AI dubbing start-up Panjaya.ai has raised $9.5 million in a seed funding round led by Viola Ventures, R-Squared Ventures, and GroundUp Ventures. The round, which closed in September, also saw participation from angel investors, including prominent figures from the software and film production industries.
Founded in 2022 by AI researchers, Panjaya specializes in translating, dubbing, and lip-syncing videos into 29 languages. The company has launched BodyTalk, an AI platform that synchronizes lip movements and body language with dubbed audio across multiple languages. According to Panjaya’s website, BodyTalk aligns rhythm, tone, and nonverbal elements like pauses, breaths, and gestures to the original video for seamless dubbing.
CEO Guy Piekarz explained that the $9.5 million funding will primarily focus on product development, emphasizing AI research, user experience, and scalability. He stated that Panjaya aims to enhance its automated dubbing technology to deliver high-quality results with an efficient human-in-the-loop (HITL) workflow.
The BodyTalk platform leverages proprietary algorithms to analyze videos and integrates outputs from leading translation and text-to-speech services. Piekarz described the system as incorporating home-grown AI models specifically designed for lip syncing, which adapt to dynamic real-world conditions such as changing camera angles and multiple speakers.
One early adopter of Panjaya’s technology is TED Conferences, where Director of Localization Helena Batt highlighted its impact on synthetic dubbing during a SlatorCon event. Batt shared that Panjaya had enabled TED to make a “huge leap forward” in localized video production.
Panjaya’s immediate focus is on professional training, marketing, and media use cases. The company has recently experimented with applying its technology to a full-length documentary, pushing the boundaries of AI-driven voice and lip-sync applications.
The startup said it is exploring how far it can push its current tech while continuing to develop solutions for increasingly complex real-world scenarios.
With this funding, Panjaya is poised to further expand its capabilities and redefine AI dubbing in the media industry.
