Deepgram’s Series C & OfOne Deal

January 13, 2026

🔊 Soundcheck

  • Deepgram’s $130M boost fuels global voice AI leap

  • ABR Raises Seed to Scale TSP1 Voice Chip

  • Presto Raises $10M to Scale Drive‑Thru Voice AI

  • Equature Unveils AI Voice Agent for 911

Read time: 4 minutes

🔥 Hot Mic

Big moves, deep dives, and standout stories.

Deepgram raised $130M at a $1.3B valuation and acquired YC‑backed OfOne to boost voice AI services.

Deepgram has secured a $130 million Series C round at a unicorn valuation of $1.3 billion. The round was led by AVP and included both new and returning backers. The company plans to use the funds to expand globally, support more languages, and accelerate infrastructure and acquisitions. Among its latest moves: acquiring OfOne, a YC‑backed voice AI startup focused on drive‑thru services, to deepen its roots in the restaurant space.

Key Points:

  • Raised $130M in Series C at a $1.3B valuation.

  • Funding led by AVP, with new and existing investors.

  • More than 1,300 organizations use Deepgram’s voice AI.

  • Acquired YC‑backed OfOne to expand restaurant solutions.

Takeaway: Deepgram’s massive fundraising and strategic acquisition of OfOne underscore its growing role in voice AI. With strong backing, global ambitions, and a move into restaurant voice automation, it’s positioning itself as a foundational infrastructure player for developers and businesses worldwide.

Applied Brain Research secured oversubscribed seed funding to commercialize its ultra-low‑power TSP1 edge voice AI chip.

Applied Brain Research closed an oversubscribed seed round led by Two Small Fish Ventures, with investor Eva Lau joining the board. This funding will help push forward development and commercialization of the TSP1 state‑space accelerator chip and companion software for edge AI voice tasks. The TSP1 is built to handle full‑vocabulary speech‑to‑text and text‑to‑speech with exceptional energy efficiency and minimal latency, aiming to eliminate reliance on cloud connectivity. ABR sees strong adoption potential across areas like AR glasses, robotics, wearables, medical gadgets, and automotive systems where voice interaction needs to stay fast, private, and reliable.

Key Points:

  • Seed round was oversubscribed and led by Two Small Fish Ventures

  • Eva Lau joins the board, bringing investor insight

  • TSP1 chip enables full speech AI at under 30 mW power draw

  • Target use cases include AR, robotics, wearables, medical devices, automotive

Takeaway: Applied Brain Research is positioning its TSP1 chip as a breakthrough in edge voice AI—delivering full speech capabilities with minimal power and zero reliance on cloud, unlocking new possibilities for battery‑sensitive and disconnected applications.

Presto has closed a $10 million funding round led by Metropolitan Partners Group, joined by Remus Capital, Link Ventures and strategic angels including the CEO of ElevenLabs. The capital will help accelerate production‑scale rollouts of their voice‑AI system across quick‑service restaurant drive‑thrus. This reflects a shift from experimental pilots toward operator‑ready deployments with proven order accuracy, edge‑case handling and speed of service.

After spinning off its tabletop business in 2024, Presto refocused on voice‑based ordering deployments for QSRs, working with partners such as Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Taco John’s, Wienerschnitzel, Captain D’s and Fazoli’s. Voice quality is now mission‑critical: more human‑sounding systems help retain customer trust and avoid friction that can erase the efficiency gains in drive‑thru operations.

Key Points:

  • $10M funding round led by Metropolitan Partners Group

  • Funds to drive production‑scale drive‑thru voice AI rollouts

  • Prioritized voice ordering after spinning off tabletop business

  • Voice quality and repeatability now critical to customer acceptance

Takeaway: Presto’s fresh capital marks a turning point: voice AI in drive‑thrus is entering a “prove‑it” era, where real deployability and human‑grade interactions matter more than novelty.

Equature’s SmartAgent handles routine public safety calls, capturing data and freeing dispatchers for real emergencies.

Equature has launched SmartAgent, an AI voice agent designed for 911, non‑emergency, and public‑safety contact centers. It automatically triages routine incoming calls, gathers key caller details, and builds structured incident records for dispatchers to act on. The system identifies emergency vs non‑emergency situations, escalating critical cases immediately. SmartAgent integrates with Equature’s ViewPoint platform, keeping recordings, transcripts, and AI outputs under agency control while letting human dispatchers concentrate on urgent calls and reduce burnout.

Key Points:

  • SmartAgent launched January 12, 2026 for 911 and public safety centers

  • Automatically handles routine, non‑emergency calls like noise or animal control

  • Captures caller details, locations, and reasons in structured incident records

  • Distinguishes emergencies to transfer immediately to live dispatchers

Takeaway: SmartAgent lets public safety centers deploy AI to handle repetitive, low‑risk calls—streamlining workflows and preserving dispatcher focus and bandwidth for emergencies without sacrificing control or compliance.

🎙️ Mic Drop

What else is making noise in voice AI.

Speechify expands its Voice AI Assistant to iOS, broadening access to AI-powered reading and productivity features. (9to5mac.com)

Chatterbox open-source TTS offers precise markup-based controls and a local alternative to ElevenLabs for multilingual voice synthesis. (geeky-gadgets.com)

Apple reportedly taps Google’s Gemini AI to revamp Siri, setting stage for ecosystem shifts in consumer voice assistants. (nypost.com)

Tucuvi secures €17M for its certified voice AI, automating healthcare follow-ups and enabling scalable patient engagement solutions. (eu-startups.com)

AISpeech unveils advanced conversational AI for connected vehicles and mobility use cases at CES 2026. (koreaherald.com)

SoundHound partners with Ultraviolette to power new AI voice interface for next-gen electric motorcycles. (stocktwits.com)

Ultraviolette launches Violette AI assistant for the F77 motorcycle, advancing voice-driven mobility experiences. (blog.gaadikey.com)

ElevenLabs offers guidance on the safe and effective deployment of AI-driven voice systems for business and personal use. (financialcontent.com)

Klaviyo forecasts a boom in AI-powered voice shopping and smart return processes, shaping future e-commerce experiences. (ecommercenews.com.au)

Applied Brain Research's seed round to commercialize TSP1 edge chip underlines rising investment in hardware-accelerated voice AI. (canadianmanufacturing.com)