Key Takeaways
• Sesame AI is reportedly in talks to raise over $200 million, which could push its valuation beyond $1 billion.
• The company launched in February 2025 after a $47.5 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
• Founded by Brendan Iribe (Oculus) and Ankit Kumar (Ubiquity6), the startup focuses on emotionally resonant voice assistants.
• Maya and Miles, its flagship AI agents, aim to create natural, expressive, and emotionally aware conversations.
San Francisco — Voice tech startup Sesame AI is reportedly in the process of raising over $200 million in a new funding round that could bring its valuation above $1 billion. This development comes just weeks after the company exited stealth mode in February 2025.
Potential co-leads for the round include Sequoia Capital and Spark Capital, both of which are prominent venture investors in emerging technology sectors. Sesame AI has not commented publicly on the fundraising reports.
Founders and Backing: A Strong Starting Point
Sesame AI was founded in 2023 by:
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Brendan Iribe, co-founder of Oculus
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Ankit Kumar, co-founder of Ubiquity6
The company launched following a $47.5 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s leading venture firms.
Their combined background in immersive and augmented technologies sets the stage for Sesame AI’s vision: building AI that speaks—and listens—more like humans.
Maya and Miles: Emotion-Driven Voice Assistants
At the core of Sesame AI’s product suite are two voice agents: Maya and Miles. These assistants are designed to go beyond traditional command-based interfaces by delivering emotionally intelligent, context-aware conversations.
• Emotional nuance – the ability to detect and reflect user sentiment
• Conversational continuity – maintaining context in long interactions
• Expressive delivery – using tone and cadence for realism
The company’s goal is to deliver a more empathetic user experience, where voice interaction feels less robotic and more natural across applications such as productivity, wellness, and virtual companionship.
Competitive Landscape: Standing Out in a Saturated Market
The global voice AI market is currently led by established players including Amazon, Google, and Apple. Despite widespread adoption, many voice assistants remain limited in conversational depth and emotional intelligence.
Sesame AI aims to differentiate itself by focusing on long-form interaction, emotional expression, and user connection—areas where existing solutions often fall short.
What the Funding Could Enable
If successful, the new funding round will likely be allocated toward:
• Expanding engineering and research talent in NLP, speech, and UX
• Scaling infrastructure for real-time, emotionally adaptive conversations
• Entering new verticals through strategic partnerships and integrations
The capital could also support commercialization strategies targeting both consumer-facing devices and enterprise use cases, such as healthcare, education, and customer support.
With a founding team known for pushing technological boundaries and interest from top-tier investors, Sesame AI is positioning itself to shape the next generation of voice assistants.
Its success will depend on its ability to deliver on the promise of emotionally intelligent conversation—an area long underserved in current AI ecosystems.
As the company navigates its next phase, it could emerge as a key player in transforming how humans interact with machines—through voices that understand not just what we say, but how we feel.
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