Vocal Image: AI-Powered Voice Coaching Startup Scales Globally
Vocal Image: Revolutionizing Communication with AI Voice Coaching
Estonia-based startup Vocal Image is on a mission to help millions enhance their communication skills through its AI-powered voice coaching app. With over 4 million downloads and 160,000 active users, Vocal Image is making professional voice training accessible and affordable—transforming how people present themselves at work and beyond.
From Personal Challenge to Global Solution
The company’s story is deeply personal. CEO Nick Lakhoika, born in Belarus, once struggled with unclear diction and speaking anxiety. After moving to Estonia and learning English, he became a successful startup founder, winning pitch competitions and overcoming his communication fears. Inspired by his journey and the guidance of vocal coach Maryna “Rusia” Shukiurava, Lakhoika helped launch a YouTube channel that evolved into Vocal Image.
How Vocal Image Works
Vocal Image offers a subscription-based app that provides users with:
- An interactive library of tongue twisters, breathing and vocal exercises
- Guided journeys targeting professional goals like leadership, public speaking, and presentations
- Personalized, AI-generated feedback on pronunciation, confidence, and delivery
- Advice on gestures and nonverbal communication
With the help of CTO and co-founder Mikalai Karaliou, the platform is increasingly AI-driven, allowing users to safely practice at home and receive instant, tailored coaching.
Supporting Diverse Voices—and Building Community
Vocal Image’s audience is broad—from professionals seeking to boost workplace confidence to LGBTQ+ individuals and anyone looking to improve self-expression. The app’s collaborative Voice Rating system lets users evaluate one another’s recordings, labeling voices as “confident” or “childlike,” and providing rich, real-world feedback data. Over 1 million real-voice samples have been collected, with 35,000 new recordings daily—fueling both product improvement and AI research.
Growth, Funding, and Future Plans
After relocating to Estonia and joining accelerator Startup Wise Guys, Vocal Image rapidly grew, reaching $6.5 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) with under $1 million in pre-seed funding. The startup recently closed a $3.6 million seed round led by Educapital, with participation from Specialist VC and Generations Fund. As of August 2025, Vocal Image reports $12 million ARR and around 50,000 paid users, supported by a 20-person team—many of whom are Belarusian exiles.
The company’s achievements have been recognized by the European AI Startup Program, organized by Hugging Face, Meta, and Scaleway. Looking ahead, Vocal Image plans to expand its development team and introduce more language localizations (currently supporting English, Spanish, German, French, Ukrainian, and Russian).
Competing in a Growing Market
The surge in AI-powered communication tools has brought new competitors, such as Headway’s speech trainer in the Skillsta app. However, Vocal Image’s GDPR-compliant data practices and unique, community-labeled dataset give it a competitive edge—not just for user training, but potentially for fine-tuning artificial voices in the future.
