- Nijta, a French startup based in Lille, raises €2 million in funding from investors like Elaia and Finovam Gestion for its AI-powered speech anonymization technology.
- Focus on protecting voice privacy in AI applications due to the potential risks of voice recordings revealing personal information, emotions, and health conditions.
- Plans for expansion into B2C markets, growth in team size, and development of multilingual capabilities supported by additional funding from Bpifrance to enhance research and development efforts.
French startup Nijta, based in Lille, raised €2 million in funding from investors including Elaia and Finovam Gestion. Nijta offers AI-powered speech anonymization technology to help enterprises comply with privacy requirements and is focused on the European market due to GDPR regulations.
What to know: French startup Nijta is focused on protecting voice privacy in AI applications. Voice recordings can reveal a person's identity, emotions, and even health conditions. With the increasing awareness of the need to treat voice as personally identifiable information, especially in Europe under GDPR regulations, companies are seeking solutions to anonymize voice data. Nijta, based in Lille, France, offers AI-powered speech anonymization technology to help clients comply with privacy requirements. The startup, born from Inria Startup Studio, has secured €2 million in funding from sources like Elaia and Finovam Gestion, targeting the European market due to the stringent data privacy laws like GDPR.
Deeper details: Nijta's AI-powered voice anonymization technology caters to various sectors, with a particular focus on compliance and business opportunities. The startup's solutions are relevant for call centers, especially those handling sensitive health data, like the OkyDoky project for medical emergency calls. Other potential use cases include defense scenarios, edtech for anonymizing children's voices, and watermarking content for generative AI applications. Nijta ensures irreversible protection of voice data, unlike some media practices. Despite challenges related to privacy awareness, Nijta plans to expand into B2C markets in the future, aiming to secure recorded messages and explore real-time anonymization for secure communication.
The backstory: Nijta, led by CEO Brij Srivastava, currently has a team of seven members and aims to expand to 10 by June. The startup receives external support, such as from Business France, to reduce internationalization costs and facilitate market expansion. Located in Lille, the company benefits from its strategic proximity to major European cities like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and London. Nijta's growth plans include multilingual capabilities to target markets in Europe and Asia. The startup is set to receive an additional €1 million from Bpifrance for deep tech development, further solidifying its position in the industry and supporting its expansion efforts.
A history of growth: Nijta's strategic location in Lille, France, provides advantages in terms of proximity to key European cities, facilitating international growth. The startup's focus on multilingual capabilities and expansion into new markets in Europe and Asia aligns with its vision for future growth. With additional funding from Bpifrance, Nijta is well-positioned to invest in research and development, enhancing its technological capabilities and market competitiveness. The startup's commitment to privacy and data protection, coupled with its innovative AI-powered solutions, positions it as a key player in the evolving landscape of voice anonymization technology.
