It started with a question.
Fluanci exists to build AI companions that understand South African languages the way people really speak them.
Where it began
Fluanci began when our founder came across voice companions such as Sesame's Maya and asked himself a simple question: why isn't there one that sounds like the people I grew up with?
Most AI can translate words. Very little of it understands how South Africans actually talk: switching languages mid-sentence, borrowing slang from the street, and changing tone between family and friends. That everyday speech is what makes a conversation feel like home.
Fluanci is independent. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the products that inspired us.
Why should language be a barrier between people, or between people and AI?
Our answer is to build one companion at a time, one language at a time. Each companion starts with fluency in its base language, then learns the local register people actually use, and carries a warm, consistent personality on top.
From the founder
“Why should language be a barrier between two people?” Wahina Hlulani Njoku, founder of Fluanci
Wahina is a computer engineering student in Cape Town who speaks Sepedi and S'Pitori. He founded Fluanci in 2026 and is building Lerato, its first companion, himself, starting with the languages and voice he knows best.
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