Whispp raises €5M to scale its on-device voice reconstruction AI worldwide
What's the deal? Leiden-based startup WhisppDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €5 million to scale the global deployment of its audio-to-audio voice reconstruction AI. The technology converts whispered or impaired speech into a person's clear, natural voice in real time.
What does Whispp do? Founded in 2019 by chief executive Joris CastermansDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and chief technology officer Akash Raj, the company builds AI that helps people whose speech is affected by stuttering, throat cancer, vocal cord paralysis, or ALS. Its on-device approach avoids the 2–3 second latency of text-to-speech tools and preserves intonation, pauses, and emotion.
Why now? In October 2025, Whispp secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council's EIC Accelerator programme for the same real-time technology. This €5 million round builds on a €750,000 seed round in early 2024, led by LUMO LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → with backing from Leiden University's holding companies.
What's the endgame? Castermans, who stuttered as a child, wants the technology on "every smartphone and laptop worldwide." Reaching that goal depends on partnerships with mobile network operators and large technology companies.
The condition Whispp targets is widespread. Voice disorders affect an estimated 300 million people, and the app has cut stutter frequency by an average of 85% when users whisper. Whispp was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 in the accessibility category.
The signal: The round reflects growing investor and public-funder appetite for on-device AI that reduces reliance on cloud inference for latency, privacy, and cost reasons. After earlier seed and grant funding, Whispp's €5 million Series A signals that mission-driven assistive voice tech is starting to attract meaningful private capital, positioning the company as one of the more advanced European players in the niche.
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Image credit: Generated with Gemini
