Murf AI, a synthetic speech technology startup that is revolutionizing the creation of voiceovers, has raised a $10 million Series A funding round led by Matrix Partners. The round also witnessed participation from existing investor Elevation Capital and angel investors, including Ajay Arora, Ankit Bhati, Ashwini Asokan, Pushkar Mukewar, and Yamini Bhat.
The funds will drive additional product innovation, accelerate R&D, and scale the company’s presence in key markets. Murf AI raised $1.5 million in seed funding from Elevation Capital and a few angel investors in May 2021.
“Synthetic media is poised to become omnipresent in the near future and voice is at the core of it. At Murf AI, we continue to make advances in our speech technology to bring the diverse abilities of talented voice actors to our customers’ fingertips through AI. This Series A investment would further bolster our commitment towards simplifying and scaling voiceovers,” said Ankur Edkie, co-founder and CEO of Murf AI.
The startup bridging the diversity gap of traditional text-to-speech platforms
Murf, founded in 2020 by Sneha Roy, Ankur Edkie, and Divyanshu Pandey, provides an AI-enabled SaaS tool that allows users to generate voiceovers via modulation without the need for complex recording equipment or hiring a voice artist.
The platform caters to all creators, including educators, authors, podcasters, animators, product developers, YouTubers, freelancers, and corporate coaches. According to the startup, Murf’s curated voice library of over 120 realistic sounding AI voices in more than 20 languages is ideal for those on a tight budget who want to create voiceovers at scale.
“AI-driven, life-like voiceovers are the next frontier in the text-to-speech market. Their execution prowess and tech-first focus are evident in the solid traction and growth they’ve demonstrated. With its stellar founding team and unique IP, Murf is poised to gain a leadership position in this space. We are excited to double down on our partnership with Murf”, said Mukul Arora, co-managing partner, Elevation Capital.
Murf claims to have increased its ARR by 22x and synthesized over one million voiceover projects. It claims to have curated a voice library of over 120 realistic AI voices in over 20 languages. The startup is also expanding its global footprint, with 80 percent of its customers coming from the United States, Canada, and the European Union.