‘Djokovic AI translator’ plans global expansion
Camb.ai, the Dubai-based live translation start-up, expects the emirate to become the “dubbing capital” of the world, its co-founder and chief executive has said.
The company, which gained attention for the live translation it provided during a press conference of men’s tennis world No 1 Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last month, aims to expand into overseas markets, Avneesh Prakash told The National.
“We have a global expansion plan, for sure … we want to grow the business [in the UAE and Middle East], in the US and a few other regions,” he said. On Tuesday, Camb.ai announced it had closed a $4 million seed-funding round, led by New York-based Courtside Ventures, along with an investor group comprising TRTL Ventures, Blue Star Innovation Partners, Ikemori Ventures and Eisaburo Maeda.
The Dubai Future District Fund was one of the early investors in Camb.ai. The start-up was part of the Dubai Future Accelerator cohort last year and is among the companies in the Future 100 initiative launched in December 2022.
“The traction we’re getting in the market is overwhelming, encouraging us to go at an even faster pace … part of the funding that we’ve received will go into accelerating our technology and growth across the world,” Mr Prakash said.
Aside from Tennis Australia, the organiser of the sport’s first Grand Slam tournament of the year, another significant partnership of Camb.ai is its tie-up with Major-league Soccer in the US, for which it is the only live translation partner.
It also counts Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns teams in the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, as its partners, as well as chef Nick DiGiovanni, Dubai-based social media personality Narins Beauty and other celebrities.
Camb.ai was also used in the horror film Three, from Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja, making it the world’s first, fully AI-dubbed multilingual feature film.
The company’s growing portfolio is driving it to seek more partnerships in local, regional and international markets. Mr Prakash said the company is also working with educational institutions and looking into providing its technology to news, which it believes will help boost the dissemination of information by removing the language barrier.
The global AI translation market is projected to hit $12.36 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 17 per cent, latest data from Verified Market Reports shows.
That presents a significant opportunity for both businesses and providers of the technology, Mr Prakash said.
“Many companies have adopted [manual] dubbing in the past and it gives them tremendous efficiency, scaleability, speed and realism.”