Practice the English of your next demo, interview, or investor call.
Free courses, an AI coach, and Thursday practice in Bogotá. Mike Sullivan coaches this: 20 years in Silicon Valley tech, TESOL-certified, based in Colombia.
Your coach
Mike spent 20 years in Silicon Valley tech, then got TESOL-certified to teach this.
He built SV English for Latin American founders, engineers, and operators who already have the work, and need the English to match. The lessons come from standups, demos, client calls, and investor updates.
If you are also building a company, the GTM and 60-day founder programs sit next door, including Spanish and Portuguese editions.
Meeting House agenda
This week: upset clients.
Own the next decision they have to walk into the room with.
The next four Thursdays
Week 1
August 27
Speaking as a peer
Research the company, name a business problem, put evidence on the table, and ask a question that turns the interview into a working conversation.
Week 2
September 3
Project deadlines
If the date is fixed, the scope is not. Decide the tradeoff together.
Week 3 - this week
September 10
Upset clients
Own the next decision they have to walk into the room with.
Tonight's line: "The board will ask what changed and what we trust now. I am reconciling the numbers tonight and will send a one-page correction by 8am, plus the line I would use in the room. What else do you need to walk in with?"
Week 4
September 17
Job offers
Match the terms to the scope. Cash is one lever, not the only one.
Come for one week or complete all four. The point is not a script. It is a working conversation with an interviewer, a client, or a recruiter who starts treating you as a peer.
Tonight at Meeting House
Start talking within the first minute.
People arrive over a three-hour window. The Networking Warm-Up gives newcomers something to do immediately: grab a numbered card, find a partner, and practice a real work question in English for about three minutes before you swap.
Just arrived? Jump in anytime, no need to wait.¿Acabas de llegar? Únete cuando quieras, no hace falta esperar.
- 1
Pick up any numbered card from the stack.
Toma cualquier tarjeta numerada del montón.
- 2
Find a partner, anyone, including new arrivals.
Busca pareja, cualquier persona, incluyendo quienes acaban de llegar.
- 3
Each person answers the prompt in English, about 3 minutes each.
Cada persona responde la pregunta en inglés, unos 3 minutos cada uno.
- 4
Return the card, grab a new one, find a new partner.
Devuelve la tarjeta, toma una nueva, busca otra pareja.
The clip uses a public-company number to make the structure obvious. Steal the move, not the scale. Use a fact you could actually research for the company in front of you.
Watch the interview roleplay
The second candidate changes the conversation.
Both candidates speak fluent English. One gives safe answers. The other uses research, evidence, and business judgment to speak with the interviewer as a professional peer.
- Interview for an international role
- Lead a meeting
- Present to decision-makers
- Handle a difficult client
- Push back with confidence
- Negotiate pay, scope, or terms
- Disagree professionally
- Build valuable connections
- Defend your ideas and value
- Speak as a professional peer
This Thursday in Bogotá
Tonight: create a peer relationship with the interviewer.
This Thursday: upset clients. Same skill as demos, client calls, and updates. Come speak as a peer, not as a candidate. No account, come alone.
See this week's agendaRoleplay themes draw on the 2026 Bogotá Bilingual Employment Fair and Universidad Externado's Business English program.
Meet people in Bogotá
Thursday Real-World English Practice.
Friendly English and Spanish conversation plus guided situations for work, travel, interviews, and everyday life. No acting experience or perfect English required; come alone and we will introduce you to the group.
Every Thursday
Arrivals 5:00 · Conversation and guided practice 5:15 to 8:00
Meeting House Bogotá
Calle 32 #6B-43, Piso 3
Message Meeting House to confirm this week's schedule and entry or purchase conditions before you go.
Meeting House agenda
Practice on Thursday. Keep going online.
This week: upset clients. Same language as demos, client calls, and updates. Join every Thursday in Bogotá.
Freelive practice every Thursday
No account needed. Come to Meeting House on Thursday.
See this week's agendaWhat you get without paying
Courses, voice drills, and an AI coach for standups, emails, interviews, and board updates.
AI coach Alex
Type for a written rewrite. Press the mic to rehearse out loud: Alex answers in speech.
Rehearsal briefs
Turn each lesson into a short brief for a meeting, interview, update, or customer conversation you need to handle.
Voice practice
Listen to phrases in the right tone for meetings, Zoom calls, emails, and phone conversations. Then repeat them back.
CEFR-leveled courses
Structured tracks for A2, B1, B2, and C1. Your onboarding placement test puts you on the right starting line.
Live coaching
Bring a real draft or work situation to Mike, rehearse it live, then use the platform for targeted practice.
Personalized path
Onboarding assesses your level, goals, and interests, then builds a learning path that fits your week.
The curriculum
7 tracks, from A1 to C1
A structured path from A1 to C1. 24 courses. 144 lessons.
Track 1
Inglés general para hispanohablantes
Aprende inglés A1 y A2 para la vida diaria con explicaciones en español, conversaciones prácticas y repaso espaciado.
- Inglés cotidiano A1 para hispanohablantes
- Inglés cotidiano A2 para hispanohablantes
Track 2
Inglés de negocios para hispanohablantes
Aprende inglés laboral A1 y A2 con explicaciones en español, tareas orales cortas y repaso espaciado.
- Inglés laboral A1 para hispanohablantes
- Inglés de negocios A2 para hispanohablantes
Track 3
Foundations
Build grammar, vocabulary, and email confidence for everyday tech work.
- English Foundations
- Tech Vocabulary Foundations
- Email Writing Essentials
Track 4
Startup English
Language for product launches, fundraising, and fast-moving teams.
- Startup Era Vocabulary
- SaaS Business Models
- Pitch Deck Language
Track 5
Global Professional
Navigate cross-cultural communication, leadership, and executive settings.
- Cross-Cultural Business
- Team Management English
- Executive Communication
Track 6
Technical Leadership
English for senior ICs and engineering managers writing docs and leading reviews.
- Technical Writing
- AI & Cloud Communication
- Global Tech Hubs
Track 7
Career Acceleration
Interview, negotiate, and network your way into better tech roles.
- Job Interview English
- Networking Language
- Advanced Nuance
Global work, specific practice
Practice the meeting already on your calendar.
Customer call in São Paulo, product review in Berlin, interview with a US team: pick the lesson for that conversation, rehearse it, then use the language at work.
Prepare
Choose the lesson or drill that matches an upcoming work situation.
Rehearse
Build a short brief, speak it aloud, and get feedback from Alex or Mike.
Apply
Use the revised language in the real conversation, then improve it again.
Why it works
How the lessons teach
Courses follow CEFR levels and Task-Based Language Teaching: you practice the email, standup, or pitch you have this week, then get the grammar that holds it up.
The explicit pedagogy rule
"You should say 'must complete,' not 'must to complete.'"
Explicit pedagogy
No correction without the rule.
Alex names the grammar rule, the vocabulary issue, or the cultural mismatch, then gives you the corrected sentence.
Spaced repetition
Return to the language after the first lesson.
Vocabulary returns in later practice instead of ending with a single quiz. Use the rehearsal brief to bring the language back into work you are doing now.
Formative-first assessment
Continuous, low-stakes, timely.
Fill-ins, email rewrites, and role-play evaluations run throughout each lesson - not just at the end. Feedback is specific, timely, and tied to your CEFR target.
Authentic material
Stripe, Google, Salesforce, YC.
No "Mr. Smith writes to Mr. Jones" drills. Every lesson is grounded in real companies, real industry events, and real communication patterns from global tech hubs.
FAQ
Business English questions
Yes. The courses, placement test, voice practice, and AI coach are free. A live 45-minute Work Session with Mike is US$29 if you want one. Thursday practice at Meeting House in Bogotá is also free.
Yes. Lessons, examples, and the coach are updated as the work changes. If a phrase is off, a lesson is missing, or you want a topic we do not cover yet, send a recommendation through the form at the bottom of this page. Useful suggestions get folded into the academy.
Alex is grounded in this curriculum: tech vocabulary, register, and the meetings you have at work. It names the grammar rule behind each correction. The courses, quizzes, and Thursday roleplays are the rest of the loop.
Yes, if you press the microphone. You speak, Alex answers out loud. If you type, the reply stays on the screen. Thursday practice and Work Sessions with Mike are live conversations with a person.
Bring one upcoming work conversation, draft, or presentation. In 45 minutes, you rehearse it with Mike, receive direct corrections and stronger phrasing, get feedback on the business context, and leave with a short practice plan.
It is for tech professionals, founders, product managers, engineers, consultants, and client-facing operators who need to handle an interview, presentation, demo, discovery call, customer conversation, or international stakeholder discussion in English.
You leave with clearer language for the situation, a stronger structure for what you need to say, direct corrections, and two or three focused practice priorities. The session is designed to help you use the work immediately, not to complete a generic lesson.
The founding offer is one complete 45-minute Business English Work Session for US$29. It is limited to one session per person.
No. The Work Session is a one-time booking with no subscription and no automatic renewal. If continued practice would help, Mike may recommend the separate four-session Workplace Communication Sprint after the first session.
The Work Session is available online. A Bogotá meeting may be arranged when it fits the situation and both parties confirm the location in advance.
The starting point is the conversation you actually need to have. Rather than moving through a generic topic, you practice the audience, pressure, vocabulary, register, and next step of a real professional situation.
The sprint is a separate continuation option after the Work Session: four additional 45-minute sessions, guided practice between sessions, and a final replay around one defined workplace outcome. It costs US$109 and has no automatic renewal.
Start with a free account.
Placement takes a few minutes. Then you get a path, the coach, and the courses. If you are in Bogotá, Thursday practice is also free.
Help shape SV English
This academy is updated continuously: new lessons, better examples, and corrections when something is off. If you see a gap, send a recommendation. Every submission is checked before it appears. Contact details are never published.
Loading approved comments…