AI Audio Search Platform Audioburst Raises $10M

Audioburst, an Israeli-founded, California-based startup that developed an AI-based voice search platform, announced that it raised $10 million in a funding round on Monday, adding car maker Hyundai and Japanese advertising company Dentsu as strategic investors.

Founded in 2015, Audioburst provides customized audio content from indexed radio, TV, podcasts, and other media to users, through analysis of their preferences and listening patterns. With this funding round, Audioburst will have raised some $25 million to date from investors including Samsung Ventures.

In a Medium post on Monday, Audioburst said it was “unveiling plans to build unique advertising and in-car voice-based experiences” with Hyundai and Dentsu.

“The investments signal an industry acknowledgment for consumer demand of voice-based experiences, and Audioburst’s unmatched ability to deliver that technology,” said Amir Hirsh, co-founder and CEO of Audioburst.

With Dentsu, Audioburst said its planning “to build a new market for personalized audio as an effective advertising channel for brands in Japan,” while Hyundai plans to add Audioburst’s personalized audio search, playlists, and Deep Analysis API to its Hyundai and Kia models’ infotainment systems for “an engaging, screen-free, and original-voice experience.”

“We want to change the way people experience audio content,” Hirsh was quoted by VentureBeat as saying. “Audioburst is essentially the Spotify for spoken word content. Rather than tuning into a pre-programmed station or playlist, our AI builds a unique audio stream for every listener. Each stream is built from short audio clips that are cut from diverse professional audio sources.”