Subvolts take Voice AI is the next computing interface; ElevenLabs shows how to build a business around it. May 8, 2026 - Developers
- Learn about the strategic importance of voice as an interface and potential areas for innovation in audio AI.
- Business
- Understand how ElevenLabs achieved significant revenue growth and its approach to monetization in the AI space.
This is a solid interview with the CEO of a prominent AI voice company discussing business strategy and future applications.
ElevenLabs' Mati Staniszewski: How Voice Becomes the Interface for Everything
Audio streams from Sequoia Capital. Your place is remembered on this device.
From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs CEO, discusses building a frontier audio AI business with over $400M in revenue with a team of 400. He explains why audio was overlooked, ElevenLabs' monetization strategy, and his belief that voice will become the primary interface for future computing. The conversation also touches on emotional intelligence in voice AI and inter-agent communication.
Imagine talking to your computer or robots as naturally as you talk to people. This episode explains how ElevenLabs is making that happen with advanced voice AI. It's important because voice could soon be how we control everything, making technology much easier to use.
This episode offers insights into building a successful AI company focused on a specific modality. It's for founders, investors, and product leaders interested in AI's future interface. Staniszewski's perspective on voice as the next computing frontier connects to ongoing work by Google Gemini and OpenAI in multimodal AI and agent development, highlighting the strategic importance of audio.
- HostSequoia Capital
- GuestMati Staniszewskico-founder and CEO, ElevenLabs
- Guest: Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs
- Title: ElevenLabs' Mati Staniszewski: How Voice Becomes the Interface for Everything
- Show: Training Data (an official AI show)
- Length: 27 minutes
- Company Size: Over 400 people
- Revenue: Over $400M
Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs, joins Sequoia partner Andrew Reed at AI Ascent 2026 to talk about how a four-year-old company built a frontier audio AI business with just over 400 people and over $400M in revenue. He explains why audio was overlooked in 2022 when the rest of AI was chasing text and images, why ElevenLabs chose to monetize from day one rather than raise indefinitely, and why he believes voice will be the primary interface for agents, robots, and the next generation of computing. Also: why emotional intelligence is the next frontier in voice, and what happens when one voice agent realizes it's talking to another.
1 h 08David Silver and Lasse Espeholt of Ineffable Intelligence: A Superlearner for the Age of Experience
WithDavid Silver, Lasse Espeholt
1 h 041 h 0552 minMaking Cities Awesome: Peregrine’s Nick Noone & Ben Rudolph
WithNick Noone, Ben Rudolph
Same guests, other shows
Questions people ask
- What is ElevenLabs' business model?
- ElevenLabs chose to monetize from day one rather than pursue indefinite fundraising, indicating a focus on sustainable revenue generation.
- What is the future of voice AI according to ElevenLabs?
- ElevenLabs believes voice will become the primary interface for agents, robots, and the next generation of computing, with emotional intelligence as the next frontier.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Sequoia Capital.