Most voice technology today sounds unnatural and struggles to handle real conversations, emotions, and accents or languages. Because of this, it doesn’t work well for businesses that want smooth customer service or to reach people worldwide.
ElevenLabs tackles these problems with ElevenAgents, which responds in less than 100 milliseconds, handles conversations smoothly, adds emotion with its v3 voice model, and keeps company data secure.
Today, ElevenLabs announced a $500 million Series D funding round, valuing the company at $11 billion. Sequoia led the round, with a16z and ICONIQ also investing.
This funding comes after the rapid growth of the ElevenAgents platform, which helps big companies improve customer interactions, sales calls, and back-office work with human-like voice AI.
“The voice of all technology”
Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski grew up together in Poland, often complaining about the poor quality of Hollywood dubs on TV, which had bad accents and lacked emotion. In 2022, they started ElevenLabs to create AI voices that sound real in any language, hoping to become “the voice of all technology.”
Starting in Warsaw, they have grown to 400 employees across 13 cities, combining tools for creators with business success, all while staying profitable.
ElevenLabs provides several technologies, such as advanced text-to-speech and speech-to-text with their v3 model, music tools, video dubbing, and smart agents. Their privacy features comply with HIPAA and EU data protection rules.
Key features include voice cloning from short audio samples, automatic language switching, and batch calling. In blind listening tests, these have sounded more natural than competitors.
Unlike Cartesia, Resemble AI, Murf, or Lovo, ElevenLabs brings the whole package: a full conversational platform, lightning-fast responses, and integrations with business tools like Salesforce.
What’s next?
ElevenLabs is eyeing Paris, Singapore, and Brazil for expansion, ramping up R&D in Warsaw, and already thinking IPO in the next few years.
