There are big tech companies - and there are small tech companies, but the impact is significant. Dutch AI startup Whispp is using assistive speech technology to convert speech impairments caused by conditions such as stuttering, throat cancer, vocal cord paralysis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into a person's original natural voice.
The Eindhoven-based startup has just secured a €750,000 seed funding round led by LUMO Labs to launch its assistive speech technology and its first subscription-based calling application. Whispp will also use the raised funds to expand into the European and US markets. Additionally, the company is one of the winners of the CES 2024 Innovation Award.
Over 300 million people worldwide are affected by voice distortion due to conditions like stuttering, throat cancer, or ALS. Whispp's proprietary technology uses recordings of a person's "old" healthy voice to convert their real-time affected speech into clear voice. The voice is then modified based on the expected intonation, modulation, and emotion.
Those who still have their natural voice but, for example, stutter, can simply record their current speech using the application.
This audio-to-audio approach eliminates the typical 2-3 second delay of text-to-speech technology, which can be a barrier and disrupt communication. The technology is also built on the fact that for many voice and speech disorders, intentionally guiding the voice towards a whisper is beneficial as it triggers changes in the language system neurotransmitters.
"Our grand vision is to make Whispp's assistive speech technology available on every smartphone and laptop worldwide, creating a more inclusive world," said Joris Castermans, Founder and CEO of Whispp, adding that the experience of LUMO Labs will help the company collaborate with network operators and tech companies to achieve its goals.
AI speech technology for public welfare
Castermans himself had a stutter during his childhood, and he co-founded Whispp with the company's CTO, Akash Raj, in 2019. The latest funding follows a seed pre-round led by Libertatis Ergo Holding B.V., an independent wholly-owned subsidiary of Leiden University, in 2022, which also participated in the seed funding round.
Essentially, this is a perfect example of how technology itself is neither good nor bad; its impact depends on how we use it. Just as the world is concerned about deepfakes (for good reason), we can also use AI speech technology to enhance human communication and connection.
It can also significantly promote diversity, fairness, and inclusivity.
"The ability to speak greatly affects an individual's sense of happiness and belonging. However, over 1% of the global population suffers from some form of progressive loss of language and/or speech disorders," said Andy Lürling, Founding Partner of LUMO Labs. "Whispp allows these individuals to truly be heard, participate, and contribute to society like anyone else."
