French voice AI startup Gradium has raised $30 million in a seed round extension, bringing its total seed funding to over $100 million seven months after its launch. The Paris-based company secured backing from Nvidia along with other investors, although it did not disclose its latest valuation, according to sifted.eu.
Gradium initially raised $70 million at the end of last year, led by US venture capital firm Firstmark and French investor Eurazeo. The startup also counts French billionaires Xavier Niel and Rodolphe Saadé, as well as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, among its investors. Gradium spun out of the Paris-based non-profit AI research lab Kyutai, which launched in 2023 with €300 million in backing from Niel, Saadé, and Schmidt, focusing primarily on voice AI research.
Gradium develops AI tools to help developers build voice applications, offering models designed for speech recognition and voice interaction. The company operates in a competitive space where voice AI is gaining traction, with significant investments flowing into startups that enable natural language interfaces. The involvement of Nvidia, a major player in AI hardware and software, highlights the strategic interest in voice AI technologies.
Kyutai, the non-profit lab behind Gradium, remains focused on open-source AI research, with Gradium as its commercial arm. The startup’s seed round extension to over $100 million marks one of the largest early-stage fundraises in European voice AI. The next milestone for Gradium will be the launch of its developer tools to a broader audience later this year, as disclosed by the company.