Gavin Dove, chief executive and co-founder of language learning start-up Fluent, has been building for as long as he can remember.
“Building was my joie de vivre,” he says over Zoom from Canada, as he nostalgically recollects cutting through tangled brambles and thorny shrubs as a child, armed with enough plywood to build a fort.
His parents, though, had preordained plans for his future. As Hong Kong and British-Ghanaian immigrants, they valued two things above all else – “a good education and a good job”.
A career as a doctor ticked off both, so he set out to follow his parents’ plans, studying mechanical engineering at McGill University in Quebec before planning to enrol in medical school.
Once there, he could rarely be found in classrooms, though. When he wasn’t calculating which assignments he could safely discard without failing, he was on the school’s robotics team building Bhumi – a Mars Rover Project designed to compete in the European Rover Challenge. When McGill beat 40 other teams to win third place, a fire was lit. “This time, that feeling of building was intoxicating,” Mr Dove says. “After that, I don’t think I could ever go back to classes and a normal career.”
So, with his plans of becoming a doctor jettisoned, Mr Dove went on to co-found an intelligent transit start-up with a classmate from McGill. However, this didn't work out and he soon bowed out of the company, landing him back at square one: brainstorming start-up ideas with a group of friends.
“We thought it would be fun to only come up with bad ideas,” Mr Dove says.
One of these was a Deliveroo spin-off that forces you to watch ads held up by your delivery driver in lieu of payment. Another – an app that changes the words on a website in real-time to mess with users – was the ember that first sparked the idea for Fluent, a free extension on Google’s Chrome browser that helps you learn languages by surfing the web.
After realising they could be harbouring a winning idea, Mr Dove and his friends – Olga Sanchis, Yaniv Silberman and Ara Ghougassian – banded together as co-founders to enter a two-day hackathon where they built a minimum viable product. The early version worked by scanning the text of websites users were on and translating select words into the language they were trying to learn.
“By the end of the hackathon, people were telling us they would pay for Fluent if it was a real product. That’s when we knew we had to go all in,” he says.
Fluent launched earlier this year, just as the EdTech space was beginning to shake off years of neglect. The shift to remote learning has played a large part in pulling e-learning initiatives to the forefront of where venture capital is being deployed, with private investors pumping $1.68 billion into EdTech companies so far this year, according to TechCrunch. Online learning platform Coursera also raised $510 million after its float on the New York Stock Exchange in March valued the company at $4.3bn.
As a Canadian start-up outside the reach of Silicon Valley, Mr Dove and his co-founders had to get creative to gain early traction. The team’s first 1,000 users came off the back of a semi-viral tweet that Mr Ghougassian – Fluent’s self-described ‘chief cheerleader’ – sent out on a whim in May last year aimed at the language learning app Duolingo saying it was gunning for the popular language learning app.
What followed was a steady flow of capital from angel investors who brought more than just cash to the table. “A lot of our angels are people who’ve scaled start-ups before, so it feels like we’re getting paid to learn from them,” Mr Dove says. “Like an inverse MBA.”
Now, with over 7,000 users and an ambitious roadmap, the Fluent team has no shortage of wisdom to draw on. Mr Dove says what differentiates Fluent in an overcrowded market worth almost $21.2bn, according to a study by Meticulous Research, is its mission to flip the language learning model on its head.
Most language learning apps on the market today rely on gamification, he says. Gamification can be fun, with meme-type mascots, progress bars and streaks creating the feeling of playing a more productive variant of Angry Birds that nudges you towards bilingualism.
Fluent's focus is on developing a high-quality, embedded learning experience that etches deeper than gamification and quick-wins, Mr Dove says. As a testament to this, giving users the chance to repeatedly test their mastery of words in the context of what they’re doing is just as core to the Fluent experience – and for Mr Dove, more powerful – as learning new words is.
In the future, we want to be able to auto-dub video content on Netflix, or even say to users – you should listen to this French song on Spotify because you'll be able to understand 80 per cent of the words
The Fluent team is also taking a deliberately slow-burn approach to introducing new languages beyond their current offering of French, Spanish and (soon) Italian.
Like Grammarly and Honey, Fluent exists solely in the realm of Chrome extensions – which is a deliberate strategy.
“You can access everything through Chrome: Spotify, Netflix, emails, articles,” Mr Dove says. “In the future, we want to be able to auto-dub video content on Netflix, or even say to users – you should listen to this French song on Spotify because you’ll be able to understand 80 per cent of the words.”
Chrome should therefore act as a built-in gateway that opens the door to other mediums in the future, he says. “If we do our job right, our users will wake up one day, their entire (digital) lives will be in the language they’re learning, and they won’t even bat an eyelid.”
For now, though, Mr Dove is still excited by the small wins.
“The other day I saw the word ‘rifle’ in French etched on the side of a building, and that’s a word I learnt on Fluent two days prior. It felt so incredible, I almost jumped up and down.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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RESULTS
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.
The%20specs
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Burnley 1 (Brady 89')
Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The five pillars of Islam
Rebel%20Moon%20-%20Part%20One%3A%20A%20Child%20of%20Fire
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZack%20Snyder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESofia%20Boutella%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%2C%20Ed%20Skrein%2C%20Michiel%20Huisman%2C%20Charlie%20Hunnam%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
