Israeli startup Kardome completed a seed funding round led by Korean car manufacturer Hyundai, with the help of NextGear Ventures and ATOORO Fund.
Kardome was founded in January 2019 by Dani Cherkassky and Alon Slapak to meet growing demand for reliable voice control technology.
The technology gives the machine better ‘ears’ through algorithms to isolate the user’s voice, even in a noisy environment with multiple speakers and background noises.
Kardome’s technology combines dedicated software with microphones, implementing a new generation of voice user interface.
The NextGear Ventures fund specializes in smart transportation investments, and the ATOORO Fund focuses on deep technologies and human-computer interaction.
Kardome will also take part in the commercialization program at the Drive TLV innovation center controlled by the Meir Group.
The investment will develop an innovative system for spatial isolation of voices in challenging acoustic environments.
Koby Simana, investment manager at Hyundai Cradle TLV, said, “Hyundai is happy to partner and support Kardome’s journey. We plan to use Kardome’s robust voice AI technology to boost customer’s value and gain competitive advantage by enhancing user experience and safety features.”
Dr Tal Cohen, co-founder of the Drive TLV innovation center and the NextGear Investment Fund, said, “Voice interface is becoming the dominant interaction vector between humans and machines. Kardome’s top team and technology is positioned to move this interaction vector from the clean laboratory conditions to the real rugged noisy world.”
