Vocal Image Uses AI Coaching to Boost Voice and Communication Skills

08/29/2025 Startups

So, there's this startup called Vocal Image, based in Estonia, and they're making waves with their AI-powered voice coaching app. With 4 million downloads, it seems like they're onto something. What I find particularly interesting is the CEO's story, Nick Lahoika. He actually struggled with speaking anxiety and unclear diction himself! It’s like he built the app he needed.

The idea is simple: provide an accessible way for people to improve their communication skills. You know, a lot of us get nervous speaking in public, or maybe we just want to sound more confident. Vocal Image offers this through exercises and personalized feedback, all within an app. They started from a YouTube channel and grew into a subscription based platform.

What sets them apart is their use of AI. They use it to provide automated feedback and personalized tips. It's like having a vocal coach in your pocket, available whenever you need it. I imagine you can feel comfortable practicing without feeling judged!

More Than Just Public Speaking

While they do focus on professional skills like public speaking and leadership, they also cater to people who simply want to boost their self-confidence. And that's pretty cool. The company also supports LGBTQ rights, which is admirable.

After facing issues in their home country of Belarus, the founders moved to Estonia. They chose Estonia for its business-friendly environment, which appears to have paid off. After joining Startup Wise Guys, they reached $6.5 million in ARR with only $1 million in pre-seed funding.

They just raised a $3.6 million seed round. Now, they're sitting on $12 million ARR and 50,000 paying users, according to Lahoika. They're planning to expand their team and offer more language options. Right now the app is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Ukrainian and Russian.

It’s worth noting that Vocal Image was also selected as one of the winners of the European AI Startup Program by Hugging Face, Meta, and Scaleway. Competition is rising, and Headway recently launched an AI powered speech trainer to compete. However, Vocal Image has collected over 1 million real voice samples to improve the accuracy of its AI and offer great results!