Paris-based AI voice startup Gradium raises $100M seed round backed by Nvidia

Gradium, a Paris-based startup focused on AI voice models, announced it has raised $100 million in a seed round that included Nvidia as a new investor. The company reopened its seed round to add new backers, bringing the total raised in this round to $100 million.

The funding will be used to establish a Bay Area office and compete for talent in the U.S., a move Gradium described as strengthening its position within the global AI ecosystem. The company cited proximity to leading AI labs and companies such as Anthropic, Google, Meta, and OpenAI as a strategic advantage.

Gradium was originally launched out of stealth in December with $70 million from investors including FirstMark Capital, Eurazeo, DST Global Partners, Eric Schmidt, and Xavier Niel. The startup was spun out of Kyutai, a French AI lab backed by Niel, and co-founded by Neil Zeghidour, a researcher with prior roles at Google Brain, DeepMind, and Facebook.

The company’s technology focuses on audio models optimized for ultra-low latency, enabling AI voices to respond almost instantly in conversations, addressing a common issue of delayed responses in AI agent interactions.

Gradium faces competition from other voice AI startups such as ElevenLabs, which was valued at $11 billion in February, as well as major model providers like Google’s Gemini. Despite this, Gradium claims to have secured notable customers, including French automaker Renault, since its launch.