VoiceRun nabs $5.5M to build a voice agent factory

San Francisco: Nicholas Leonard and Derek Caneja wanted to make AI voice agents. When they tried to do this, they found many voice agents had problems. Some were made quickly with no-code tools, but the quality was low. Others took a long time to build with lots of resources. Leonard mentioned that developers and businesses needed a better option. They realized the future of software would be better with coding agents.

So, last year, they launched VoiceRun. This platform helps developers create and scale voice agents. Right now, many low-code platforms let users build voice agents by clicking on diagrams. This can be hard to use. But VoiceRun allows users to code their agents, giving them more control. Leonard said, “Code is the native language of coding agents.” This means coding agents can work better using code rather than a visual way.

With visual tools, users have fewer choices. For example, making a voice agent speak a different dialect can be tough if the tool doesn’t support it. But with code, it is easy. “There are countless examples of small tasks that a visual tool might not cover,” Leonard explained.

VoiceRun also lets users quickly test different versions and deploy with one click. The company mainly helps businesses use AI in customer service or launch voice-based products. For instance, they are working with a restaurant-tech company to create an AI phone concierge for reservations.

Recently, VoiceRun announced it raised $5.5 million in a seed round led by Flybridge Capital. They face tough competition. Many startups in AI are getting funding, and Leonard sees VoiceRun competing with both quick no-code builders and detailed tools that give developers full control. He explained that VoiceRun is in the middle, providing global voice systems while letting customers manage their data and code.

Leonard hopes that developers can create tools that help people trust automated voices more. Currently, many prefer talking to humans for customer service. A survey showed that three-fourths of people still want to talk to a person, as automated voices can be unhelpful. He believes his product could change this experience because “human agents can also have limits,” like language issues.

He likened the need for great voice agents to the history of cars. “There were great cars before the Model T, but vehicles became common with the assembly line,” he said. “Voice agents today are good, but we need to build the voice agent factory to make them common. VoiceRun is that factory.”