Enabling smart devices hear better, this UK-based startup raises €7.6M in series A funding

Voice activated smart devices are becoming commonplace in most modern homes as they are easy to use. They enable controlling other connected smart home devices as well and there are also multiple use cases where voice commands, or where audio input, is required by a user. While voice commands do make it easier to access information, there is always an issue of ambient noise, which can creep in while sending voice commands to a user.

To circumvent the problem of noise interfering with voice commands, manufacturers use a host of technical features on their devices. Taking a different, innovative approach towards solving this issue, the startup AudioTelligence employs its proprietary technology that can do the same without needing any additional or expensive hardware. In its latest Series A funding round, the company has declared of securing €7.6 million.

Funding details

The latest Series A round of funding for AudioTelligence was led by the UK headquartered Octopus Ventures. Additionally, existing investors like Cambridge Innovation Capital, Cambridge Enterprise, and CEDAR Audio participated as well. With fresh funds, the company is aiming to capture the 8.7 billion voice market by coming up with new breakthroughs in the field, forging new partnerships with technology providers, and tripling employee headcount over the next three years.

How AudioTelligence helps devices hear better

AudioTelligence’s technology acts like autofocus for sound, which employs data-driven ‘blind audio signal separation.’ It focuses on the source of the sound and intelligently, separates it from other noises in the background that may be causing interfering. In turn, audio quality for the listener is improved dramatically. At a demo during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020), company’s technology showed that sentence recognition rate in noisy conditions increased dramatically from 22 percent to a whopping 94 percent.

However, AudioTelligence’s tech is not only restricted to smart audio devices. It is also employed in the automotive industry to improve in-car voice control systems, smart TVs remote control can also be used for enhanced voice recognition. The field of hearing assistance is also benefiting from the new technology as people with hearing disabilities can hear and understand better.

Main image picture credits: AudioTelligence

Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.