Podcastle, a podcasting platform that has boosted its product with varied generative AI-driven options, has raised $13.5 million in a Collection A funding spherical led by Mosaic Ventures.
Additionally taking part had been current Podcastle traders RTP World, Level 9 Capital, Sierra Ventures, and Andrew Ng’s AI Fund. Squarespace CEO Anthony Casalena and Moonbug Media CEO René Rechtman additionally participated within the spherical.
The platform now claims to have round one million creators utilizing its instruments, lots of which have AI-driven options, though this determine has not been independently verified.
In a press release, Simon Levene, Co-founder and Accomplice of Mosaic Ventures commented: “Arto and the crew at Podcastle have constructed a number one product, and are already displaying indicators of natural development that we imagine will solely speed up within the years forward.”
In a dialog with Arto Yeritsyan, Founder and CEO of Podcastle, informed me: “Final summer time we launched podcasts for groups. So we’re shifting from single-user expertise to multiplayer expertise. So this funding is aimed to scale that. We noticed this scale with 10x development final 12 months. So mainly, we’ll be scaling that.
Podcastle gives Revoice, a generative AI voice cloning software; Magic Mud AI, to enhance audio high quality; the Podcastle Internet hosting Hub, and Podcastle for Groups.
He mentioned the platform is concentrating on long-form content material creation, each audio and video: “Principally something that produces content material, which isn’t like Tiktok-type of short-form content material. We assist groups collaborate, and it covers your complete workflow from ideation into really getting it to the viewers, which means you’ll be able to report on our platform, you’ll be able to then edit or invite someone to edit.”
He additionally thinks the platform differentiates itself from opponents by providing real-time collaboration and AI functionalities.
“We compete with Riverside on the recording facet and Descript on the modifying facet. Descript is desktop-based which you’ll want to set up in your laptop, whereas we’re internet primarily based and masking your complete circulation. So our providing is being a one-stop store with real-time collaboration on the Net. As a comparability, we’d be like Sketch versus Figma. Sketch wanted to be put in in your laptop, not likely web-based or cloud-based the place you could possibly collaborate, and Figma mainly got here in as a collaborative product. So we’re fairly comparable however for video and audio content material creation.”
He plans to make a advantage of each these collaborative options and on-line modifying: “In our case, you will have your complete workflow throughout the similar product. Podcasters can invite editors and the crew could make the edits and may then can invite the marketer to create property like short-form movies of the long-form video and share it to social, proper from the identical platform with out leaving.”
I additionally requested him what are the most important traits in podcasting proper now.
“The most important development is what we name studio sound. Our instruments can generate a ‘pseudo high quality audio’ from any enter. So you’ll be able to report one thing in your cellphone and the output that you simply get is nearly such as you’ve been in a studio, even if you happen to’re podcasting with three folks, with every of them having a unique surroundings, completely different distance from the microphone, completely different noise ranges.”
He says these instruments had been constructed as a result of video podcasting is getting very fashionable on YouTube, the place it’s being pushed, so Podcastle launched video instruments to cowl this demand: “No matter what digital camera you utilize, you’ll be able to generate DSLR digital camera high quality. You’ll be able to add AI blur or a bokeh impact.”
One other massive development is advertising and marketing, he says: “We met this with the flexibility to create plenty of shorts and distribute these to all of the social platforms. AI offers you the chance to do this mechanically, relatively than manually, by producing all of the property that you’ll want to share in several platforms to draw customers to your long-form content material.”
He says customers and companies are beginning to make their selections not by scrolling via web sites however by watching their content material: “They’re going to their YouTube channels, podcasts, and listening to that after which making a call, versus the outdated methods of doing that.”
I additionally requested him if he thinks Armenia is turning into extra of a tech hub, given unicorn corporations like Picsart have emerged from there. Podcastle’s engineering crew operates out of Armenia, which is quick turning into a brand new European tech hub, having been boosted by the institution of places of work by massive corporations like Adobe and Nvidia of their seek for programming expertise, particularly in AI.
“Sure, undoubtedly. We’re mainly turning into a small Silicon Valley right here. You will note corporations like Adobe constructing places of work. The CEO of Adobe was right here final 12 months. We now have Nvidia right here, and other people from corporations like Picsart are beginning their very own corporations. I used to be a VP of Engineering at Picsart for about eight years,” he says.
The corporate has additionally just lately employed Allan Rechtman, a former VP at Canva, as its Chief Business Officer; Damian Saccoas VP of Progress (previously Prezi); and Dmitry Kopylovsky has been promoted to Chief Advertising Officer.