ElevenLabs lists BlackRock, Jamie Foxx, and Eva Longoria as new investors
ElevenLabs Secures New Investors in $500 Million Series D Fundraise
Voice AI company ElevenLabs has disclosed additional investors participating in its $500 million Series D funding round, initially announced in February. The new investors include:
- Institutional investors: BlackRock, Wellington, D.E. Shaw, and Schroders
- Enterprises: Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures, Santander, KPN, and Deutsche Telekom
- Individual investors: Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria, and Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk
Milestone Achieved: $500 Million in ARR
ElevenLabs highlighted a significant milestone by surpassing $500 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This follows an impressive performance in the previous year, where the company ended with nearly $350 million in ARR. According to co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs added $100 million in net new ARR during Q1 2026, closing the quarter at approximately $450 million in ARR.
Rapid Valuation Growth
The company’s valuation has grown at an extraordinary pace, increasing from $6.6 billion in September of last year to $11 billion by February of this year.
Deutsche Telekom’s Vision for Voice AI
Deutsche Telekom’s venture arm, T.Capital, emphasized the strategic importance of ElevenLabs in advancing its broader Industrial AI initiatives. Karine Peters, managing director at T.Capital, stated:
“Voice is the highest-stakes channel for any customer interaction, and the bar for quality, latency, and security is extremely high. ElevenLabs is not just a category leader – it is becoming a foundational enabler of Deutsche Telekom’s broader Industrial AI vision. From voice-as-a-service to multilingual automation and in-network AI agents, we believe the company is uniquely positioned to reshape how businesses interact with customers across all channels.”
New Enterprise Contracts
In the past quarter, ElevenLabs has secured enterprise contracts with major companies, including:
- Deutsche Telekom
- Revolut
- Klarna
Additional Fundraising Developments
Beyond its Series D round, ElevenLabs also closed a $100 million tender, marking its second tender within six months after a similar initiative last September. In a blog post, Staniszewski mentioned plans to provide retail investors an opportunity to invest in ElevenLabs through Robinhood Ventures. However, specific details about the program were not disclosed.
Focus on Human-Level Voice AI
Staniszewski emphasized the critical need for creating human-level AI voice models, noting that consumers are unlikely to trust systems that sound robotic or exhibit unusual interactions. To enhance its research capabilities, ElevenLabs recently acquired the team from Polish voice AI startup Papla.
