Reddit Co-Founder’s Firm Invests in AI Translation Startup Palabra
▼ Summary
– Palabra AI is developing an AI-powered speech translation engine to address the challenge of real-time, human-like voice translation, which is more complex than text translation.
– Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six, led an $8.4 million pre-seed investment in Palabra AI, citing its strong AI research team and smooth translation execution.
– Palabra AI was founded by former Samsung engineer Artem Kukharenko, who aimed to solve real-time translation issues by reducing latency to 800ms and using a custom data pipeline for quick language support.
– The startup offers consumer and business products, including a desktop app for video calls supporting 30+ languages, with plans to expand to platforms like YouTube and Netflix.
– Palabra AI faces competition from startups like EzDubs and Google Meet but is working on a streaming prediction model to further reduce latency and support 10,000+ simultaneous audio streams.
Speech translation technology is advancing rapidly, but bridging the gap between human-like voice conversion and real-time multilingual communication remains a complex challenge. Palabra AI, a startup specializing in AI-powered speech translation, has caught the attention of investors, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six (776). The company recently secured $8.4 million in pre-seed funding, with backing from prominent figures like Instacart’s Max Mullen and former DeepMind executive Mehdi Ghissassi.
Ohanian highlighted Palabra’s unique approach to solving real-time translation hurdles. “Most AI models handle text translation well, but speech requires instantaneous language switching while maintaining natural voice quality,” he explained. The startup’s ability to reduce latency to just 800 milliseconds sets it apart, making conversations feel fluid and immediate.
Founded in 2023 by former Samsung machine learning engineer Artem Kukharenko and Alexander Kabakov, Palabra was born from firsthand frustrations with language barriers. Kukharenko, a digital nomad, experienced the limitations of existing tools firsthand. “Other solutions stitch together speech-to-text and text-to-speech APIs, introducing delays,” he said. Palabra’s custom data pipeline allows rapid integration of new languages while maintaining accuracy through human-reviewed quality checks.
The company offers both consumer and enterprise solutions. Its desktop app, compatible with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, supports over 30 languages, enabling seamless multilingual meetings. A free tier provides 30 minutes of translation monthly, with premium plans starting at $25 for 60 minutes. Businesses can also leverage Palabra’s APIs and SDKs, already adopted by platforms like Agora for live multilingual streaming and event organizers needing real-time interpretation.
Despite competition from players like Google Meet’s real-time translation and startups such as EzDubs and Camb.AI, Palabra is pushing forward with innovations. A new streaming prediction model aims to slash latency further, while upcoming features will extend translation to platforms like YouTube and Netflix. The startup also plans to scale its infrastructure to handle 10,000+ simultaneous audio streams, positioning itself as a leader in AI-driven multilingual communication.
With strong investor confidence and a focus on seamless, human-like translation, Palabra is poised to redefine how we break language barriers, whether in business meetings or global live streams.
(Source: TechCrunch)