Sesame Raises $250 Million to Build the Next Generation of Conversational AI

Sesame, a conversational AI company founded by Brendan IribeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, and Ankit KumarDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, co-founder of Ubiquity6, raised $250 million in Series B funding as it launches its public beta. The round, led by Sequoia Capital, will enable the company to expand its proprietary voice-model technology and integrate its system with a wider range of devices and applications.

Founded in 2023, Sesame develops AI models designed to make human-computer conversation more natural and expressive. Its technology goes beyond traditional voice assistants, aiming to create systems capable of understanding emotional tone, contextual nuance, and the rhythm of human dialogue.

The company has developed its own generative AI model, known as CSM-1B, which combines a Llama-based language architecture with an audio decoder to produce high-fidelity speech and responsive dialogue.

Sesame’s early work has focused on two flagship voice agents, Maya and Miles, which illustrate its goal of creating conversational “companions” rather than command-based assistants. The company’s approach combines advances in speech synthesis, emotion modelling, and memory, offering more adaptive and fluid interactions between users and machines.

According to Sequoia Capital, Sesame represents a “new era for voice,” one in which natural conversation becomes a primary interface for digital experiences. The startup plans to use its new funding to expand infrastructure, grow its research team, and deepen partnerships with device makers and developers.

Sources:
TechCrunch
Sequoia Capital

J.V.