Despite the controversy, ElevenLabs continues to expand its customer base, which includes Synthesia, the Washington Post, HarperCollins, and various video game developers. The company competes with startups like Deepdub and industry giants such as OpenAI and Google. ElevenLabs provides its technology through an API with multiple pricing tiers, allowing users to fine-tune dubbed and cloned voices for clarity and style. The startup recently demonstrated its capabilities by translating an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into multiple languages while retaining the original speaker's voice characteristics.
Key takeaways:
- ElevenLabs raised $250 million in a Series C funding round, valuing the company between $3 billion and $3.3 billion.
- The startup's AI platform can generate synthetic speech and clone voices, with applications in dubbing, audiobooks, and more.
- ElevenLabs faced controversy for using the cloned voice of late French actor Alain Dorval without his family's final approval.
- Customers of ElevenLabs include Synthesia Ltd., the Washington Post, HarperCollins Publishers LLC, and various video game developers.