Speaksee Secures Over €1 Million for International Expansion and Technological Advancement

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Speaksee, a pioneering speech recognition app designed to enable hearing-impaired and deaf individuals to participate in group conversations, has successfully raised over €1 million. This funding round was led by the impact fund NoorderImpact, along with various angel investors, and will be utilized for international expansion and the development of new technologies aimed at fostering greater inclusivity in society.

Participating in group conversations poses significant challenges for hearing-impaired and deaf individuals in both professional and personal settings. The complexity of tracking multiple speakers often results in missed information and a sense of exclusion.

Since its launch in 2022, Speaksee has empowered hearing-impaired and deaf people to actively engage in group conversations. Founded by Jari Hazelebach, the app converts spoken words into written text, distinguishing between different speakers. Up to nine participants each receive a small, color-coded microphone, and these colors are reflected in the transcripts on the user’s screen. This system effectively filters out background noise, allowing users to follow conversations and identify who is speaking.

Currently, hundreds of hearing-impaired and deaf individuals in the Netherlands benefit from Speaksee. The app is also utilized by major organizations such as KPN, Rabobank, PwC, the central government, and several Dutch municipalities. Recently, Speaksee received official approval for reimbursement from the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), becoming the first speech recognition app to earn this recognition.

Gerard de Gooijer, Senior Advisor Business Management Domain ICT at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, highlighted the impact of Speaksee: “At the central government, we are very excited about the use of Speaksee and see significant benefits. Whereas on average no more than ten to twelve percent of people with a disability moved on to permanent employment after their trial placement, this percentage has increased to about half thanks to the use of inclusive technology. Additionally, it also significantly increases the advancement opportunities in their career.”

Funding Allocation and Future Plans

The recent funding round raised over €1 million, with €800,000 coming from investors, including NoorderImpact and several angel investors such as the founders of Dutch unicorn DataSnipper, Jonas Ruyter and Kai Bakker, and participants from Rabobank’s Money Meets Ideas network. Additionally, €240,000 of previously raised convertible loans was converted into equity capital. The round was supported by Generous Minds and Zebra Legal.

Speaksee plans to use the funds to expand into the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway, chosen for their favorable reimbursement options for assistive devices. The company is also exploring opportunities for expansion into Germany.

Backed by its financiers, Speaksee will further develop its technology to apply it in more settings. Current projects include making event locations such as lecture halls, auditoriums, funeral homes, and churches accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing through AI-based subtitling and translation technology. Additionally, Speaksee is working on new applications of its technology to improve inclusivity for non-native speakers.

Sjoerd Zijlstra of NoorderImpact expressed strong support for Speaksee: “Speaksee matches very well with our goal to empower excluded groups in social situations. Its team is driven and has a strong connection to the target group. Therefore, we can’t think of a better company to make this initiative successful.”

Hazelebach added, “NoorderImpact is one of the few investors that has included social inclusion as a company pillar. We are extremely pleased with the confidence of our financiers in us and our technology. The funding raised brings us one step closer to our goal: a society where everyone can actively participate in conversations and interaction, in any situation.”

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