conv.

All stories
AIQuiet 13d · day 14

Nuance Labs raises $50M to build low-latency conversational AI avatars

Three ex-Apple researchers secure Series A funding from Lightspeed, Accel, and Nvidia to develop AI that handles face-to-face conversations without lag.

newest coverage 13d agosummary written 7d ago2 pieces Newswires

What to know

  • Nuance Labs secured $50 million Series A led by Lightspeed to build AI conversational avatars that operate without the latency and awkwardness of existing chatbots.
  • The startup's technical approach differs from competitors by using a single unified model with integrated audio-video processing, rather than stitching together separate voice-to-text, language model, and text-to-voice systems.
  • Founded by three ex-Apple researchers, Nuance is pre-product but plans to launch a research preview in late 2026, targeting use cases in interview prep, language learning, and enterprise customer support.
  • The company emphasizes collecting bespoke audiovisual training data from real conversations rather than internet scraping to preserve natural human nuances like microexpressions and natural reactions.

“The perfect data for us will be, imagine the two of us having this conversation, we're having to record it. I want audiovisual from both sides. Both participants are visible, soundtracks cleanly separated, and then it's also natural, not performative.”

Fangchang Ma, Nuance Labs CEO · Business Insider ↗ · Sep 13

Fangchang Ma Nuance Labs cofounder and CEONuance Labs AI startupLightspeed Venture Partners Lead Series A investorNvidia Series A investor via NVentures

Nuance Labs raises $50M to build low-latency conversational AI avatars
businessinsider.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 1 piece in 4h at Sep 14, 6 AM; 2 pieces over 14 days (2 articles) Sep 14, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 14, 10 AM — quietSep 14, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 14, 6 PM — quietSep 14, 10 PM — quietSep 15, 2 AM — quietSep 15, 6 AM — quietSep 15, 10 AM — quietSep 15, 2 PM — quietSep 15, 6 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — quietSep 16, 6 AM — quietSep 16, 10 AM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 23, 2 AM — quietSep 23, 6 AM — quietSep 23, 10 AM — quietSep 23, 2 PM — quietSep 23, 6 PM — quietSep 23, 10 PM — quietSep 24, 2 AM — quietSep 24, 6 AM — quietSep 24, 10 AM — quietSep 24, 2 PM — quietSep 24, 6 PM — quietSep 24, 10 PM — quietSep 25, 2 AM — quietSep 25, 6 AM — quietSep 25, 10 AM — quietSep 25, 2 PM — quietSep 25, 6 PM — quietSep 25, 10 PM — quietSep 26, 2 AM — quietSep 26, 6 AM — quietSep 26, 10 AM — quietSep 26, 2 PM — quietSep 26, 6 PM — quietSep 26, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quiet 1–2
Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25Sep 26now · 2:31 AM ET
  1. 1

    Nuance plans research preview launch and business applications

    Though pre-product, Nuance intends to open a research preview later in 2026. Planned use cases include interview practice, presentation coaching, language learning, and enterprise applications like AI interviewers, sales reps, and customer support.

    “If you use existing AI avatars, when they're listening, they're not reacting, or they're just doing random things.”
    — Fangchang Ma, Nuance Labs CEO · source
  2. background

    Ma outlines Nuance's technical approach and training data strategy — CEO Fangchang Ma explains that existing AI avatars suffer from latency and missing human nuances because they stitch together separate components. Nuance collects bespoke audiovisual training data rather than scraping the internet, prioritizing natural two-way conversation recordings.

  3. 2

    Nuance Labs raises $50M Series A for conversational AI avatars

    Nuance Labs closes a $50 million Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Accel, Nvidia's NVentures, South Park Commons, and Define Ventures. The funding will support hiring for R&D and go-to-market expertise.

    “We decided to build this on one system, on one model. There's audio video in and audio video out.”
    — Fangchang Ma

    1. 1 outlet first by Business Insider, 13d ago · read ↗

  4. background

    Nuance Labs completes $10M seed round — Nuance Labs, founded by three ex-Apple researchers, closes a $10 million seed round led by Accel.