The Story Behind Nona

Clean education. Organic learning. Human connection.

Nona Academy 1-on-1 language session with expert teacher online

It Started with a Question I Couldn't Shake

My life has always revolved around language. Not just learning them — German, French, English — but understanding how we connect through them. I built a career as a language lecturer, from universities in Türkiye to classrooms in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden. Language was never just a subject. It was always a bridge.

Then in 2017, my classroom expanded to the internet. And what I found made me cringe.

YouTube was filled with self-proclaimed language experts giving advice that contradicted everything I knew. My own students started asking me about gamified language apps focusing on streak via direct translation and tutor search engines promoting non-teachers as language experts. The more I looked, the more damage I saw. Apps rewarding translation — the very habit that blocks fluency. Platforms promoting unqualified people as language experts. AI being used as a cold red pen, correcting errors while crushing the one thing every language learner needs most: courage.

"What is the actual solution?" — One question that wouldn't leave me alone.

With a push from my brother, I stopped just critiquing. I decided to build it.

No secret ingredient, just education.

Mapping the Problem Before Building the Solution

I had been through startup training before — programs like EIT Jumpstarter, frameworks like the Business Model Canvas. But the language learning platform I had in my mind was complex. It needed a better map. That's when I discovered the Double Diamond.

The Double Diamond forced me to truly understand the problem before ever designing a solution. So I went deep. The feedback from students online was telling. I found learners frustrated with inconsistent pricing. Others being thrown into conversations with no foundation — asked to cook without a recipe or ingredients. Practice without training. That had to stop.

The biggest rule in teaching is never to ask for something you haven't taught first. Yet platforms were doing exactly that, every single day.

The Team That Made It Possible

Courtney — The Spark

In January 2024, I started designing. I reconnected with Courtney Bailey, an old roommate whose doctoral dissertation was on the very bias I was fighting: native-speakerism — the false belief that someone is a better language teacher simply because of where they were born. We started building together, creating a blog and newsletter called Non-Native to explore the inequality baked into language education.

Then the US State Department sent Courtney to Kazakhstan for a year. She had to step back. I was stuck.

Mehmet — The CTO

So I sent a simple text to Mehmet Karaköse — a former student and brilliant AI and software engineer: "I need a CTO."

Mehmet believed AI could be the ultimate language teacher. I believed the opposite. I asked him: "If you're in Italy, do you take a nutrient pill for dinner — or do you sit and enjoy a meal with your family?" Language is culture. It's connection. AI cannot replace that. But it can be the most powerful support tool ever built around it. He understood immediately. He was in.

Sefa — International Experience

Having taught in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, I had an instinct to start working towards making education clean and accessible to all. The Finnish education system was inspired by ours, and we needed to be inspired by theirs.

Design Challenge: How do I build the best language learning platform — one that truly serves students, qualified teachers, and native speakers? One where AI supports the human process instead of replacing it?

Our Journey with İTÜ Çekirdek

From Prototype to the Big Bang Stage

In 2025, Nona was proudly selected for the İTÜ Çekirdek Acceleration Program, one of the leading startup incubators in Türkiye. Designed for early-stage startups looking to validate their product, meet investors, and prepare for their first real sales, the program gave us the tools, mentorship, and network to level up.

Over the course of the program, we:

Completed advanced startup training and mentoring
Refined our product-market fit
Met with leading investors and corporate partners
Joined a vibrant ecosystem of tech innovators

After successfully completing the second phase of training, Nona was selected to have a chance to be on the stage at Big Bang 2025—a milestone that connects high-potential startups with national and global investors, giving us visibility and momentum for our next chapter.

What Our Journey Means For You:

An Expert-Vetted Platform: Our methodology and business model were validated through advanced training and mentorship from industry leaders.
Constant Improvement: With the support of top investors and partners, we are always innovating and scaling based on real-world user feedback.
A Platform You Can Trust: Our journey to the Big Bang 2025 stage is a testament to our stability and vision, giving you the assurance that we're here to support your learning for the long run.

We are grateful to the İTÜ Çekirdek team for believing in our mission, and we are excited to grow with our community of learners every step of the way.