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Sun, 13 Sept 2026
09:55:32 pm
Sun, 13 Sept 2026
09:55:32 pm
Synopsis
Maya Research raises $1.9 million in seed funding led by South Park Commons to build voice-first AI technology. Learn about Maya 1, 3 million downloads, growth plans, and India's emerging voice AI opportunity.
AI startup Maya Research has raised $1.9 million in seed funding in a round led by South Park Commons, as it looks to build voice-native artificial intelligence solutions for people who interact with technology through conversation rather than text.
Founded in 2025 by BS Dheemanth Reddy and Bharath Kumar Kakumani, the startup is developing voice AI models designed to understand and communicate naturally across local languages, dialects, and cultural contexts.
Maya Research is focused on creating a voice-first AI experience for billions of users who may not regularly use keyboards, touchscreens, or traditional text-based interfaces.
The company believes the future of AI adoption, particularly in emerging markets, will be driven by voice interactions rather than text prompts.
According to the founders, the goal is to create AI systems that can speak, understand, and respond like native speakers while adapting to local languages and conversational nuances.
The company's open-source voice model, Maya 1, has been released under the Apache 2.0 license and has quickly gained attention in the AI community.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Funding Raised | $1.9 Million |
| Lead Investor | South Park Commons |
| Founded | 2025 |
| Open-Source Model | Maya 1 |
| Speech Arena Elo Score | 1,051 |
| Global Ranking | Top 6 Open-Weight Voice Models |
| Hugging Face Downloads | 440,000+ |
| Consumer App Downloads | 3 Million+ |
The startup claims Maya 1 currently ranks among the world's leading open-weight voice models and performs at a level comparable to advanced real-time conversational AI systems.
Maya Research's consumer application has already crossed 3 million downloads across:
The company says these users generate valuable conversational data, helping improve model accuracy and accelerate future AI development.
This data advantage allows Maya Research to continuously train and refine its voice models while expanding support for additional languages and use cases.
India remains one of the world's largest multilingual markets, with millions of people preferring voice interactions over typing.
The founders argue that while much of the global AI conversation focuses on large language models and chatbots, the bigger opportunity lies in creating AI systems that understand how people naturally speak.
For many first-time internet users, voice can become the primary gateway to artificial intelligence, digital services, education, healthcare, and commerce.
South Park Commons believes voice-first AI could become one of the most important technology categories for emerging markets.
Aditya Agarwal, General Partner at South Park Commons, described Maya Research as a potential turning point for India's AI ecosystem, highlighting the company's focus on building locally relevant AI experiences.
The fresh capital will be used to:
The company also plans to continue investing in open-source AI infrastructure to accelerate innovation and community adoption.
As AI adoption accelerates globally, startups focused on local-language and voice-based experiences are attracting increasing investor attention.
With over 440,000 model downloads, millions of app users, and a rapidly growing developer community, Maya Research is positioning itself as one of India's emerging players in the voice AI ecosystem.
The startup aims to build technology that enables users to interact with AI naturally through conversation, helping bridge the gap between advanced artificial intelligence and the next generation of internet users.
Maya Research develops voice-first artificial intelligence models that enable users to interact with technology through natural conversations instead of text-based interfaces.
The company has raised $1.9 million in seed funding led by South Park Commons.
Maya 1 is the company's open-source voice AI model released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Its consumer application has been downloaded more than 3 million times across multiple international markets.
Voice AI helps millions of users access technology in their native languages without requiring advanced typing or digital literacy skills.
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