Led · Equity · Jul 2024

Speaksee, founded in 2022 and based in Rotterdam, builds a speech-recognition app that converts group conversations into written, color-coded transcripts that identify speakers. Each of up to nine conversation participants uses a small microphone with an attached color; the app filters background noise and displays who said what. The product is used by hundreds of deaf and hearing-impaired people in the Netherlands and by organizations including KPN, Rabobank, PwC, the central government and several municipalities. Speaksee has been approved for reimbursement by the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), the first speech recognition app to receive this recognition. The company plans international expansion into the UK, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway and is assessing Germany because of reimbursement opportunities for assistive devices. It is developing AI-based subtitling and translation technology to make event locations (lectures, conferences, auditoriums, churches, funeral homes) accessible and is exploring applications to improve inclusivity for non-native speakers.