Press & Media
Copying isn't cheating.
It's how you learned to talk.
A French native who taught in South Korea, started a blog in Germany, built a $10K/month app from London—without investors or writing code until COVID. Featured in Search Engine Journal, Starter Story, and FluentU.
Story angles that write themselves
Pick one. Your readers already have opinions about it.
The Big Idea
Copying isn't cheating. It's how humans actually learn.
Babies don't invent language—they copy it. Musicians cover songs before writing their own. Chefs recreate dishes before inventing. Every master starts as a copycat. Yet every teacher told you not to copy. Every test punished you for it.
Copycat Cafe is built on this insight. While other apps gamify recognition (“do you know this word?”), we train production: listen, copy, speak. The name describes exactly what we teach you to do.
“The language app that says copying isn't cheating—it's the method”
The Problem No One Admits
500 million people use Duolingo. How many can order coffee in French?
There's a gap between “I know French” and “I can speak French.” Most language learners recognize words they can't produce. They understand menus but freeze when ordering. Years of streaks, but silent at the café.
Copycat Cafe doesn't teach French. It trains mouths. Every lesson has speaking. Every phrase gets scored. The question isn't “do you know this?”—it's “can you say it?”
“The language app that measures mouths, not streaks”
The Indie Story
COVID killed his blog traffic. So he learned to code.
In 2019, French Together had 357,000 monthly visitors. Then COVID hit and Google's algorithm changed. Traffic dropped to 55,000. Instead of quitting, Benjamin Houy taught himself Ruby on Rails and rebuilt his interactive ebook into a proper app—without investors, co-founders, or a CS degree.
Revenue didn't drop. It grew. Turns out charging for results beats chasing traffic. Now Copycat Cafe generates $10K+/month while Duolingo chases engagement metrics.
“The self-taught developer who turned a traffic collapse into a SaaS business”
AI That Helps
The biggest barrier to speaking French isn't grammar. It's embarrassment.
People stay silent because they're afraid of sounding stupid. So Copycat Cafe built an AI tutor that scores pronunciation (0-100%) before you ever talk to a real person. Practice in private. Fail in private. Build confidence before the stakes are real.
Students typically go from 60% to 90%+ accuracy within 30 days. Not because the AI is magic—but because they finally have permission to be bad.
“How AI is solving language learning's psychological barrier”
The Bigger Vision
French was just the starting point. The method works for any language.
The problem Copycat solves—people who can recognize a language but can't produce it—isn't unique to French. Every Spanish learner who freezes at "¿Qué quieres?" Every Japanese student who can read kanji but can't order ramen. Same gap, different language.
The copycat method (Watch → Copy → Chat) is language-agnostic. It's how babies learn to speak everywhere on Earth. French is the starting point—with Spanish, Italian, German, and Japanese on the roadmap.
“The bootstrapped founder betting he can fix language learning—one language at a time”
Featured in
Coverage of Benjamin Houy and Copycat Cafe (formerly French Together)
Tech & Business News
GEO Platform Shutdown Sparks Industry Debate Over AI Search
Benjamin's perspective on AI search optimization quoted in major SEO publication.
GEO startup Lorelight shuts down
Coverage of Benjamin's honest post-mortem on his AI visibility tool.
How Benjamin Built a $12K/Mo French Learning App From Scratch
Deep dive into building a profitable language learning business as a solo founder.
$12k a month from learning to code
How Benjamin taught himself Ruby on Rails without a computer science background.
Language Learning & Education
14 Great French Blogs for Learners
French Together listed among top French learning resources.
12 Best French Learning Blogs
Recommended for “informative blog posts you can read for free.”
7 Best Websites to Learn French
French Together selected by major language school.
Podcasts & Interviews
Interview de Benjamin Houy de French Together
French-language interview with one of the biggest French learning podcasts.
“The main challenge is to focus on what truly matters”
Interview on teaching philosophy and cutting through overwhelm.
How Benjamin Wrote a Sales Page that Increased Revenue By 21%
Featured case study by Derek Halpern on marketing effectiveness.
Benjamin Houy, London
Personal story: South Korea to London, building a business abroad.
Published Books
About Benjamin
Benjamin Houy grew up in France, taught English in South Korea, started a blog while studying in Germany, and now runs a language learning app from London. He's lived the expat experience that his students are trying to achieve.
In 2013, frustrated that language apps taught recognition instead of production, he started French Together. “You can complete 1,000 Duolingo lessons and still freeze when ordering a croissant,” he says. “The problem isn't knowledge—it's confidence.”
When COVID collapsed his traffic from 357K to 55K monthly visitors, he didn't quit. He taught himself Ruby on Rails and rebuilt his business as a web app. Revenue grew while traffic shrank.
Benjamin holds a Bachelor's in Applied Linguistics from Paris X Nanterre and has authored two books on French learning. He's been quoted in Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land on AI and search strategy.
Based in
London, UK
Teaching since
2011
French Together founded
2013
Languages spoken
French, English, German
Quick facts
- Trading name
- Copycat Cafe (formerly French Together)
- Legal entity
- French Together Ltd (Company No. 14846069)
- Founded
- 2013 (as French Together)
- Founder
- Benjamin Houy
- Funding
- Bootstrapped—zero outside investment
- Revenue
- $10K+ MRR (profitable)
- What's inside
- 90 conversations, AI pronunciation scoring (0-100%), a cat who never judges
- The method
- Watch → Copy → Chat (every lesson)
- Languages
- French now • Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese on roadmap
- Website
- copycatcafe.com
Media kit
Everything you need to write about Copycat Cafe
Logo (Wordmark)
Full horizontal wordmark with mascot. Dark text on transparent background.
App Icon
Square app icon with rounded corners. Use for app store features and articles.
Profile Picture
Square social avatar for X, LinkedIn, and other platforms. The "C" monogram with cat ears and tail.
Copy the Cat (Mascot)
Our friendly cat mascot appears throughout the app to encourage learners. Available in five emotional states.
Happy
Success, welcomes
Excited
Big wins
Curious
Learning moments
Neutral
Instructions
Sleepy
Rest reminders
Download mascot assets:
Brand Colors
Primary (Teal)
#2d8f82
Accent (Orange)
#e68a1a
Background (Cream)
#fcfaf8
Text (Dark)
#2A3D45
Need screenshots, founder headshots, or custom assets?
Email press@copycatcafe.comBenjamin has opinions. Unpopular ones.
Available for interviews, podcasts, and expert commentary on language learning, bootstrapping, and the future of education.
Language Learning
- • Why copying beats creating
- • The recognition vs. production gap
- • What Duolingo gets wrong
Bootstrapping
- • Building without VC funding
- • Learning to code at 30+
- • Surviving Google algorithm changes
AI & Education
- • AI tutors vs. human teachers
- • When AI search helps (and hurts)
- • The future of self-paced learning
Response within 24 hours • Remote or London-based