Gradium, a Paris-headquartered startup specializing in voice AI models, announced on Thursday that it has successfully re-opened its seed funding round to new investors, notably securing investment from Nvidia. This strategic move has propelled the total capital raised for the round to an impressive $100 million.
This substantial capital injection is earmarked for the establishment of a new office in the Bay Area, a move aimed at attracting top-tier talent and, as Gradium stated, "strengthening its position at the heart of the world’s leading AI ecosystem." While Paris remains a significant European center for AI innovation, this expansion underscores the perceived advantages for AI startups in proximity to industry giants like Anthropic, Google, Meta, and OpenAI.
Gradium initially emerged from stealth mode in December, having already secured $70 million in its initial funding phase. This earlier round drew support from a distinguished group of investors, including FirstMark Capital, Eurazeo, DST Global Partners, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and French telecom magnate Xavier Niel.
The startup itself originated as a spin-off from the French AI laboratory Kyutai, which is also supported by Xavier Niel. Both Kyutai and Gradium share a co-founder in Neil Zeghidour, a respected researcher with a notable background that includes tenures at Google Brain, DeepMind, and Facebook.
Gradium's core focus lies in developing advanced audio models designed to deliver scalable voice capabilities with ultra-low latency. This innovation aims to enable AI voices that respond virtually instantaneously, effectively eliminating the common, often awkward pauses that can disrupt conversations with AI agents.
Despite a competitive landscape, which includes other prominent voice AI startups like ElevenLabs, valued at $1.1 billion in February, and major model developers such as Google's Gemini, Gradium appears to be making significant inroads. The company reports that since its public launch in December, it has successfully secured several major clients, notably including the French automotive giant Renault.
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