Riga, Latvia-based Sonarworks is an innovative audio technology startup. In a recent development, the company announced that it has raised $6M (approx €5.1M) in a fresh round of funding.
Investors in this round
The round was led by Almaz Capital with participation from Karma Ventures, Trind Ventures, Proks Capital, Smart Growth VC, LLC., Wiser Financial Advisors OÜ, and angel investors Cesar Lamschtein and Victor Yun.
Personalised audio technology
Sonarworks started off in the professional audio space in 2012. Founded by Helmuts Bems and Martins Popelis, Sonarworks is an audio technology company with an aim to deliver an individually perfected sound experience to music creators.
The company’s patented technologies are currently being used in more than 70,000 studios globally, including many Grammy-Award-winning engineers recording A-list stars (like Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Adele, Coldplay, and more).
In early 2020, Sonarworks launched SoundID – a next-generation personalised audio technology that personalises sound for everyone as an individual. SoundID is a sound profile that uses machine learning to evolve with the user over time. It can be set up within minutes via a simple app test, based on the user’s hearing ability and listening preferences. As a result, listeners can enjoy their favourite music, movies, and even gaming, with an unprecedented level of personalisation, detail, and clarity.
The company reports that within a year, SoundID has gained popularity among consumer brands, such as Gateway, the PC brand; Drop, a data-driven product design company and audiophile headphone maker; and Monoprice, an online retailer of high-quality and affordably priced consumer electronics and accessories.
Funds for expansion
According to Helmuts Bems, co-founder & CEO of Sonarworks, “The pandemic showed us that great audio and video technology are basic needs in the modern world. According to our research, we have found that people vary greatly in how they perceive sound, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution for audio. This investment will help fuel international growth, bringing our transformative technology to consumer electronics manufacturers for personalised sound on any audio device.”
With the raised capital, the company will also be able to expand its licensing business to bring more innovative SoundID enabled products to market globally.
Additionally, the funding will also help expand internationally to the US and now Asia, actively inviting tech innovators with a passion for audio and audio engineering to join their team. With its recent growth, Sonarworks aims to deliver the “next-level consumer audio technology” to more than one billion devices globally.
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