Paris-based AI voice startup Gradium raises $100M seed, backed by Nvidia
Gradium, a French startup specializing in real-time voice AI, has secured $100 million in seed funding including from Nvidia, and plans to open a Bay Area office.
Gradium, a Paris-based startup developing voice AI models, has expanded its seed round to include new investor Nvidia, bringing the total raised to $100 million, the company announced Thursday. The funds will be used to open an office in the Bay Area and compete for top talent, strengthening its position at the heart of the world's leading AI ecosystem.
The company originally launched out of stealth in December with $70 million from a roster of investors including FirstMark Capital, Eurazeo, DST Global Partners, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel. Gradium was spun out of French AI lab Kyutai, which is also backed by Niel. Both Kyutai and Gradium were co-founded by Neil Zeghidour, a researcher who previously worked at Google Brain, DeepMind, and Facebook.
Gradium focuses on audio models that deliver voice at scale with ultra-low latency, enabling AI voices to respond almost instantly without awkward pauses. The startup faces competition from other voice AI players like ElevenLabs, valued at $11 billion in February, and major model makers such as Google's Gemini. However, Gradium has already secured big customers since its December launch, including French automaker Renault.
