ElevenLabs lists BlackRock, Jamie Foxx and Eva Longoria as new investors

ElevenLabs, a prominent player in the voice AI sector, recently disclosed that it has attracted notable new investors during its $500 million Series D funding round, initially announced in February. This new wave of investment includes influential institutions such as BlackRock, Wellington, D.E. Shaw, and Schroders, alongside major companies like NVIDIA, Salesforce, Santander, KPN, and Deutsche Telekom. Among the individual backers are celebrity figures Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria, and Hwang Dong-hyuk, the acclaimed creator of Squid Game. The company has celebrated a significant achievement in its financial performance, reporting an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) that has surpassed $500 million. This marks a substantial increase from nearly $350 million in ARR at the end of the previous year. Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs, revealed that the company added an impressive $100 million in net new ARR in the first quarter of 2026, bringing the total to approximately $450 million. ElevenLabs has experienced rapid growth in its valuation, soaring from $6.6 billion in September to an estimated $11 billion by February. Karine Peters, Managing Director at Deutsche Telekom’s venture arm T. Capital, emphasized the company's pivotal role in transforming customer interactions. She 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.” In recent months, ElevenLabs has secured enterprise contracts with major players such as Deutsche Telekom, Revolut, and Klarna, further solidifying its market presence. In addition to the fundraising efforts, the company has completed a $100 million tender offer, marking its second in about six months. Staniszewski announced plans for retail investors to participate in ElevenLabs through Robinhood Ventures, although specific details about this initiative remain under wraps. He also underscored the necessity of developing 'human-level AI voice models' to foster consumer trust, as he noted that robotic-sounding systems could deter user engagement. Furthermore, last month, ElevenLabs expanded its research capabilities by acquiring the team from Polish voice AI startup Papla.