Episode 3: Building an AI Speech Assistant for Kids | Quint Wiersma, Speaklee

Quint Wiersema is CEO and co-founder of Speaklee, the AI-driven speech assistant helping children with language and speech disorders practice between sessions with their speech therapist. In episode 3 of StartingUP, we sit down with Quint to talk about how Speaklee started, why it wasn't built to replace speech therapists but to support both them and the families waiting on them, and how a Dutch speech-therapy waiting list problem turned into a startup. From there we get into why validating your idea early matters more than perfecting your product, why you should never be proud of your MVP, and what it's really like sitting across the table from an investor for the first time. No polished founder story, no gatekeeping. Just how one founder learned to build, pitch, and jump before he was ready. ▶ About Speaklee An AI-driven speech assistant supporting children with language and speech disorders, and the speech therapists who treat them, built to shorten the wait for the practice these children need. Site: https://speaklybee.com/ ▶ About StartingUP The founder podcast with no gatekeeping, made at Startup Village, Amsterdam Science Park. Real founder problems and what it actually takes to solve them early. #StartingUP #Speaklee #QuintWiersema #AIforKids #SpeechTherapy #founderpodcast #StartupVillage #AmsterdamSciencePark