DeepL acquires US audio stadium streaming business Mixhalo

German AI translation startup DeepL has acquired a US audio streaming startup whose tech helps attendees at conferences and sports events get the same sound experience regardless of where they are sitting.

DeepL has acquired San Francisco-based Mixhalo for an undisclosed sum, as it looks to improve its AI translation offering.

The acquisition, which follows DeepL axing around 250 employees last month, means that DeepL will have its first office in San Francisco.

Cologne-based DeepL, last valued at $2bn, is known for its AI text translation and writing tools. It has also recenlty moved into voice-to-voice translation. It says more than 200,000 businesses use its translation tech.

Founded in 2016 by two musicians and a technologist, Mixhalo provides AI-powered, real-time sound, including in numerous languages, at live events such as major sports, entertainment and conference events.

Event attendees install the Mixhalo app, connect it to the concert, and plug in their headphones to get the same sound quality wherever they sit, Mixhalo says.

Its tech has been used at Metallica and Sting gigs as well as MLB and NASCAR events, and by brands Verizon and T-Mobile.

Describing the rationale behind the deal, DeepL, which Mixhalo already uses as its main translation provider, said it was “integrating ultra-low-latency audio infrastructure” into its offering at large-scale events.

It added: “This enables translated speech and captions to reach audiences clearly and instantly, from smaller live settings to tens of thousands of attendees, while preserving the pace and natural fluency of live speech.”

Mixhalo has raised nearly $40m, including seed investment from Pharrell Williams, and investment from Founders Fund, Fortress Investment and Cowboy Ventures.

Jarek Kutylowski, founder and CEO of DeepL, said: "The team has solved one of the hardest problems in live audio, which is delivering high-fidelity sound to thousands of people at once with basically zero latency. 

"Together, we're building the real-time Language AI layer for communication, so people can understand each other naturally wherever they are interacting, whether that's in team meetings, customer calls or even major international events."