AI voice-over startup Dubformer has received $3.6 million in seed funding to redefine the depth of emotions captured in media localization. Investments led by Almaz Capital, involvement from S16VC and Finsight, as well as Angel Investors including Arul Menezes, founder of Microsoft Translator, and Funa Maduka, former head of Netflix International Original Films, will fuel the company’s mission to make it more permanent and appealing to voices around the world.
Solve the biggest challenge of AI dubbing
Despite significant advances in AI dubbing, most solutions are working to convey the true emotions in dubbing. Research shows that it is easy for viewers to distinguish humans from AI-generated pronunciations, mainly due to the lack of expressive intonation of speech in AI. This limitation reduces the audience’s experience and affects participation with local content.
With the video localization industry worth $7 billion and growing at a CAGR of 16%, media companies are eager for innovative solutions to improve dubbing quality without the high costs associated with traditional voice performance. Enter Dubformer and the company faces this challenge head-on.
Emotional Transfer: The Next Evolution of AI Dubbing
Unlike traditional AI dubbing, Clones sounds sound, Dubformer has groundbreaking emotional transfer, a technology designed to replicate the emotional nuances of voice. This cutting-edge approach does not simply translate and synthesize words, but transfers tone, rhythm, and emotional depth from original performance to a version called dubbing.
“At Dubformer, we not only recreate the sound, but also capture the essence of the performance.” explain Anton Dvorkovich, Founder and CEO. “Through emotional transfer, we also retain acoustic features such as echo and reverb, ensuring that the dubbing is seamlessly integrated into any scene.”
Verified industry recognition
Dubformer’s AI dubbing technology has been recognized in the industry. At WMT 2024, one of the most prestigious competitions in machine translation, Dubformer ranks highest in voice translation and ranks highest in multiple languages, outperforming key players such as Google Translate, Deepl, Deepl and Chatgpt.
Rapid growth and expand customer base
Dubformer was founded in September 2023 by Anton Dvorkovich, a machine translation expert and former head of NLP and Speak, Dubformer has experienced explosive growth. The company has maintained an astonishing 50% monthly growth rate over the past six months, reflecting the growing demand for AI voiceover solutions.
Currently, Dubformer serves more than 200 clients in the United States and Europe, including major names such as Paramount, Small Dot Studio and mainstream media. The company also works with international companies such as Voxx (Los Angeles), Presto (Czech Republic) and Gobavo (Türkiye) to expand its global footprint.
AI dubbing for each industry
Dubformer provides voiceover solutions for a variety of industries including television, animation and film production. Its technology is accessible through open platforms and APIs, allowing content creators, localization companies and broadcasters to easily integrate AI-powered voiceovers into their workflows.
- For content creators and small businesses: A self-service platform that converts content into over 130 languages in a simple three-step dubbing process.
- For localized companies: Professional tools for advanced voice performance features and project management support for broadcast quality dubbing.
- For broadcasters and content distributors: Full-service AI voiceover features human quality control to ensure seamless positioning using studio-level accuracy.
Shaping the future of AI dubbing
Dubformer’s leadership team is composed of experts in AI, machine translation and media industries, working to change the way content is localized. With the latest funding, the company will expand its operations and further enhance its AI capabilities, ensuring that known media resonates emotionally with its global audience.
“In the rapidly growing AI dubbing landscape, Dubformer is committed to pushing the industry forward by solving its greatest challenges (emotional authenticity)Dvorkovich said. “By making AI voiceovers more natural, we can enable media companies to attract more audiences while reducing localization costs without damaging the audience’s experience.”
With its groundbreaking technology and ambitious vision, Dubformer is reshaping the future of media localization.
