smallest.ai Raises $8 Mn To Build Enterprise-Grade Voice AI

AI startup smallest.ai has raised $8 Mn (around INR 70.9 Cr) in its seed funding round led by Sierra Ventures. The round also saw participation from 3one4 Capital, Better Capital, Upsparks Capital, Schema Ventures, DeVC, peercheque, Mission Street Capital, Boris Wertz (founder, Version One Ventures), Raveen Sastry (founding partner, Multiply Ventures), Shyamal Hitesh Anadkat (applied AI, OpenAI), among others.

In a post on LinkedIn, smallest.ai cofounder and CEO said that the startup would deploy the fresh capital to build the foundation of enterprise voice AI. 

“Enterprises need voice agents that do not break. They connect to the systems of record, CRMs and come with guarantees around accuracy and compliance. Getting there requires a deep understanding of enterprise context and building it into a voice interface that just works. smallest.ai is here to do just that,” smallest.ai CEO and cofounder Sudarshan Kamath said. 

Founded by Akshat Mandloi and Kamath in 2023, smallest.ai builds hyper-realistic voice agents and high-quality text-to-speech (TTS) models for various applications. It claims to generate 10 seconds of speech in just 100 milliseconds, enabling ultra-realistic voicebots with sub-second responsiveness.

They offer two core products — Waves, an AI voice platform for TTS, voice cloning, and conversion for various users, and Atoms, a real-time AI voice agent platform that integrates with business systems for tasks like customer support and lead qualification.

Kamath claimed that the startup’s agents already handle over 1 Mn calls for some of the large enterprises across sectors like debt collection, real estate, ecommerce, logistics, among others. 

Currently serving 5K+ small and medium businesses and enterprises across India and the US, smallest.ai supports English, Hindi, and 30+ languages, making AI-driven voice experiences more scalable, efficient and cost-effective.

Prior to the round, the San Francisco-based startup had raised about $1.7 Mn from 3one4 Capital, Upsparks Capital, DeVC, among others.  Besides, it was also part of the AWS Generative AI Accelerator programme for 2025.

Enterprises are increasingly turning to AI-driven voice automation to streamline contact centre operations, enhance customer experience, and cut operational costs. A McKinsey & Company report finds that 92% of enterprises plan to invest in Generative AI tools over the next three years, underscoring the growing appetite for AI-powered solutions.

The voice AI market, including text-to-speech (TTS) and voice agents, is projected to grow to $47 Bn by 2033, driven by demand for hyper-realistic, responsive, and scalable voice interfaces. Startups are racing to capture this opportunity, with smallest.ai competing against players such as Murf AI, Play AI, and Untravox.