VoiceRun has launched a developer-focused platform designed to build and scale AI voice agents through code, as the startup positions itself between no-code tools and highly specialized infrastructure, while announcing a $5.5 million seed funding round.
Founders’ Rationale And Product Direction
VoiceRun was founded by Nicholas Leonard and Derek Caneja after they encountered design limitations while attempting to build AI voice agents themselves. Leonard said many existing voice agents were created using no-code tools that enabled fast deployment but often resulted in lower-quality products. Others were built by well-resourced companies that spent months developing custom systems.
Leonard told TechCrunch that developers and enterprises needed another option. He said he and Caneja concluded that future software systems would be coded, validated, and optimized by coding agents rather than managed primarily through visual interfaces. Leonard serves as VoiceRun’s chief executive, while Caneja is the company’s chief technology officer.
Code First Approach To Voice Agents
VoiceRun allows developers and coding assistants to define voice agent behavior directly in code. Leonard said many existing low-code platforms rely on visual diagrams and prompt-based flows, which can become difficult to manage as systems grow in complexity.
He said code offers greater flexibility, particularly for tasks that visual tools may not support by default, such as handling specific dialects or custom behaviors. Leonard said coding agents operate more effectively in code than in visual interfaces, especially when addressing a wide range of edge cases and configuration needs.
In addition to coding-based development, VoiceRun supports A/B testing and one-click deployment for voice agents.
Enterprise Focus And Use Cases
The platform is aimed at enterprise developers and companies seeking to integrate AI voice agents into products or services. Leonard cited use cases such as customer service automation and voice-driven products for technology companies.
He also referenced a restaurant technology company using VoiceRun to launch an AI phone concierge for handling food reservations.
Seed Funding Announcement
On Wednesday, VoiceRun announced it had closed a $5.5 million seed funding round led by Flybridge Capital.
The funding comes amid heavy investment across the AI agent sector, where startups raised billions of dollars last year as capital continued flowing into AI-focused companies.
Competitive Landscape In AI Voice Agents
Leonard said VoiceRun competes with no-code voice agent builders such as Bland and Retell AI, which are commonly used for rapid prototyping. At the other end of the market, he pointed to more advanced tools like LiveKit and Pipecat, which provide greater control for developers.
Leonard said VoiceRun is positioned between these two segments, offering infrastructure and lifecycle management while allowing customers to retain ownership of business logic and data. He said the company’s approach focuses on enabling end-to-end development supervised by developers, with coding agents responsible for writing code, running tests, deploying systems, and proposing improvements.
Addressing Perceptions Of Voice Automation
Leonard said one long-term goal of VoiceRun is to improve how users perceive automated voice systems. He said customers often feel relieved when reaching a human agent because voice automation has historically been unreliable.
He referenced a survey conducted last year by Five9, which found that three-quarters of respondents still preferred speaking with a human for customer service interactions. Leonard said he believes this perception can change, noting that human agents also face limitations, including language barriers.
Leonard compared the current state of voice agents to early automobiles, saying widespread adoption would depend on scalable production rather than isolated high-quality examples.
Featured image credits: Derbysoft
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