Sanas Uses AI to Transform Call Center Accents in Real-Time

# Funding # sanas

The voice and speech recognition market is booming, with projections from Markets and Markets suggesting it could hit a whopping $28.1 billion by 2027. Amidst a sea of providers, innovative startups like Sanas are making waves. Launched in 2020, Sanas has developed AI-powered software that tweaks a speaker's accent on the fly. Sharath Keshava Narayana, co-founder and president of Sanas, emphasized to TechCrunch the importance of enhancing human connection through technology, not replacing it. "As customer interactions grow worldwide, the need for genuine human communication remains crucial," he stated. Sanas was born out of a college project by Maxim Serebryakov, Shawn Zhang, and Andrés Soderi. Their motivation stemmed from a fellow student, Raul, who faced accent discrimination at a call center in Nicaragua. Raul's struggle with 'accent neutralization training' inspired the founders to create a solution to combat accent bias. In 2021, Narayana, a former co-founder of call center startup Observe.ai, joined Sanas, bringing with him the company's first round of funding. Sanas' tech works by analyzing speech and converting it to match a desired accent, all while maintaining the speaker's emotion and "identity." It also minimizes background noise like reverb and echo. Narayana highlighted what sets Sanas apart: "Our patented AI tech recognizes phonetic patterns and adjusts them in real-time, yet keeps the speaker's unique identity intact. Our models are trained on over 50 million speech samples from tech partners and our voice actors." Recently, Sanas bolstered its intellectual property by acquiring certain technologies from competitor InTone. This move, according to Narayana, positions Sanas to cater to a broader audience. Currently, Sanas serves about 50 clients across sectors like healthcare, logistics, and hardware manufacturing. Narayana noted that their annual recurring revenue has climbed to $21 million, a $3 million increase from the previous year. Despite its success, Sanas operates in a field that stirs debate. Some studies suggest that exposure to various accents can actually reduce bias. Critics, as reported by The Guardian in 2022, worry that Sanas' tech might lead to a uniformity among call center workers. Narayana countered these concerns, saying, "Sanas isn't just about tech; it's about our mission to break down barriers, fight discrimination, and amplify voices worldwide. We're creating a world where communication connects rather than divides." The controversy hasn't hindered Sanas' fundraising efforts. This week, the company announced a $65 million funding round, valuing it at over $500 million. The round was led by Quadrille Capital and Teleperformance, with contributions from Insight Partners, Quiet Capital, Alorica, and DN Capital. With more than $100 million raised so far, Sanas is set to develop new "speech-to-speech" algorithms, expand into new markets, and explore opportunities in sectors like healthcare and retail, Narayana explained. "Our goal is to scale responsibly and keep innovating, preparing us to face any challenges ahead," he added. Sanas also plans to grow its team of around 150 and open a new office in the Philippines, a hub for contact centers. *Updated 3/15 11:26 p.m. Pacific: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Sanas had acquired InTone. In fact, Sanas only acquired certain technologies from InTone. We regret the error.*

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