Cairo roots. Global reach. Two decades of building.
Fluency Learning Apps LLC was founded by Andrew Dempsey, a Canadian who has lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt since 1991. Andrew's background spans university-level teaching in rhetoric and composition, software development, and international leadership — an unusual combination that has shaped a company comfortable operating across disciplines and time zones.
The LLC began as an educational technology consultancy, helping organizations build online learning experiences, Egyptian Arabic language tools, and community-based training platforms. Over time, the focus sharpened toward building original software products — particularly tools that use AI to help people engage more intelligently with information.
Photo by Andreea Ch
Andrew Dempsey
Founder
Andrew holds graduate-level training in rhetoric and composition and has spent decades at the intersection of education, technology, and international communication. Based in Cairo with deep ties to Canada and networks across multiple continents, he brings a genuinely global perspective to the products he builds. He is the founder and lead developer of FlashBrief, and the architect of the company's product and consulting direction.
Build for the individual.
Generic tools built for everyone tend to serve no one particularly well. Every product we make is designed to adapt to the person using it.
Take the long view.
We are not optimizing for growth metrics or investor timelines. We build things we intend to stand behind for years.
Earn trust with transparency.
Whether it is how our AI works, how we handle your data, or what we can realistically deliver in a consulting engagement — we say what is true, not what is convenient.
Early work (2000s)
The earliest products were the Arabic Vocab and Verb Clinics — published by the American University in Cairo Press — and Baalty, an entrepreneurial training game developed for use in North Africa. Educational gaming and training systems developed for the Egyptian government under US and Canadian aid projects were also a significant part of this period. These projects established the company's approach: small, well-designed, purposeful tools built for real learners in real contexts.
Language courses and consulting (2010s)
The late 2010s saw the development of the Egyptian Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic Absolute Beginner's Courses in partnership with The Arabic Learner's School. Throughout this period, the LLC also supported nonprofits, educational institutions, and ministry organizations with online course development, website builds, and email communication infrastructure. This work was done selectively and relationally.
FlashBrief (2024–present)
The development of FlashBrief represents the company's current and primary focus — a fully original SaaS product built on AWS, using an automated AI pipeline to deliver personalized audio news briefings. FlashBrief is available at flashbrief.app.
