Voice reconstruction startup Whispp secures €2.5 million grant

Whispp, a Dutch startup, has been selected for the EIC (European Innovation Council) Accelerator program, securing a €2.5M grant. Whispp's real-time audio-to-audio voice reconstruction technology enables people with voice conditions or severe stuttering to communicate more effectively by converting their whispered or affected speech into a clear, natural-sounding voice. This breakthrough innovation could positively impact the lives of 300 million people worldwide struggling with voice disabilities.

 The innovative technology addresses the limitations of existing communication systems that often fail to accommodate whispered, unstable, or voice-affected speech. By converting affected and whispered speech into a person's clear, natural voice in real time, Whispp empowers individuals with voice conditions, such as those resulting from throat cancer, vocal cord paralysis, or spasmodic dysphonia, to communicate more effectively.

The EIC Accelerator program, a flagship initiative for high-risk, deep-tech startups, recognized the potential of Whispp's real-time on-device voice AI and awarded the company a €2.5M grant, along with a commitment for equity investment in the next phase.

Whispp's unique approach to voice reconstruction

Unlike traditional speech-to-text solutions that suffer from high latency and inaccuracies, Whispp offers real-time audio-to-audio-based voice technology. This approach, inspired by the Source-Filter theory of human speech production, enables very low conversion latency and preserves speech nuances, including intonation, pauses, emphasis, and emotion.

Whispp's technology is language-independent and highly scalable, enabling users to recreate their own voice using recordings of their current or former healthy voice, adding a personalized element to communication. Founder and CEO of Whispp, Joris Castermans, developed the idea based on his own experiences with stuttering, noting that people who stutter severely often speak fluently when whispering.

Whispp's technology has garnered significant recognition, including being named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 in the Accessibility category. The app has demonstrated an average 85% reduction in stutter frequency when people who stutter whisper. With the EIC Accelerator support, Whispp plans to further develop its real-time audio-to-audio-based voice technology and expand its reach to smartphones and laptops worldwide.