Estonia-based startup Vocal Image has raised $3.6 million in seed funding, led by French edtech investor Educapital, with support from Specialist VC (Estonia) and Generations Fund (Germany). The app, designed to help users improve their voice and communication skills through AI-powered coaching, now boasts 4 million downloads, 160,000 active users, and $12 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
CEO Nick Lahoika, who once struggled with speaking anxiety after moving from Belarus to Estonia, co-founded the company alongside vocal coach Maryna “Rusia” Shukiurava and CTO Mikalai Karaliou. Their journey began with a YouTube channel before evolving into a subscription-based app offering exercises like tongue twisters, breathing techniques, and gesture training.
Vocal Image is increasingly leaning on AI to provide personalized feedback and automated coaching, positioning itself as an affordable alternative to one-on-one vocal training. The app supports professionals seeking to boost leadership or presentation skills, individuals building self-confidence, and members of the LGBTQ community.
The company’s growth has been rapid, reaching 50,000 paid users with a team of just 20, many of them Belarusian exiles. Vocal Image also won recognition from Hugging Face, Meta, and Scaleway’s European AI Startup Program.
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With more than 1 million real-voice samples gathered through community-driven ratings, Vocal Image has built a valuable dataset for improving AI voice models, giving it an edge as competition heats up from rivals like Headway’s Skillsta. The startup now plans to expand its development team and launch more localized versions of the app in multiple languages.
