Local language tech firm Uniphore Software Systems raises Angel Investment

Chennai-based Uniphore Software Systems, a provider of local language speech-based software solutions, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Indian Angel Network, Stata Venture Partners’ founder Ray Stata and YourNest Angel Fund.

The six-year-old company will use the funding primarily for international expansion, initially in the Middle East and South East Asia. Incubated at IIT Madras’ Rural Technology and Business Incubator, Uniphore’s solutions that are available in 14 Indian and five international languages allow machines to understand and respond to natural human speech.

For instance, a mobile banking user can use his voice as a biometric authenticator to conduct transactions. The company follows a softwareas-a-service model where clients make monthly payments according to usage and reaches about three million end users through customers like Airbus, ITC, State Bank of India and Axis Bank.

“We want to replicate our India success globally as there is a market for our solution in Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America,” said Umesh Sachdev, who cofounded Uniphore with Ravi Saraogi in 2008. Uniphore has previously raised seed funding from Villgro Innovations Foundation and the National Research Development.