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A French startup developing voice intelligence models is in talks to raise around $10 million in initial funding, Business Insider has learned from two people with knowledge of the deal.
PyannoteAI, which launched in 2024, has developed a model to automatically detect and identify speakers in audio transcriptions. The concept, known as "speaker diarization," aims to enhance audio transcriptions so that they can be better deployed in industries such as customer service and sales.
The startup is in talks to raise funding at a valuation of around $40 million, the two sources said.
Details of the latest funding round are not yet finalized, and the figures involved are subject to change.
Pyannote's cofounder and CEO, Vincent Molina, confirmed to BI that the company is "in the process of fundraising" but said he could not provide further details.
According to its website, the startup's platform is based on research conducted by Hervé Bredin, its other cofounder. Bredin has a research background in speaker diarization and deep learning for audio, speech, and natural language processing.
France has established itself as a hub for AI development since 2022, with buzzy upstarts such as Mistral and H raking in hefty early-stage funding just weeks after their launch. According to Dealroom, French startups that bill themselves to be in the generative AI space have raised over $2.29 billion this year, surpassing any European country.
AI tools for generating voices have also gained traction this year. Voice-cloning startup ElevenLabs is looking to raise funding at a $3 billion valuation, Business Insider first reported. This year, OpenAI released Voice Mode, a tool that allows users to have spoken conversations with ChatGPT.
