Team StartupCity

• Vaani AI Research secures $400,000 in pre-seed funding led by Venture Catalysts
• Funds will support scaling voice AI infrastructure and expanding enterprise partnerships
• Startup aims to simplify voice AI deployment with multilingual, human like voice agents

Vaani AI Research, a deeptech startup focused on voice AI infrastructure, has raised $400,000 in a pre-seed round led by Venture Catalysts. The funding round also included participation from industry experts and leaders from companies like Meta, Apple, GlobalLogic, Sony Pictures India, and more.

Founded in 2024 by Tushar Shinde, Nitesh Tripathi, and Nitish Mishra, Vaani combines research expertise from IISc and IIT Madras with over a decade of experience in AI and technology infrastructure. The startup is building what it calls the 'Stripe for Voice AI', offering APIs, SDKs, and enterprise grade models that allow businesses, BPOs, and developers to deploy natural, multilingual voice agents quickly in days instead of months.

The new funds will help Vaani scale its voice stack, deepen its research and development, and grow partnerships across India, the GCC region, and global markets. Vaani is also developing advanced text-to-speech (TTS) models designed to improve the naturalness and emotional quality of AI voices.

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The startup has already earned recognition by being selected for the Google for Startups AI Accelerator 2025 and joining NASSCOM’s GenAI Foundry. It also ranks among the Top 10 AI Infrastructure Companies worldwide according to F6S.

With this fresh funding, Vaani AI Research aims to accelerate innovation and make voice AI technology more accessible for enterprises worldwide.