HEY ELSA: Elsa, a San Francisco-based developer of an app that aims to help English language learners practice their pronunciation, has raised $7 million in a Series A round led by Gradient Ventures (Google’s AI-focused early-stage venture fund) and joined by existing investors Monk’s Hill Ventures and SOSV.
The funding will be used to expand the company’s team of artificial intelligence scientists and engineers, and support its expansion in Japan, Indonesia and India through the establishment of a new Tokyo office.
Founded in 2015, Elsa claims its speech recognition technology can detect English pronunciation mistakes with 95 percent accuracy. The company operates on a subscription model, charging users $43 per year, or a one-time $80 fee, for access to its lessons. The company says its app has been used by more than 4 million users, and has raised $12 million to date.
