French Startup Nijta Aims to Protect Voice Privacy in AI Use Cases
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French startup Nijta focuses on providing AI-driven voice anonymization technology to help clients meet privacy requirements. Nijta's product Voice Harbor enables voice anonymization, making it possible to remove biometric information when building AI systems.
The company is headquartered in Lille, France, and its Indian CEO Brij Srivastava initially moved to France to pursue a Ph.D. at the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA). Nijta originated from the Inria Startup Studio program and is an award-winning young B2B company that has secured €2 million in funding from multiple sources, including French deep-tech VC fund Elaia and Lille-based investment firm Finovam Gestion.
Nijta sees Europe as its primary market, largely due to the strict data privacy regulations under GDPR. Although voice anonymization technology applies to multiple fields, Nijta's strengths lie in compliance and commercial opportunities. The company's AI technology provides solutions for many businesses increasingly concerned about data privacy and excited about generative AI.
Nijta's potential clients include call centers, particularly those handling health data. The company has engaged in early collaborations with projects like Oky Doky to better handle medical emergency calls. Additionally, it operates in the defense sector and the edtech space, such as anonymizing children's voices before using AI to provide pronunciation feedback.
Nijta's generated content is watermarked, which has become a standard practice in generative AI. The company also states that Nijta Voice Harbor's protection is irreversible, unlike some voice modification methods used by media organizations to protect interviewees. One challenge Nijta faces is the lack of awareness about voice privacy issues. Thus, even if clients don't emphasize voice privacy, the risk of heavy fines is driving early adoption.
Nevertheless, Nijta hopes to eventually expand into the B2C market, focusing on areas like protecting recorded messages. However, the B2C market will take time, given Nijta's small team size. The company aims to grow its team from seven to ten members while also seeking external support for tasks it cannot handle alone. Organizations like Business France help Nijta reduce internationalization costs while opening doors in global markets.
Nijta plans to secure an additional €1 million in funding from Bpifrance's deep-tech development aid to support R&D expenses. This will further strengthen Nijta's competitiveness in international markets and justify its choice of Lille and France as its base.