Speech Recognition Tech Startup Voiceitt Raises $10 Million

语音识别技术初创企业Voiceitt融资1000万美元

2020-08-17 18:10 multilingual

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The latest round of funding will help the company continue to improve upon its speech recognition software and bring greater access to communication for those living with speech impairments. Last week, Israeli-based speech recognition technology startup Voiceitt closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Viking Maccabee Ventures. The company started out initially aiming to develop a mobile app that uses AI to recognize and translate unintelligible and atypical speech in real time. With dozens of medical conditions that afflict the population at high rates annually — including cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke — the latest funding will help Voiceitt develop the software to serve those with speech impairments by providing better access to communication alternatives. “Voiceitt provides a new dimension of independence and quality of life for people with speech and motor disabilities, and a compelling tool for those who care for and about them,” Voiceitt co-founder and CEO Danny Weissberg said. “With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our objectives are not only to support the individual’s in-person communication, but also to assist healthcare professionals and support the continuum of care for their patients.” Part of Amazon’s Alexa Accelerator in 2018, Voiceitt earned the Alexa Fund investment, along with funding from venture capital groups like Cahn Capital, Microsoft’s M12, AMIT Technion, and Connecticute Innovations. The company also received support from several nonprofits, including AARP and The Disability Opportunity Fund. It has since partnered with the state of Tennessee, working with healthcare services, speech therapists, and organizations that serve speech-impaired individuals. One of the issues that Voiceitt is focused on addressing in this new round of funding is the limitations on the technology due to each person’s specific vocal patterns. Since each impairment can come with a particular set of needs, new data to train the software will be key to move the technology forward. “Everyone’s impairment is different, but there are certain similarities within a particular group of speech impairments,” said Stas Tiomkin, Voiceitt’s co-founder and CTO. “We work very hard to collect speech samples and build a generic acoustic model that then gets customized.” Although Voiceitt looks to create an app that successfully integrates into the lives of those living with speech impairments, company leaders recognize the technology goes far beyond an app. “As we continue our growth, we are committed to our mission of making speech accessible to all,” Voiceitt co-founder and executive vice president Sara Smolley said. “Our long-term vision is to integrate Voiceitt’s customizable speech recognition with mainstream voice technologies to enable environmental control through a universally accessible voice system. Voiceitt’s versatile technology can be applied in a range of voice-enabled applications in diverse contexts and environments.”
最新一轮融资将帮助该公司继续改进其语音识别软件,并为患有语音障碍的人们带来更多的交流机会。 上周,总部位于以色列的语音识别技术初创公司Voiceitt完成了由Viking Maccabee Ventures领投的1000万美元的A轮融资。 该公司最初的目标是开发一种移动应用程序,该应用程序使用AI实时识别和翻译难以理解的非典型语音。 由于每年有数十种疾病困扰着人们,包括脑瘫,帕金森氏病和中风,这些疾病每年都在高发病率。最新的资金将帮助Voiceitt开发该软件,为语音障碍者提供更好的通信替代方法。 Voiceitt联合创始人兼首席执行官Danny Weissberg表示:“ Voiceitt为语言障碍和运动障碍人士提供了独立性和生活质量的新维度,并为照顾和照顾他们的人提供了引人注目的工具。 “在COVID-19大流行的影响下,我们的目标不仅是支持个人的面对面交流,而且还为医疗保健专业人员提供帮助,并为他们的患者提供连续的护理。” Voiceitt于2018年成为亚马逊Alexa Accelerator的一部分,并获得了Alexa Fund的投资,以及诸如Cahn Capital,微软的M12,AMIT Technion和Connecticute Innovations等风险投资集团的资金。 该公司还获得了包括AARP和The Disability Opportunity Fund在内的多家非营利组织的支持。 此后,它与田纳西州合作,与医疗保健服务,言语治疗师以及为言语障碍者提供服务的组织合作。 Voiceitt在新一轮融资中着重解决的问题之一是由于每个人的特定声音模式而导致的技术限制。 由于每种损害都有特定的需求,因此培训软件的新数据将成为推动该技术前进的关键。 Voiceitt的联合创始人兼首席技术官Stas Tiomkin说:“每个人的障碍都是不同的,但是在特定的一组语音障碍中有某些相似之处。” “我们非常努力地收集语音样本并建立通用的声学模型,然后对其进行定制。” 尽管Voiceitt希望创建一个可以成功集成到语音障碍者生活中的应用程序,但公司领导者意识到该技术远远超出了应用程序。 Voiceitt联合创始人兼执行副总裁Sara Smolley表示:“随着我们继续发展,我们致力于使所有人都能畅所欲言。” “我们的长期愿景是将Voiceitt的可定制语音识别与主流语音技术相集成,以通过通用的语音系统实现环境控制。 Voiceitt的通用技术可以应用在各种上下文和环境中的各种启用语音的应用程序中。”

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