Press & Media
Copying isn't cheating.
It's how you learned your first language.
A French native who taught himself to code after COVID killed his traffic. A PR executive who left Edelman to build something human. Together, they built five complete language courses—without investors, without compromise.
Story angles that write themselves
Pick one. Your readers already have opinions about it.
The Big Idea
Copying isn't cheating. It's how you learned your first language.
Imitation was part of how you learned your first language, though it was not the whole process. The useful idea for adults is simpler: musicians learn covers and chefs recreate dishes before inventing their own. A language learner can also begin from a strong model instead of inventing every line from scratch.
Copycat Cafe® is built on this insight: give learners modeled language, invite them to copy it aloud, offer focused feedback, then help them reuse it in conversation. The name describes exactly what we teach learners to do.
“The language app that says copying isn't cheating—it's the method”
The Problem No One Admits
Understanding a language is not the same as having an answer ready.
Some adults recognize or understand far more than they can comfortably say. They may follow a menu or a question, then freeze when it is their turn to answer.
Copycat Cafe gives them useful language to copy instead of asking them to invent every line from scratch. Watch, Copy, and Chat connect modeled language, learner attempts, focused feedback, and independent use.
“The language app that measures mouths, not streaks”
The Indie Story
When blog traffic fell, he learned to code.
After French Together’s traffic fell sharply, Benjamin Houy taught himself Ruby on Rails and rebuilt an interactive ebook into a proper app—without investors or a traditional software team.
Instead of rebuilding a traffic-dependent publishing business, Benjamin and Nur developed a paid product around structured speaking practice and a direct relationship with learners.
“The self-taught developer who turned a traffic collapse into a SaaS business”
The Career Bet
She left Edelman to build something human.
Nur Baysal spent years in corporate PR at Edelman—the world's largest PR firm. She knew how to build brands, manage campaigns, and hit KPIs. But something was missing.
In January 2026, she quit to co-found Copycat Cafe. Her bet: that treating customers like people beats treating them like conversion metrics. That a two-person startup could out-care companies with 100-person marketing teams.
Now she runs all of Copycat Cafe's marketing—PR, strategy, positioning, ads, and partnerships. Her affiliates still get strategy calls instead of automated emails. “How can we help you succeed?” isn't a tagline—it's the actual question she asks on every call.
“The PR executive who traded Edelman for a two-person startup”
The Expat Bet
They left Germany because it wasn’t built for bootstrappers.
Benjamin and Nur—co-founders and life partners—ran Copycat Cafe from Germany for years. But between the tax burden, bureaucracy, and a system designed for employees rather than entrepreneurs, they hit a wall. In 2026, they relocated to Cyprus.
It’s a story playing out across Europe: small, profitable, bootstrapped companies leaving high-tax countries not because they’re tax-dodging, but because the system doesn’t work for two-person teams with no VC runway. They spoke about it on the FinHub podcast.
“Why two bootstrapped founders left Germany—and what it says about Europe’s startup climate”
AI That Helps
The biggest barrier to speaking a language isn’t grammar. It’s embarrassment.
People stay silent because they’re afraid of sounding stupid. So Copycat Cafe gives learners a 0–100 AI sound match and focused feedback before they talk to a real person. Practice in private. Try again in private. Build confidence before the stakes are real.
Learners can see pronunciation scores improve through repeated private practice. Not because the AI is magic—but because they finally have permission to be bad.
“How AI is solving language learning's psychological barrier”
Expanded in 2026
Five complete courses. 1,000 lessons. Built by two people.
In April 2026, Copycat Cafe launched Latin American Spanish. Spanish (Spain), Italian, and German followed, bringing the catalog to five complete courses and 1,000 conversation lessons across A1–B2. The catalog was built and deployed by two people. No content team. No outsourced curriculum.
The problem Copycat solves—people who can recognize a language but can’t produce it—isn’t unique to French. Copycat now teaches five complete courses across French, two Spanish varieties, Italian, and German.
“Two-person startup builds five language courses—1,000 lessons, zero investors”
Featured in
Coverage of Benjamin Houy and Copycat Cafe (formerly French Together)
Tech & Business News
A Billion-Dollar Question Hangs Over the New AI Search Marketing Industry
Benjamin quoted on the future of AI search optimization and lessons from Lorelight.
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.
Is SEO Dead, or is GEO Hype?
Coverage of the French Together to Copycat Cafe rebrand and lessons from Lorelight.
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.
Making $10k a month from a French learning app
In-depth interview on bootstrapping French Together to profitability.
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.
French Learning Blogs
Featured in AI language app’s recommended resources list.
23 Best Websites to Learn French
“Best suited for beginners looking for a crash course in conversational French.”
Copycat Cafe Review: Everything You Need to Know
“A game-changer…practical, simple to use, and focuses on stuff you’ll actually use in real conversations.”
Best Apps to Learn French 2026
“Structured lessons that focus on real-life conversation practice” with “detailed pronunciation feedback.”
The Best AI French Learning Apps: Tested & Reviewed
Featured alongside major apps for AI-powered conversation practice and pronunciation scoring.
6 Best Blogs to Help You Learn French
“A wonderful blog for learners” — Paris-based French school.
Academic & Library Resources
French Language Learning: Online Resources
“Insightful blogs...numerous blogs on French culture, helpful tips, vocabulary.”
French Language Learning Support
“Loaded with great tips and information” — University library recommendation.
Podcasts & Interviews
Interview de Benjamin Houy de French Together
French-language interview with one of the biggest French learning podcasts.
Leaving Germany for Cyprus: The Business Reality
Benjamin & Nur on relocating their bootstrapped business and European startup challenges.
“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 the Founders
Benjamin grew up in France, taught English in South Korea, started a blog while studying in Germany, built a business in London, and relocated to Cyprus in 2026 after finding Germany wasn't business-friendly.
In 2013, frustrated that language apps taught recognition instead of speaking, he started French Together. When COVID collapsed his traffic from 357K to 55K monthly visitors, he taught himself Ruby on Rails and rebuilt the business as a web app.
He holds a Bachelor's in Applied Linguistics from Paris X Nanterre and has authored two books on French learning.
Based in
Cyprus
Teaching since
2011
Nur spent years in corporate PR at Edelman—the world's largest PR firm—building brands and managing campaigns for major clients. She knew the playbook. But she wanted to build something more personal.
In January 2026, she left Edelman to co-found Copycat Cafe. Now she runs all marketing—PR, strategy, positioning, ads, and partnerships—with a simple philosophy: treat every partner like a person, not a conversion metric.
Her affiliates get strategy calls instead of automated emails. Her approach is “how can we help you succeed?”—and she means it.
Based in
Cyprus
Former employer
Edelman
Quick facts
- Trading name
- Copycat Cafe (formerly French Together)
- Legal entity
- Copycat Cafe Limited (Cyprus, HE 490235)
- Founded
- 2013 (as French Together)
- Founders
- Benjamin Houy & Nur Baysal
- Funding
- Bootstrapped—zero outside investment
- Revenue
- $16K MRR (profitable, bootstrapped)
- What's inside
- 1,000 conversations (200 per language course), a 0–100 AI sound match with focused feedback, reviewed native-language voice casting, a cat who never judges
- The method
- Watch → Copy → Chat (every lesson)
- Languages
- French • Spanish (Latin America) • Spanish (Spain) • Italian • German
- 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 [email protected]Benjamin 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
- • When you understand more than you can say
- • Launching a second language with two people
Bootstrapping
- • Building without VC funding
- • Learning to code at 30+
- • Surviving Google algorithm changes
- • Leaving Germany for Cyprus as bootstrappers
AI & Education
- • AI tutors vs. human teachers
- • When AI search helps (and hurts)
- • The future of self-paced learning
We aim to respond within 24 hours on business days • Remote or Cyprus-based