DeepL acquires Mixhalo for live-event audio streaming and translation
With this acquisition, DeepL is opening an office in San Francisco to expand its U. At conferences, speakers are often delivering their keynote or panel discussions in languages that many attendees might not know. That leads to users scrambling for their phones and opening translation apps to capture audio from a distance, which is not always effective.
Key Takeaways
- Mixhalo, a real-time audio startup that solves for situations like these , is joining DeepL to boost the German startup's translation suite to help improve these kinds of translation experiences.
Mixhalo was founded in 2016 by Incubus guitarist and songwriter Mike Einziger, violinist Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger, and Vik Singh, who is now the CEO of the startup.
- He said that the rise of voice AI didn't directly contribute to acquisition talks, but as model companies grow big, they would "start encroaching" on the space Mixhalo operated in, making it difficult to win on pricing.
Mixhalo said it already relied on DeepL as its primary translation provider, and it made sense to work closer with the company.
- " DeepL has been a text translation player for a long time, but in the last few years, it has started making noise about its voice products.
In 2024, the company launched voice-to-text translation capabilities in over 33 languages .
- The platform will allow us to show how DeepL's tech works in real time and in environments like conferences where people are present on the ground," DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski told TechCrunch in a call.
Mixhalo competes with the likes of Wordly AI and Seven Seven Six-backed Palabra .
- Through candid fireside chats and high-impact networking, you'll walk away with valuable insights and new connections.
Stats & Key Facts
- #The startup raised over $39 million in capital from investors including Fortress Investment, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, and Cowboy Ventures.
- #In 2024, the company launched voice-to-text translation capabilities in over 33 languages .
Mixhalo, a real-time audio startup that solves for situations like these , is joining DeepL to boost the German startup's translation suite to help improve these kinds of translation experiences. Mixhalo was founded in 2016 by Incubus guitarist and songwriter Mike Einziger, violinist Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger, and Vik Singh, who is now the CEO of the startup. The company's initial pitch was to improve the listening experience for concert attendees through its platform, but over the years evolved into a company that powers real-time audio for sports and live events.
The startup raised over $39 million in capital from investors including Fortress Investment, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, and Cowboy Ventures. Mixhalo's CEO Singh said in an email that tons of voice models coming to market were beneficial to Mixhalo, as it could integrate a variety of them and compare performance. He said that the rise of voice AI didn't directly contribute to acquisition talks, but as model companies grow big, they would "start encroaching" on the space Mixhalo operated in, making it difficult to win on pricing.
Mixhalo said it already relied on DeepL as its primary translation provider, and it made sense to work closer with the company. Singh tells us: "The DeepL conversation was very organic. Mixhalo has been a long-time DeepL customer, and I attended a customer dinner and ended up seated next to Sebastian, DeepL's CTO.
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch AI.
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