Like many fabled Boston startup origin stories, Modulate’s tale begins at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But Modulate’s unique story can be traced all the way back to the co-founders’ orientation week.
Then-students Carter Huffman and Mike Pappas met over a physics problem drawn on a whiteboard in Huffman’s residence hall. The puzzle involved a drum inside a larger drum. A “standard mechanics problem,” Pappas said. They worked together to solve the problem and the wheels of their working relationship were set in motion.
Fast forward to 2019 and the former MIT students are now co-founders of Modulate, a company using machine learning to create “voice skin” technology, designed for gamers and social media users to customize their online voices.
With a fresh $2 million in seed funding pumped into the company, the Cambridge-based startup has big plans to expand the use of its voice technology and hire for machine learning and optimization roles.
“Online communities let us engage with people and ideas — or, in the case of video games, whole new worlds — without any preconceptions,” said Pappas, co-founder and CEO of Modulate, in a statement. “Until now, you were forced to use your real voice, shattering the freedom promised by these spaces and preventing some people from feeling safe using voice chat at all.”
The recent round was led by 2Enable Partners and Hyperplane Venture Capital. John Huysmans, managing director at 2Enable Partners, was also an early investor in Harmonix, the creator of Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
It comes down to being able to express only what you choose to express about yourself.”
“Voice skins are fun to use, but what’s even more important is how they let you determine how you want to sound, which will allow more people to participate ever more deeply in these digital communities in the future,” Pappas said.
Customizing a character’s online presence is nothing new in gaming or social media. But changing a character’s voice while maintaining full control over emotion and inflection, has been a long-requested feature for video games like Fortnite. Modulate users will finally have the freedom to do exactly that.
Modulate’s voice skins, which will be available through select platforms, will help gamers and social media users instantly customize their voice based on their unique preferences.
“It comes down to being able to express only what you choose to express about yourself,” Pappas said.
That choice can also be essential for women gamers. Women are often discouraged from participating in video game voice chats due to harassment, Pappas said. Voice skins will allow women and other marginalized groups to participate freely in online gaming, he said.
Some platforms will even allow users to imitate real voices and public figures like former President Barack Obama. However, to protect the voice technology from any potential misuse, the company has built ethical guidelines around the company.
“Modulate is about creativity and freedom, not impersonating others,” said Huffman, Modulate’s CTO in a statement. “We've built ethical safeguards into our company from the ground up, from how we distribute our technology, to how we select the voice skins to offer, to watermarking our audio for detection in sensitive systems.”
Following in the footsteps of other local audio giants like Bose, Pappas said that Boston is the best place to find the talent they need to grow Modulate into a top-tier company.
