About Speechworks
Speechworks is a Technology company based in Boston (United States) founded in 1994, and was acquired by ScanSoft in April 2003. Speech-activated services for call direction and transactions are provided. Speechworks has raised $18 million across 1 funding round from investors including Telecom Italia, Intel and Bank of America. The company was acqui-hired. Its focus areas include High Tech, Speech and Voice Recognition, Applications and Diversified. Its competitors include Otter.ai, AssemblyAI and Nexmo; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Speechworks was founded in 1994 in Boston, United States, focusing on the speech software sector. Speech-related software and services are developed for carriers and voice portals. Consumer calls are directed, transactions are conducted, and information is obtained through these automated voice systems. Operations center on enabling efficient voice interactions in telecommunications.
- Headquarters Boston, United States
- Stage Public
- SectorsTechnology
- Website speechworks.com
- Acquired by ScanSoft (Apr 2003)
- Total Equity Funding$18M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$18M (USD), Series D
May 1999
- InvestorsTelecom Italia
& 8 more
- Acquired byScanSoft
(Apr 2003)
Funding Insights of Speechworks
Speechworks has successfully raised a total of $18M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series D round of $18 million completed in May 1999. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $18M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series D — $18M
- First Round $18M
(May 1999)
- Investors Count 8
All 1 funding rounds of Speechworks with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1999 | $18M | Series D | – | QuestMark Partners, Merrill Lynch |
9 investors in total: 9 institutional.
Investors in Speechworks
Speechworks has secured backing from 9 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Telecom Italia, Intel and Bank of America.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital firm investing in life science and biotechnology sectors | 1980 | atlasventure.com | Cambridge, United States | |
CRV is recognized as a venture capital firm investing in technology startups. | crv.com | Palo Alto, United States | ||
Expansion stage tech-focused VC firm investing primarily in the US | questm.com | Baltimore, United States | ||
Semiconductor ICs and microprocessors are designed and manufactured. | 1968 | intel.com | Santa Clara, United States | |
Orange is recognized as a global telecommunications and technology provider. | 1988 | orange.com | Paris, France | |
Commercial bank | 1990 | ml.com | New York, United States | |
Integrated telecom service provider | 1994 | telecomitalia.com | Rome, Italy | |
Commercial banking and asset management services are offered worldwide. | 1904 | bankofamerica.com | Charlotte, United States | |
Omni-font optical character-recognition system | 1974 | scansoft.com | Burlington, United States |
Investor details for Speechworks
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
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Timeline of Speechworks
4 dated milestones of Speechworks across 9 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Speechworks is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $18.0M.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Exit Acquired by ScanSoft.
Competitors of Speechworks
Speechworks has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Otter.ai, AssemblyAI and Nexmo.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| otter.ai | 2016 | Los Altos, United States | $70M | AI-based voice transcription for meetings is provided via cloud software. | ||
| assemblyai.com | 2017 | San Francisco, United States | $108.12M | 59 | Provider of speech to text solutions | |
| nexmo.com | 2010 | San Francisco, United States | $21.83M | 38 | Voice and messaging APIs provided to enterprises for customer outreach. |
Detailed competitors of Speechworks
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
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Web traffic of Speechworks
Websites that share an audience with Speechworks (speechworks.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Speechworks. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nuance.com | 100% | 493.4K | #108,342 | View details | |
| symantec.com | 98% | 740K | #65,592 | View details | |
| microsoft.com | 75% | 1.2B | #33 | View details | |
voicerecognition.com | voicerecognition.com | 69% | – |
Top companies in AI Core Platforms & Infrastructure
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Speechworks (AI Core Platforms & Infrastructure) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OpenAI is engaged in developing advanced artificial intelligence technologies. | 2015 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 58.07 B | 11,115 | ||
AI-powered graphical processing units and SoCs | 1993 | Santa Clara, California, United States | USD 5 M | USD 130.5 B | 42,000 | |
AI models and chatbots are offered for industry applications. | 2021 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 136.81 B | 6,146 |
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Related news about Speechworks
Complete news archive for Speechworks
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Frequently Asked Questions about Speechworks
Speechworks was founded in 1994 and raised its 1st funding round 5 years after it was founded.
Speechworks is headquartered in Boston, United States. It is registered at Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Speechworks is a funded company, having raised a total of $18M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series D of $18M, raised on May 1999.
Speechworks was founded in 1994 in Boston, United States, focusing on the speech software sector. Speech-related software and services are developed for carriers and voice portals. Consumer calls are directed, transactions are conducted, and information is obtained through these automated voice systems. Operations center on enabling efficient voice interactions in telecommunications.
Speechworks's top competitors include Otter.ai, Nexmo and AssemblyAI.
Speechworks has 9 investors. Key investors include Telecom Italia, Intel, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Orange.
Yes. Speechworks was acquired by ScanSoft in April 2003.