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Kotoba Technologies

Category: Voice / Speech AI

An AI-powered platform for real-time speech-to-speech translation and generation, breaking down language barriers. Kotoba Technologies was founded in 2023. The company is led by Noriyuki Kojima. Based in Seattle, United States; Tokyo, Japan. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $13.33M. Latest round: Seed 2, $11.83M, 2025-06, led by Globis Capital Partners and Boost Capital. Key investors include Globis Capital Partners, Boost Capital, SIP Capital, Joi Ito.

Founded
2023
Headquarters
Seattle, United States; Tokyo, Japan
Team size
11-50
Total funding
$13.33M

Value proposition

Provides highly accurate, low-latency (sub-500ms) real-time speech-to-speech translation, preserving the speaker's voice and emotional tone.

Products and solutions

DOTSU: An iOS app for real-time speech-to-text and speech-to-speech simultaneous interpretation., Kotoba-SpeechGen: A proprietary speech generation model that enables fluent and natural-sounding speech in multiple languages., Kotoba-Whisper: A series of advanced speech recognition models optimized for Japanese and other languages.

Unique value

Kotoba Technologies specializes in developing proprietary, state-of-the-art foundation models for speech and language, with a strong focus on the nuances of Japanese and other Asian languages. Their technology goes beyond simple translation to capture and replicate the speaker's voice identity and emotional state.

Target customer

Enterprises, businesses, and individual users requiring real-time translation services, with a focus on Asian languages, particularly Japanese.

Industries served

General Consumer, Business Services, Media & Entertainment

Technology advantage

The company's core advantage lies in its end-to-end, real-time speech translation technology that achieves ultra-low latency (under 500 milliseconds). This is enabled by their proprietary models like Kotoba-SpeechGen and Kotoba-Whisper, which are optimized for performance and accuracy. Their ability to perform voice cloning and reflect emotional nuances in translated speech sets them apart from competitors.

How they differentiate

Kotoba Technologies differentiates itself by focusing on generative AI for speech-to-speech translation, particularly for Asian languages. Their technology enables real-time, low-latency interpretation with capabilities for voice cloning and conveying emotions, aiming to provide a more natural and human-like experience than traditional text-based translation services.

Main competitors

Synthesia, SoundHound, Lilt

Key partnerships

Globis Capital Partners, Boost Capital, and SIP Capital as key investors., Recipient of the GENIAC award from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and NEDO, indicating strong government support and recognition.

Notable customers

Information not publicly available.

Major milestones

Raised $11.83M in a Seed 2 funding round in 2024., Co-founder and CEO, Noriyuki Kojima, received the Best Paper Award at NAACL 2022., Developed 'Kotoba-SpeechGen' for fluent and natural Japanese voice generation.

Growth metrics

Specific growth metrics such as revenue or user numbers are not publicly available.

Market positioning

Kotoba is positioning itself as a specialized provider of advanced, real-time AI interpretation solutions for businesses. They are focused on developing foundational models for speech-to-speech translation, targeting a niche that requires high accuracy and nuanced communication, particularly in the Asian market.

Geographic focus

The company has a dual headquarters in Seattle, USA, and Tokyo, Japan, with a primary focus on the Japanese and broader Asian markets.

Patents and IP

There is no publicly available information on patents or IP held by Kotoba Technologies.

About Noriyuki Kojima

Co-Founder and CEO of Kotoba Technologies. Previously, he was a PhD student in Computer Science at Cornell University, advised by Yoav Artzi. He also worked as a Research Scientist Intern at Google. He is a recipient of the Masason Foundation Fellowship and the Funai Overseas Scholarship. He won a Best Paper Award at NAACL 2022.

Official website: