levin (Photo: Courtesy)“The shortage of English teachers in Israel’s education system has been known for years and is glaring,” said Mor, who also serves as the company’s CEO. “Even when teachers are available, the way English is taught undermines students’ ability to learn a language that is essential for their lives.”How does the app solve that problem?
“Loora is based on conversational artificial intelligence, which powers the virtual teachers,” he explained. “It allows every student to speak fluent English through lessons tailored to their specific needs and interests. The app is essentially a private tutor that enables real speaking practice, adapts to the learner’s level and interests, identifies mistakes in real time and provides immediate feedback, at a price most people can afford.“If the average yearly cost of a private English tutor is estimated at around $2,000, the app costs between 400 and 800 shekels ($110-$220) a year, depending on the subscription plan.”Mor, 40, was born and raised in Jerusalem and now lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two young sons. Levin, also 40 and known to friends as “Yonti,” was born and raised on Kibbutz Hatzerim. He also lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two young sons.It would not be inaccurate to describe the relationship between the two as a long and stable partnership, in friendship as well as business.“We met on the first day of our military service, 22 years ago,” Mor said. “We spent our first night in the same reconnaissance-unit tent and haven’t separated since. We’re close friends, our families are close and we work together.”Not every friendship survives a business partnership. Sometimes it is a recipe for trouble.
