I’ve seen a lot of pitches. After 200+ angel investments, including some names you might recognize like Anthropic and OpenAI, you start to develop a sixth sense for what’s next. And right now, that sixth sense is screaming “AI voice.”
It’s not just about your Alexa or Siri getting a little bit smarter. We’re on the cusp of a seismic shift in how we interact with technology, and voice is at the epicenter. I’m not talking about clunky, robotic commands. I’m talking about natural, seamless conversations with AI that understands not just what you say, but how you say it.
I remember the early days of the internet. The dial-up tones, the clunky interfaces… it was a far cry from the seamless experience we have today. That’s where we are with AI voice right now. We’re moving beyond the “dial-up” phase and into an era of true conversational intelligence. And as an investor and an entrepreneur, I can tell you this is where the next wave of billion-dollar companies will be born.
The “Why Now?” of AI Voice
So why is this happening now? It’s a combination of factors. The underlying technology has finally caught up to the vision. For years, we were stuck in the infrastructure phase, building the foundational models. Now, we’re in the application phase. The tools are there, they’re getting cheaper, and they’re getting better at an exponential rate.
Just look at the cost. OpenAI dropped the price of their GPT-4o realtime API by a massive amount in late 2024. This is a huge deal. It’s like the cost of microchips plummeting in the 80s, paving the way for the PC revolution. When the core technology becomes this accessible, innovation explodes.
I saw this firsthand with RemoteTeam. We were building tools for remote work before it was the norm. People thought we were crazy. Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly, the world changed. The same thing is happening with AI voice. The “pandemic” for voice is the convergence of powerful, affordable models and the market’s readiness for a new interface.
Where the Puck is Going: The Explosion of AI Voice
It’s not just a gut feeling. The data is backing it up. The recent YC batch had a staggering 22% of its companies building with voice. That’s not a trend, that’s a tidal wave. When you see that much talent and capital flooding into a single area, you pay attention.
We’re seeing this across the board, from B2B to healthcare. In business, it’s about efficiency. Think about how much time is wasted on routine calls. Scheduling, support, sales qualification… these are all ripe for automation. But not the clunky, frustrating automation of the past. I’m talking about AI that can actually hold a conversation, understand nuance, and solve problems.
In healthcare, the potential is even more profound. Imagine an AI assistant that can help an elderly patient manage their medication, or a doctor who can focus on the patient instead of taking notes because an AI is transcribing and summarizing the visit in the background. This isn’t science fiction; it’s happening right now.
A Story From the Trenches
I want to tell you about one of my portfolio companies. I won’t name them, but they’re in the e-commerce space. They were growing fast, but their customer support was a mess. They were drowning in calls, and their small team couldn’t keep up. They were burning cash on a problem that was only getting worse.
We looked at all the usual solutions. Hiring more people, outsourcing, better FAQs… nothing was moving the needle. Then we decided to take a chance on a small, scrappy startup that was building AI voice agents. It was a risk. This was early days, and the technology was still unproven.
But the results were staggering. Within three months, they had automated over 60% of their inbound calls. Not just deflecting them, but actually resolving them. The AI was handling everything from order tracking to returns, and it was doing it with a level of patience and efficiency that no human could match.
But here’s the kicker. Their customer satisfaction scores actually went up. People preferred talking to the AI. It was available 24/7, it never got frustrated, and it always had the right answer. This wasn’t just about cutting costs; it was about creating a better experience.
The Future is a Conversation
This is why I’m so bullish on AI voice. It’s not just about making things cheaper or faster. It’s about fundamentally changing the way we interact with technology. It’s about making technology more human.
For years, we’ve been forced to communicate with computers on their terms. We’ve had to learn their languages, their interfaces, their rules. But that’s all about to change. With AI voice, the technology is finally learning to speak our language.
So, if you’re an entrepreneur, a builder, or an investor, I have one piece of advice for you: start paying attention to voice. The next generation of great companies will be built on the power of conversation. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what they create.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.
How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.