BeyondWords

A London company (formerly SpeechKit) that gives publishers tools to turn written articles into audio with synthetic voices.

About BeyondWords

BeyondWords provides audio tools for publishers. It lets news sites, magazines and businesses turn written articles into audio, using synthetic and cloned voices. It also offers an audio player to put on a website and tools to earn money from audio content. In plain terms, it helps readers listen to articles while commuting, cooking or when reading is hard.

It was formerly known as SpeechKit and is listed as founded in 2016. A data profile lists Patrick O'Flaherty as co-founder and chief executive; the About page names no founders. Its About page says its mission is to connect publishers and their audiences through AI voice technology, turning journalism into audio so readers can engage with stories during commutes and workouts, and that its vision was shaped by hundreds of conversations with publishers. It describes its team as news obsessives. A data profile describes it as offering audio content management systems for the publishing industry, and the same profile names clients including The Japan Times, Media24, Daily Maverick and Sanofi, and the About page names case studies with The Irish Times, Schibsted and La Nacion, which shows it serves publishers worldwide as well as in the UK.

The profile gives its headquarters as 32 Sackville Street, London W1S 3EA, and the About page footer shows the same address under the legal entity LSTN LTD. A market list of London start-ups also includes it as a London company building synthetic voices and tools for publishers. We did not find a UK headcount or other UK offices. The company appears to be small, though that is not confirmed.

Voice technology has become a major part of modern media, and companies like this need a mix of people. Machine learning and speech engineers train and improve voices, software developers build the plug-ins and players, and customer success and partnership staff help publishers set the tools up. Editorial and audio specialists can also help judge how natural a voice sounds, and what makes a good listening experience.

It is a good company to look at if you enjoy language, audio and technology. We did not read its website, so check beyondwords.io for its own description of its work and its team.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Turns articles into audio with synthetic or cloned voices.', 'title': 'Text to audio'}
• {'desc': 'A player publishers add to their pages.', 'title': 'Website audio player'}
• {'desc': 'Tools to earn from audio versions of content.', 'title': 'Audio monetisation'}

Key facts

• Formerly SpeechKit; listed as founded 2016
• HQ: 32 Sackville Street, London W1S 3EA (data profile)
• Clients named include The Japan Times and Media24
• Included in a Seedtable list of London media start-ups

Website: beyondwords.io