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Tag: Voice AI

  • ElevenLabs raises $500M from Sequioia at a $11 billion valuation | TechCrunch

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    Voice AI company ElevenLabs said today it raised $500 million in a new funding round led by
    Sequoia Capital, which was an investor in the startup’s last secondary round through a tender. Sequoia partner Andrew Reed is joining the company’s board.

    The startup is now valued at $11 billion, more than three times its valuation in its last round in January 2025. Earlier in the year, the Financial Times reported that the startup was looking to raise at that valuation.

    The company said that existing investor a16z quadrupled its investment amount, and ICONIQ, which led the last round, tripled it. Some prior investors, like BroadLight, NFDG, Valor Capital, AMP Coalition, and Smash Capital, also joined the round. New investors for the funding included Lightspeed Venture Partners, Evantic
    Capital, BOND.

    ElevenLabs said that it will disclose some investors later in February, which might be strategic partners. The company has raised over $781 million to date. It said that it will use the funding for research and product development, along with expansion in international markets like India, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, and Mexico.

    The company’s co-founder, Mati Staniszewski, indicated that ElevenLabs might work on agents beyond voice and incorporate video. In January, the company announced a partnership with LTX to produce audio-to-video content.

    “The intersection of models and products is critical – and our team has proven, time and again, how to translate research into real-world experiences. This funding helps us go beyond voice alone to transform how we interact with technology altogether. We plan to expand our Creative offering – helping creators combine our best-in-class audio with video and Agents – enabling businesses to build agents that can talk, type, and take action,” he said in a statement.

    The company has seen good growth momentum as it closed the year at $330 million ARR. In an interview with Bloomberg earlier this year, Staniszewski said that it took ElevenLabs five months to reach from $200 million to $300 million in ARR.

    Voice AI model providers are an attractive target for investors and big tech companies. In January, rival Deepgram raised $130 million from AVP at a $1.3 billion valuation. Meanwhile, Google hired top talent from voice model company Hume AI, including CEO Alan Cowen.

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    Ivan Mehta

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  • Voice AI engine and OpenAI partner LiveKit hits $1B valuation | TechCrunch

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    LiveKit, a developer of infrastructure software for real-time AI voice and video applications, has announced the raise of $100 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation.

    The round, which comes 10 months after LiveKit’s previous fundraise, was led by Index Ventures with participation from existing investors, including Altimeter Capital Management, Hanabi Capital, and Redpoint Ventures.

    LiveKit powers OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode. The startup’s other customers include xAI, Salesforce, Tesla, as well as 911 emergency service operators and mental health providers.

    The company was founded in 2021 by Russ d’Sa and David Zhao as an open source software project for building apps that can transmit real-time audio and video without interruptions, in an era when the whole world was meeting on Zoom during the pandemic.

    Although LiveKit began as a free developer tool, the business took off after the founders realized big companies wanted a managed cloud version and began providing those services to enterprises amid the voice AI boom.

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    Marina Temkin

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  • Subtle releases ear buds with its noise cancelation models | TechCrunch

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    Voice AI startup Subtle, which creates voice isolation models to have computers understand you better in loud environments, today launched a new pair of wireless earbuds that help users sound clear in calls and get clear transcription for notes.

    The company unveiled these earbuds ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and said that it plans to ship them in the U.S. in the next few months. The buds cost $199 and will come with a year-long subscription to the iOS and Mac app. The app will let users take voice notes or chat with AI without pressing any keys. The company said it is using a chip that allows it to wake the iPhone while it is locked.

    The startup is also trying to compete with AI-powered voice dictation apps such as Wispr Flow, Willow, Monolouge, and Superwhisper by allowing users to dictate in any app using the voice buds. The company claimed that buds would deliver five times fewer errors than AirPods Pro 3 combined with OpenAI’s transcription model.

    In a demo seen by TechCrunch, the voice buds were able to capture audio in a noisy background. The buds also managed to capture the text for a voice note when Subtle’s co-founder and CEO, Tyler Chen, was speaking in a whispering tone.

    “We are seeing that there is a huge move towards voice as a new interface that a lot of folks are adopting. You can do much more with voice in a natural way than with a keyboard. However, we saw that voice is rarely an interface people use when others are around. So that using our noise isolation model, we will give consumers a way to experience a voice interface in the form of our earbuds,” Chen told TechCrunch over a call.

    Last year, companies like Sandbar and Pebble launched rings for note-taking. Chen said that with its buds combined with app, it wants to provide functionalities of different tools like dictation, AI chat, and voice notes in one package.

    Users can place a pre-order of these buds using the startup’s site. The Voicebuds are available in black and white colorways.

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    Subtle has raised $6 million in funding to date, and has been working with consumer companies like Qualcomm and Nothing to deploy their models for noise isolation.

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    Ivan Mehta

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  • Yelp’s AI assistant can now scan restaurant menus to show you what dishes look like | TechCrunch

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    Yelp is releasing multiple AI-powered updates Tuesday, including an updated AI assistant that can answer questions about restaurants, bars, local attractions, or retailers. The assistant can also scan a physical menu to provide information about dishes. Additionally, the company is improving search with support for natural language and voice queries, and highlighting popular offerings on business pages, including auto shops, hair salons, clothing stores, and parks.

    The company launched an AI-powered assistant last year to help you connect with the right services by describing your problem. Yelp is now using similar technology to answer questions about other kinds of businesses, including a restaurant, bar, local attraction, and retailer. The assistant uses information from a business’s page, website, reviews, and photos to provide answers. For instance, you can ask about the kinds of animals you might see at a zoo.

    Yelp is displaying pre-written questions on business pages based on frequently asked questions, so you don’t have to type them out yourself. The company said that the assistant for services will now remember your preferences and give you tailored recommendations for your next project.

    The company is also improving search by allowing users to type questions in everyday language directly into the search box. The app will support these conversational queries through voice search.

    Until now, Yelp has highlighted popular dishes and drinks on restaurant and bar pages. The company will now also show popular desserts on food outlets’ pages. Additionally, the company is expanding this feature to more than 100 business categories. Users will be able to see the top services offered by an outlet in a “most mentioned” section on each page — for instance, popular haircuts or color treatments at a salon.

    Yelp is adding another AI-powered feature that helps diners explore menu items. Using AI image recognition, users can scan a physical menu with their phone camera and overlay bubbles will appear on screen over different dishes. Tap a bubble to see photos of that dish and read what diners have said about it.

    With these new features, the company is making search more visual and conversational. In response to the rise of chat-style search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, established players like Google have also added similar features to their search and Maps to aid the discovery of new places.

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    Earlier this year, the company previewed AI-powered voice agents for restaurants and services businesses. With its new update, these tools are now available to businesses. The company’s AI host can take bookings, answer questions, handle special requests, and change reservations for restaurants. Its AI receptionist for services businesses can gather project details, help qualify leads, and send call summaries to the business’s Yelp inbox. Other companies like Square and Kea are also providing AI-powered voice solutions for restaurants and order management.

    With this fall release, Yelp is also launching several additional features: AI-generated videos that compile user photos and narrate information about restaurants and bars; expanded video uploads (from 10 to 30 seconds); a new visual summary of restaurants and bars using photos and videos; grouped before-and-after photos for service businesses; and a new section for planning future projects.

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    Ivan Mehta

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  • Turn Your Voice Into Text Instantly with VoiceType AI | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Running a business often means ideas come faster than your keyboard can keep up. From mapping out project requirements to firing off client emails, leaders spend an overwhelming amount of time typing instead of executing. That’s exactly what VoiceType AI does.

    It’s an AI-powered dictation tool that transcribes at up to 360 words per minute with 99.7% accuracy, making it 9x faster than the average typing speed.

    With lifetime access now available for just $39 (MSRP: $154), VoiceType helps business leaders capture thoughts, notes, and strategies instantly—no matter which app you’re in. It works across the platforms you already use, including Slack, Google Docs, Notion, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Trello, and more, so you don’t need to change your workflow.

    This isn’t just dictation—it’s a writing assistant. VoiceType automatically formats your text with punctuation, grammar corrections, and even tone adjustments depending on the app. Need to draft a professional email? Done. Want a clean project doc in Notion? Easy. Even in noisy offices or while whispering on the go, VoiceType adapts to your environment for reliable results.

    For entrepreneurs, consultants, and executives alike, it’s like hiring a personal scribe who never misses a beat. Whether you’re documenting meeting takeaways, planning your day, or drafting proposals, VoiceType ensures you get your thoughts into action at the speed of speech.

    Because in business, speed and clarity aren’t just nice to have, they’re the edge.

    Get a lifetime of VoiceType AI for just $39 (MSRP: $154) and save yourself time forever.

    VoiceType AI Voice-to-Text: Lifetime Subscription

    See Deal

    StackSocial prices subject to change.

    Running a business often means ideas come faster than your keyboard can keep up. From mapping out project requirements to firing off client emails, leaders spend an overwhelming amount of time typing instead of executing. That’s exactly what VoiceType AI does.

    It’s an AI-powered dictation tool that transcribes at up to 360 words per minute with 99.7% accuracy, making it 9x faster than the average typing speed.

    With lifetime access now available for just $39 (MSRP: $154), VoiceType helps business leaders capture thoughts, notes, and strategies instantly—no matter which app you’re in. It works across the platforms you already use, including Slack, Google Docs, Notion, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Trello, and more, so you don’t need to change your workflow.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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  • Turn Text to Lifelike Speech with This $50 Lifetime AI Tool | Entrepreneur

    Turn Text to Lifelike Speech with This $50 Lifetime AI Tool | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Creating quality video advertisements for your business could be key to your growth. Audiences tend to be roughly “17% more likely to buy a product or invest in a service as a result of watching a video versus seeing a static ad,” according to Wyzowl. The only problem is that video advertisements are much more complex to create, but you may be able to keep costs down by replacing actors with AI (artificial intelligence) voiceovers.

    Micmonster is a realistic text-to-speech AI with an expansive library of voices. Normally, it would cost $119 for a lifetime subscription, but you can get the exclusive discounted price of $49.97 for a limited time.

    AI voices you can control.

    Whether you’re recording a video for social media, crafting an audio presentation, or creating promotional materials, this versatile voiceover AI could be a valuable investment. Hiring and directing voice actors whenever you want to create a piece of media featuring voices other than your own would get expensive. With Micmonster, you get over 600 different voices, and you can fine-tune them with editing tools for pitch, emphasis, and more. You can even add pauses and convert up to 12,000 characters at a time and 200,000 characters a month.

    Trying to reach an international audience? If you can translate your script, Micmonster can speak it with support for 140 different languages.

    Voiceover without voice actors.

    This AI-powered tool could change how you advertise your business, and you can get it for life for an exclusive price.

    Until October 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT, get a Micmonster AI Voiceovers Lifetime Subscription for $49.97 (reg. $119).

    Prices subject to change.

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  • Need a Lifelike Voice for Your Company’s Content? Look No Further than TexTalky. | Entrepreneur

    Need a Lifelike Voice for Your Company’s Content? Look No Further than TexTalky. | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    The age of artificial intelligence has undoubtedly begun. Nearly every day, AI is in the news, which makes sense because it has become an essential tech tool with a variety of applications. A 2022 study by HubSpot shows that 43% of marketing leaders plan to implement AI strategies. And this TexTalky AI Text-to-Voice Synthesizer is one great example.

    Text-to-speech technology has come a long way from those robotic-like voices of the past. With a number of super useful benefits, TexTalky converts any text to a lifelike human voice in seconds — and no weird robotic voices.

    Using cloud-based tech powered by Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon, no app installation is required; it’s all online. TexTalky gives you more than 900 realistic male and female voices across 140+ languages.

    For instance, if you need a professional-sounding voice to narrate your YouTube videos or for your marketing content’s voiceover, TexTalky can help you choose your synthesized audio to turn out exactly how you need it. It’s also an excellent tool for aiding the visually impaired and those with visual disabilities, bringing another level of accessibility to your company.

    This technology can even be helpful for those with little time, making text-only information like blogs and memos available to listen to on the go.

    With this lifetime subscription, you get 2,000,000 characters first, then 300,000 characters a month forever. You also get access to voice effects, a Sound Studio feature to edit, cut, and merge audio results, a background music collection, and free commercial use of all voices.

    One verified user left this five-star review about TexTalky: “I really like the voice quality… sounds very natural and human-like. There and [sic] many voices to choose from.”

    Text-to-speech technology can be a handy tool for various businesses, and yours could be one of them.

    Get a lifetime subscription to the TexTalky Text-to-Voice AI Synthesizer now while it’s on sale for $37.99 (reg. $162).

    Prices subject to change.

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