Meta acquires AI audio startup WaveForms

Meta Platforms has acquired WaveForms AI, a startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to understand and replicate emotion in audio, according to The Information.

The company was founded by Alexis Conneau, who previously worked on audio research at Meta and OpenAI, and Coralie Lemaitre, a former ad strategist at Google.

Launched in December 2024, WaveForms AI had earlier announced receiving $40 million of funding in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz.


Following the acquisition, Conneau and Lemaitre will join Meta’s new AI division, Superintelligence Labs, the report said.

The move is part of Meta’s broader push to strengthen its capabilities in AI-powered audio. The company recently hired Johan Schalkwyk, a former Google Fellow known for his work in speech AI. Schalkwyk has joined Superintelligence Labs as a Voice Lead, according to his LinkedIn page.

Last month, Meta also acquired Play AI, a startup that specialises in creating human-like voices.

Meta has stepped up its focus on AI, bringing in talent from leading companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. In recent months, the company has recruited several high-profile figures, including Daniel Gross, founder of the AI startup Safe Superintelligence, Ruoming Pang, who headed Apple’s Foundation Models team, and Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub.