☕️ Hey Founders, Entrepreneurs, and Future Unicorns! As I promised over the weekend, getting back to you!

(If you're not building or looking to build something awesome, feel free to skip — we'll return to regular posts soon!)

Who's in our tribe? Drop a 🚀 in comments or reactions!

📌I'm back with the Secret Sauce Behind $39M+ Pitches — ready to apply to your product

1) to get into accelerators
2) to get attention & traction with #buildinpublic posts on LinkedIn

Here's how I came to it. When I left Yandex to launch S2S, I thought getting into accelerators came down to only

1. Revolutionary tech
2. VIP connections

That’s why I didn’t even try to apply to accelerators for the first 6 months, before joining Antler HCMC.

Turns out I was wrong. There’s the 3d factor that got me an offer from Antler Partner in 1 day, without a draining application process >

3. Pitch Structure & Delivery 
one thing more accessible to everyone — words are cheaper and faster to master than tech, right?

After dissecting legendary pitches (and using these frameworks to get into Antler + IC), I'm sharing my the Pitch Bible I've built for myself

🫧 4 iconic leaders wielding impact

Apple 2007 (total funding $5.7B)
Loopt 2008 (total funding $39M)
DoorDash 2013 (total funding $2.5B)
Windsurf 2025 (total funding $245M)

🫧4 picthes broken down into pieces you can apply to your product

🫧Catchy phrases that hook investors, public, and clients

>> Grab the MIRO Board Now [Click "MIRO" on the 1st screen in @pitch_up_bot]

Why?
Because I wish someone had handed me this cheat sheet when I started putting together my S2S pitch
Because you can use similar simplified pitch structure to present your ideas and impact people at work or in daily life — works as a charm

PS DM me @ybeymlina to:

- Share your pitch struggles (in ENG or RUS)
- Join our Pitch Up Club
- Get feedback on your pitch
- Need any help with the MIRO board or the @pitch_up_bot

🕔Please allow me up to 24 hrs to get back to you

⭐️ The Top Language Learning Voices of 2025 – who should you know?

1.9 billion people are learning a foreign language right now — that’s 1 in every 4 people on Earth! Demand creates supply.
With so many apps, teachers, and gurus (real & fake) out there, how do you know who to trust? Most learners just follow the loudest voice or the first ad they see… but there's a simple smarter way.

🧭 That’s why S2S created this map of top voices in language learning — so you can learn consciously and critically.

What's in the map

The experts are divided into 3 categories:

1. Businessmen – judged by revenue & user growth
2. Scientists – ranked by research & peer recognition
3. Educators – measured by followers & course sales

Every week, we’ll introduce 1-2 top experts so you can:

📌 Discover the most popular learning approaches & theories today
📌 Understand who’s behind them
📌 Make smarter choices in your learning

Become an active co-builder of your learning path and let us know:
Should we add another category?
Did we miss important criteria for top voices selection? Besides followers, peer recognition, and others listed above
🪴 Share this post to help others learn wisely

Key Vocabulary from this post:

🫧Conscious (adj.) – intentional, aware, doing something on purpose (compare: unintentional, doing something without thinking, automatically)
🫧To be behind (a theory) (v.) — to be the organiser, author, investor (of something)
🫧Peer recognition (n.) – respect from other people in your field (if you're a product manager, respect from other product managers)

Happy learning! We're a little jealous — you’re about to discover so much

⭐️ Meet Steven Krashen – The Scientist Behind "i+1"
A Top Voice in Language Acquisition | Researcher @ the University of California

Hey everyone! As promised, today we’re diving into the mind* of Steven Krashen — one of the most influential language learning experts alive.

Why to care about Krashen?
✔ Legendary status – One of the most cited scientists in language learning
✔ Guilt-free* check – His theories help millions learn languages without stress

How his ideas can help you to learn a language

💓 Silent Period – No guilt if speaking lacks behind listening/understanding. Comprehension comes first, this is perfectly normal

💓 Affective* Filter Hypothesis – Confidence & self-esteem really matter. (Yes, it’s not BS!)

💓 i+1 Principle (mirrors soviet L. Vygotsky) – The secret to effective learning: challenge yourself just enough without frustration

💅 How S2S uses Krashen’s ideas
We make sure you get input slightly above your level (B1-B2 materials that push you gently) + meaningful conversations (real talks with like-minded people)

To hear it from Krashen himself watch his 15-min explainer (1.3M YouTube views)

Anything new or surprising about Krashen & 'i+1'? Or all familiar? What’s your trick for* staying motivated when learning gets tough? Share your thoughts in comments

Glossary (phrases from this post)

📌To dive into (the mind) — to go deep into the subject
📌Guilt-free (adjective) — not experiencing guilt of negative emotions for doing sth wrong. Eg., guilt-free habits, guilt-free time, guilt-free vonversation
📌Affective VS Effective — 'Affective' is about 'affect,' emotions / 'Effective' is about 'effect,' results
📌Your trick for (staying motivated) — your method of doing sth

📎Check out S2S’s learning approach here

🌷End of Spring Give Away!

Struggling to discuss complex topics in English? Grab this free guide & make a step to natural speech in 15 minutes!

To help you to speak English fluently about real-life trends — like ‘Boomerang Employees’ or ‘Layoff Stigma’, we’ve packed 3 ready-to-use topics into this free PDF for you:

🫧 Native phrases from Reddit/LinkedIn (no textbook jargon)
🫧Glossaries to boost your vocabulary
🫧Discussion questions to practice with friends

Download now → [click]

P.S. Not sure about your level? Book a free 30-min speaking call with us (only 7 spots left!). A fun chat to test your English & check if you're S2S ready ⭐

Question: How many rubber bands does it take to stop me from helping your English grow?

Answer: 400 rubber bands — still not enough. I’ll be back with flashcards tomorrow ;)

🎀Your homework till then: check out the guide above. This way flashcards will be even more useful to you.

⭐️ Boost Your English Speaking with Ready-to-Use Phrases

Want to sound natural when discussing trends like Boomerang Employees or Layoff Stigma? We’ve prepared 3 FREE resources to help you start speaking confidently today:

💓[NEW] Quizlet Decks – Memorize key phrases from real trending topics (Reddit/LinkedIn). 3 flashcard sets inside: Boomerang Employees, Layoff Stigma, the Future of Consumption. Important: you don't need a paid account and can skip a free trial to access the folder
💓 [Friday goody] PDF Guide – Dive deeper into 3 trending topics + discussion questions
💓 Bonus Audio – Hear how natives pronounce these phrases. Audio track's inside the speaking plans — check out the guide

Why this works for you?

🌸 No textbook jargon – Only real English used by professionals
🌸 Practice-ready – Use these phrases in your next conversation
🌸 Feel confident – Stop translating in your head

Loved the freebies? Join S2S to speak weekly with feedback, expand your vocabulary fast, discuss global trends naturally

Only 7 onboarding spots left this month! → [Book a Free Trial]

☕️ Quick Quiz Time

Let’s see if you remember 9 out of 32 phrases from S2S spring guide pdf
Just 3 short questions — fun and easy
Click, choose your answer, and check yourself

Yes, all about the perfect 'th,' but only in your head 🧸

In reality, good pronunciation ≠ perfect accent. In reality, good pronunciation =

1. Effective intonation (voice going ↑ up and ↓ down in right places to convey meaning)
2. Stress on right syllables (BEAUtiful beauTIful)
3. Correct sounds (/ks/ in ‘aCCeptable’)

🐷 Quiz time — Check if you remember how to pronounce tricky words from S2S spring guide

🌸 Want to start using these kind of phrases in your speech and get personal feedback reports? Join S2S
Only 3 onboarding spots left this month! → [Book a Free Trial]

💒 Personality Traits & Language Success: Conscientiousness

Remember our post about "language talent & personality"? Last time we covered Openness to New Experiences. Today, we boost the #1 trait for learning success: Conscientiousness

What is "Conscientiousness"? It means

✔ Being organized (having a plan)
✔ Staying disciplined (doing the work consistently* even when you don’t want to)
✔ Focusing on goals (knowing why you’re learning)

Good news: As we age, this trait naturally grows stronger (unlike Openness, which fades).

Here’re 3 simple ways to speed up Conscientiousness

1. Schedule It or Forget It

If it’s not in your calendar, it won’t happen. Schedule activities in advance, don't wait to feel motivated. Example:
— Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 8 PM: "Shadow read for 15 mins"
— Every morning with coffee: "Review 5 S2S vocab posts"

Decide what micro steps to take today

2. The 25-Minute Magic Trick — Use the Pomodoro Technique

Study hard for 25 mins (no distractions!). Stop when the timer rings → no guilt for "not finishing everything", only progress

3. "If-Then" Habit Hacking

Link new habits to existing ones: "If I open my phone after lunch, then I do 3 mins of Quizlet flashcards first"

How S2S Forces You to Succeed (Nicely) We bake conscientiousness into our system:

🪴 Weekly speaking practice with a buddy (accountability*)
🪴 Daily vocab tips in this channel (tiny consistent steps)
🪴 Personal feedback reports (track progress = stay motivated)

We believe in you — even when you don’t

*Post Glossary

🫧Conscientious (adjective): Organized, responsible, hard-working
/ˌkɑːn.ʃiˈen.ʃəs/ or 'kon-she-en-shus'
🫧Accountable (adjective): Owning responsibility for your actions & results
🫧Consistently (adverb): Doing something regularly, not just sometimes

💙 Want the full S2S method? [Learn more here]