Voice AI startup Deepgram raises $130 million at $1.3 billion valuation

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Voice AI exertion startup Deepgram said connected Tuesday it raised $130 cardinal astatine a $1.3 cardinal valuation arsenic it looks to ​expand internationally, rotation retired caller models, and prosecute acquisitions.

The backing circular ‌was led by AVP, an concern steadfast that focuses connected tech startups crossed North America and ‌Europe, with information from caller investors including Alumni Ventures, Princeville Capital and Citi Ventures, the institution said.

Existing backers including Tiger Global, Madrona and the CIA's task superior arm, In-Q-Tel besides participated successful the Series C funding, it added.

San Francisco-based ⁠Deepgram provides enterprises and developers ‌with artificial quality models and infrastructure to physique and tally customized AI dependable agents that tin clasp real-time, contextual conversations ‍at scale.

The fundraising comes arsenic companies follow AI agents successful telephone centers and lawsuit work crossed industries including retail, fintech and healthcare.

"Voice AI has gone mainstream successful the ​last year. Any spot wherever there's a substance tract oregon a fastener ‌click, each of those products are moving connected adding voice, truthful there's conscionable this groundswell of demand," Deepgram CEO and Co-Founder Scott Stephenson said successful an interrogation with Reuters.

The institution volition usage the funds to grow to caller markets successful Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, summation the fig of languages supported, ⁠and money acquisitions and ample compute purchases, ​Stephenson added.

Deepgram presently supports implicit 50 languages, according ​to its website.

The institution connected Tuesday besides said it had acquired OfOne, a dependable AI level for drive-thrus, to grow its ‍restaurant manufacture offering. ⁠It did not supply details connected the worth of the deal.

More than 1,300 organizations usage dependable AI functionality powered by Deepgram's API platform, the ⁠company said. It powers conversational customer-service AI platforms specified arsenic Decagon and Sierra, and counts ‌NASA and Amazon Web Services among its clients.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia ‌in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)