Paris AI voice startup Gradium raises $100M seed, expands to Bay Area

Gradium's $100 million（約160億円） seed round marks an important moment in the European AI startup ecosystem. The company emerged from Kyutai, a French lab backed by billionaire Xavier Niel, and initially raised $70 million（約110億円） from an impressive roster including FirstMark Capital, Eurazeo, DST Global Partners, and Eric Schmidt—underscoring Paris's established credibility as an AI hub. The decision to now open a Bay Area office signals a pragmatic recognition that even well-funded European AI startups feel compelled to establish roots near Silicon Valley's concentration of talent and research institutions.

Gradium enters a competitive voice AI market where established players like ElevenLabs command significant valuations, yet the company has moved quickly to prove its technical approach. Landing Renault as a customer in just two months since launch suggests its ultra-low-latency voice technology addresses a real market need, particularly for applications like customer service or automotive interfaces where response speed matters. The addition of Nvidia as a new investor in the reopened round further validates the startup's technical direction and likely reflects confidence in the scalability of its infrastructure.