Kyutai Spins Out Gradium with $70M to Build Next-Generation Voice AI
Gradium, a Paris-based voice AI startup spun out of the nonprofit research lab KyutaiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has launched with $70 million in new funding from prominent backers including former Google CEO Eric SchmidtDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and French billionaires Xavier NielDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Rodolphe SaadéDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The round was led by FirstMark Capital and Eurazeo and gives the company resources to bring Kyutai’s research into commercial products.
Founded by engineers and researchers from Google, Meta and Jane StreetDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Gradium is building audio-focused AI models designed for applications that rely on natural and responsive speech. Its technology can generate voices, transcribe audio, adapt vocal tone and process speech in real time.
The startup enters a competitive market that includes tech giants and rapidly expanding specialists, but CEO Neil ZeghidourDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → argues that existing voice systems remain fragile and inconsistent, particularly when handling nuance or rapid exchanges.
Gradium’s origins lie in Kyutai, the nonprofit AI lab established in 2023 by Niel, Schmidt and shipping magnate Rodolphe Saadé to pursue open-source research. Kyutai released Moshi last year, a voice model that processes speech directly instead of converting it repeatedly between text and audio — a method intended to reduce latency and improve expressiveness.
Gradium is now taking that underlying technology into a commercial setting, offering expanded capabilities, service guarantees and dedicated deployment support for enterprise use.
The company, which formally launched in September 2025, has begun working with clients across education, healthcare, customer service and gaming, though it has not disclosed names. Its first product supports English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, with more languages planned. Gradium currently has a team of eight and intends to expand as it scales its platform.
By moving Kyutai’s research into a commercial structure, Gradium reflects a growing trend in AI: nonprofit labs producing foundational work that later transitions into companies when market demand requires applied development and long-term support.
Sources:
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Startup Researcher
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