AI startup Speechify is transforming the audiobook industry by giving listeners the unique opportunity to become the stars of their own audio experience. With Speechify, users can import their own voices to create AI clones, allowing them to listen to text in their own voice or the voice of someone they know. This innovative feature sets Speechify apart from industry giants like Apple Books, Audible, and Spotify.

Celebrity Voices and User Customization

Speechify also offers AI-generated voices from celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow. “You can just pick your own voices and that’s a great experience,” said CEO Cliff Weitzman. This flexibility and personalization allow users to turn any book into an audiobook with their preferred voice.

Growing Audiobook Market

The audiobook market is booming, with the Audio Publishers Association reporting $2 billion in sales for 2023, marking the 12th consecutive year of growth. Approximately 52% of US adults have listened to audiobooks, equivalent to about 150 million people. Speechify aims to tap into this expanding market by offering an alternative to traditional audiobooks through its AI-generated human voices.

Speechify’s Origins and Technology

Cliff Weitzman, who has dyslexia, developed Speechify to overcome the lack of audio versions of his college textbooks. Using deep learning and concatenative text-to-speech technology, he created a program to read to him. Speechify retains the ability to adjust reading speed, a feature Weitzman found essential as he improved his English.

Partnerships and Expansion

Weitzman's brother Tyler joined as a co-founder in 2018 and has been head of AI and president since 2022. Together, they trained Speechify's algorithm on 100,000 hours of audio, enhancing the human-like quality of the reading voices. As the product evolved, Speechify partnered with celebrities to add their voices to the platform.

How Speechify Works

Speechify can read books, documents, and articles on mobile devices. Users can upload PDFs to the web app, which syncs with the mobile app, or use the Chrome extension to listen to text from Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox.

Free and Premium Versions

A limited version of Speechify is free, featuring six reading voices and listening speeds up to 1x. Voices include AI-generated US males Nate and John, UK female Stephanie, and celebrity voices from Snoop Dogg, Gwyneth Paltrow, and YouTuber Mr. Beast. Speechify Premium, costing $11.67 per month per user, offers over 250 reading voices, 50 languages, and speeds up to 4.5x.

User Base and Funding

Speechify has a user base of 40 million, according to Cliff Weitzman. However, the app itself reports over 23 million users. The start up raised $4.5 million in an early-stage venture capital round in 2020 but declined to comment on further funding.