About Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco, United States
The Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco, United States comprises 58 companies, including 36 funded companies having collectively raised $1.29B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 22 are Series A+ funded.
Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco, United States has seen 10 acquisitions. This represents almost 17.2% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies developing technologies that enable machines to recognize and translate speech, voice and sound commands.
Speech and Voice Recognition sector is also known as Speech Recognition, Voice Recognition or Sound Recognition.
Companies developing speech and voice recognition technologies which allow a machine to understand spoken commands and to distinguish or authenticate users' voice, companies developing sound recognition technologies which allow a machine to identify and translate sounds into an actionable format. Companies developing speech or voice or sound recognition enabled products for various applications like home automation, healthcare, etc are also included. Companies providing text-to-speech or speech synthesis solutions which essentially is only an artificial production of human voice and doesn't make use of speech/voice recognition, companies providing automated voices for websites, IVRs, etc, companies developing language translation software which can be used at the backend of any voice-enabled interface, companies which include speech or voice or sound recognition among a variety of other offerings, companies making use of 3rd party tech for enabling speech and voice recognition, into their products, and companies developing a wide range of hardware development kits, including sound or voice or speech hardware development kits are excluded.
Top Speech and Voice Recognition Companies in San Francisco, United States
There are 58 Speech and Voice Recognition startups in San Francisco, United States which include Deepgram, Rasa, Descript, Syllable, Orion. Out of these, 36 startups are funded, with 22 having secured Series A+ funding.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 3 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford Business School.
Here is the list of top Speech and Voice Recognition startups in San Francisco, United States
1. Deepgram
Provider of AI-based speech transcription software. It uses deep learning-enabled and custom-trained speech models to process voice data. Its features include speech-to-text, real-time streaming, multi-language support, as well as on-premise deplorability. It has applications in monitoring sales and support calls. Caters to the Finance, Government, and Software industries.
Key facts about Deepgram
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $85.9M
- Investors: Y Combinator, Wing Venture Capital and 23 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Nov 26, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 72/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 211 Competitors
2. Rasa
Rasa Technologies provides open source machine learning tools for conversational AI applications. Its products include Rasa Stack (allows developers to recognize intents, extract entities, and connect existing APIs), Rasa Platform (labeling training data in a visual interface using machine learning), and Rasa NLU (open source NLP tool for intent classification and entity extraction). It handles contextual dialogues with deep learning technologies and provides a fully customizable platform. The tools have application in multiple industries including insurance, banking, healthcare, telecom, travel, and transport. Additionally, the company provides solutions depending on the use cases such as lead generation, customer service, and digital assistants. Its clientele includes ERGO, UBS, BMW, YellowPages, and Helvetia. The company offers a paid version of the platform to enterprises and paid support services for the open source version as well.
Key facts about Rasa
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $83.8M
- Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, PayPal Ventures and 17 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Feb 14, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 69/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 4 of 1,021 Competitors
3. Descript
Descript provides automated and manual transcribing solutions for voice audio files. Uses speech recognition technology to transcribe audio and video files in a short duration of time. Allows users to correct the transcript manually, inversely correct the audio via the text editor, add comments, and collaborate with the team. Charges are per minute for human transcription.
Key facts about Descript
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $101M
- Investors: Spark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Nov 15, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 67/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 713 Competitors
4. Syllable
Provider of an AI-based digital assistant for healthcare communication system. The products of eth company include Syllable Voice Assistant, Syllable Web Assistant andCOVID-19 Vaccine Command Center. It uses natural language processing and machine-learned models to interact with patients and provide information and healthcare services over the website or mobile apps. It also provides ontologies for physician specialties and expertise, human diseases, and medical conditions.
Key facts about Syllable
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $85.6M
- Investors: TCV, Oak HC/FT and 3 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Apr 25, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 65/100 What is this?
5. Orion
AI-enabled workforce communication solution provider. The solutions offerings include dispatch console, push to talk app, and command center. Its features include language translation, automated emergency alerts, software integrations, and positioning services. The industries using the product include field services, manufacturing, construction, health, transportation, etc. The mobile application is available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Monetizes through subscription-based pricing plans.
Key facts about Orion
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $86.8M
- Investors: Allen & Company, Dell Technologies Capital and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Jan 01, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 65/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 4 of 82 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco
7 Speech and Voice Recognition startups in San Francisco were founded in 2017 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | 5 |
2024 | 1 |
2023 | 6 |
2022 | 2 |
2021 | 2 |
2020 | 2 |
2019 | 4 |
2018 | 4 |
2017 | 7 |
Stage-wise distribution of Speech and Voice Recognition sector companies in San Francisco
Out of the total 58 Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco, 36 have secured funding. Among them, 22 have reached Series A or higher, and 18 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 58
Funded - 36
Series A+ - 22
Series B+ - 18
Series C+ - 15
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 58 |
Funded | 36 |
Series A+ | 22 |
Series B+ | 18 |
Series C+ | 15 |
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Funding Trends in the Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco
Total funding year-on-year in the Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco
The Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco saw a total funding of more than $1.21B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2025 at more than $415M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $415M |
2024 | $83.5M |
2023 | $68.6M |
2022 | $206M |
2021 | $113M |
2020 | $119M |
2019 | $48.7M |
2018 | $50.2M |
2017 | $53.2M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Speech and Voice Recognition in San Francisco
In the year 2025, till December 2025, Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco have raised $415M in equity funding across 8 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till August 2024), Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco had raised $61.5M across 5 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 574.8% rise in funding in Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series A | 6375 | Nov 20, 2025 | ||
Series B | 2902 | Oct 22, 2025 | - | |
Seed | 5733 | Jul 31, 2025 | ||
Series A | 7741 | Jun 24, 2025 | and 6 more | |
Seed | 6652 | May 30, 2025 |
Top Investors in Speech and Voice Recognition in San Francisco
500 Global is the top investor in Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) | ||
Palo Alto (United States) | ||
Woodside (United States) | ||
San Francisco (United States) | ||
San Francisco (United States) |
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M&A activity in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco
In the year 2024, till July 2024, 1 acquisition happened in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco. Last year, in 2023, a total of 1 acquisition happened in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Jun 04, 2024 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 11, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 27, 2021 | ||
Acqui-Hired | Sep 20, 2021 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jul 13, 2021 |
Acquisition trends in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco
Here are the acquisition trends in Speech and Voice Recognition sector in San Francisco:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 1 |
2023 | 1 |
2022 | - |
2021 | 3 |
2020 | - |
2019 | 1 |
2018 | 1 |
2017 | - |
Colleges which produce the most Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Speech and Voice Recognition in San Francisco
Most number of Speech and Voice Recognition startups in San Francisco have been founded by alumni from Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford Business School.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Stanford University | 9 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 |
Stanford Business School | 4 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 2 |
University of Toronto | 2 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 1 |
Cornell University | 1 |
Duke University | 1 |
Harvard University | 1 |
IIT Delhi | 1 |
Total funding in Speech and Voice Recognition companies founded by alumni from top colleges in San Francisco
In the last 10 years, Stanford University graduates' Speech and Voice Recognition companies in San Francisco have raised the most funding among top colleges. Stanford Business School alumni are second, and University of Toronto alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Stanford University | $348M |
Stanford Business School | $272M |
University of Toronto | $139M |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $100M |
Carnegie Mellon University | $86M |
Duke University | $86M |
IIT Delhi | $86M |
University of Cambridge | $83.8M |
University of California (Berkeley) | $44.6M |
Cornell University | $1.02M |
Top News in Speech and Voice Recognition in San Francisco
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Rasa Unveils Multimodal Voice AI for Businesses at Customer Contact WeekPR Newswire•Jun 12, 2025•Rasa, Site-Incorporated
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Rasa Presents Multimodal Voice AI Designed for Enterprises at Customer Contact Week in Las VegasPR Newswire•Jun 12, 2025•Rasa
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Rasa Unveils Multimodal Voice AI for Enterprises at Customer Contact WeekPR Newswire•Jun 12, 2025•Rasa
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Rasa Introduces Multimodal Voice AI for Enterprise at Customer Contact Week Las VegasPR Newswire•Jun 11, 2025•Rasa
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Introducing Nova-3: Extending Deepgram's Leadership in Voice AI for Enterprise Use CasesBusiness Wire•Feb 12, 2025•Deepgram
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