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Voice AI for developers.
Vapi has raised $20.1M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Vapi.
Vapi was founded in 2020 by Jordan Dearsley (Founder) and Nikhil Gupta (Founder).
Vapi has raised $20.1M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Vapi provides an API-first platform for developers to build and deploy sophisticated voice AI agents for human-like conversations. This configurable system supports inbound and outbound call automation for diverse applications. Integrating with large language models, voice synthesis, transcription, and business systems, it offers comprehensive infrastructure for scalable voice AI solutions.
Co-founded by Jordan Dearsley and Nikhil Gupta, Vapi emerged from the Winter 2021 Y Combinator batch. Their initial product, Superpowered, focused on AI-driven meeting notes to improve user presence. This foundational audio processing experience guided their pivot, identifying a significant opportunity in infrastructure for versatile voice AI.
Vapi serves organizations from startups to large enterprises, integrating advanced conversational AI into operations. The platform optimizes customer interactions and streamlines workflows. Vapi’s vision democratizes voice AI, empowering developers to craft intuitive, human-feeling spoken interfaces across various use cases.
Vapi is a developer-centric Voice AI platform that enables teams to build, test, and deploy advanced conversational voice agents with sub-500ms latency. It provides a highly configurable API and modular infrastructure that abstracts the complexity of managing real-time voice interactions, integrating third-party speech-to-text (STT), large language models (LLMs), and text-to-speech (TTS) technologies. Vapi serves technology companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 firms, helping them create lifelike, scalable voice AI experiences that work across telephony, websites, and apps in over 100 languages. The platform addresses enterprise needs for reliability, security, and deterministic conversational flows, especially in regulated industries like healthcare and finance[1][2][3][4].
For an investment firm, Vapi represents a cutting-edge opportunity in the voice AI space, focusing on infrastructure that empowers developers and enterprises to deploy voice agents at scale. Its mission centers on enabling a voice-first future where human expression drives technology interaction. The investment philosophy likely emphasizes backing teams that solve complex AI infrastructure problems with scalable, developer-friendly platforms. Key sectors include AI, voice technology, enterprise software, and communication. Vapi’s impact on the startup ecosystem lies in accelerating voice AI adoption by reducing engineering barriers and fostering a vibrant developer community[2][5].
Vapi was founded in 2020 by Jordan Dearsley and Nikhil Gupta, both engineers from the University of Waterloo. The idea emerged from their experience building voice and meeting-related AI products, recognizing the need for a robust developer platform to simplify building conversational voice agents. Early traction came from rapid iteration and strong developer engagement, with the founders known for quickly deploying requested features and building a scalable, reliable platform. The company is based in San Francisco and has grown to about 40 employees, securing $20 million in Series A funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners in 2024[2][6].
Vapi rides the wave of the voice-first computing trend, where voice is becoming the primary interface for human-computer interaction. The timing is critical as generative AI and speech synthesis technologies have matured to produce human-like, natural conversations at scale. Market forces such as the explosion of customer service demands, the limitations of legacy IVR systems, and the need for multilingual, scalable voice solutions favor platforms like Vapi. By abstracting complex real-time voice infrastructure, Vapi enables enterprises and developers to focus on innovation rather than engineering challenges. This positions Vapi as a foundational infrastructure player akin to AWS for cloud or Twilio for telephony, accelerating the adoption of voice AI across industries[2][5].
Looking ahead, Vapi is poised to expand its platform capabilities, deepen integrations with emerging AI models, and broaden its global reach. Trends shaping its journey include advances in generative AI, increased enterprise adoption of voice automation, and growing demand for conversational AI in regulated sectors. Vapi’s influence is likely to grow as it powers more human-like, scalable voice experiences, potentially becoming the backbone for voice AI applications across customer service, healthcare, finance, and beyond. Its developer-first approach and enterprise focus suggest sustained momentum and innovation in the voice AI ecosystem, reinforcing the vision of a voice-first future where technology adapts seamlessly to human expression[2][5].
Vapi was founded in 2020 by Jordan Dearsley (Founder) and Nikhil Gupta (Founder).
Vapi has raised $20.1M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Vapi's investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Brick & Mortar Ventures, General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, Rainfall Ventures, Y Combinator.
Key people at Vapi.
Vapi has raised $20.1M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $20.0M Series A in December 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2024 | $20.0M Series A | Bessemer Venture Partners | Brick & Mortar Ventures, General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, Rainfall Ventures, Y Combinator |
| Mar 1, 2021 | $130K Seed | Y Combinator |
