DeepL has acquired real-time audio startup Mixhalo to expand its voice translation services into conferences, sports, and other live events. The acquisition will also support DeepL’s US expansion through a new office in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms. Mixhalo’s team and technology will join DeepL, which plans to combine its translation models with Mixhalo’s low-latency audio platform.
Mixhalo Adds Live Event Audio Technology
Mixhalo delivers live audio from an event’s sound system directly to attendees’ smartphones. The platform supports real-time interpretation, transcription, summaries, and other audio services without requiring users to rely on a phone microphone to capture sound from a distance.
The company was founded in 2016 by Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger, violinist Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger, and CEO Vik Singh. It initially focused on improving audio quality at concerts before expanding into sports, conferences, and other live events.
Mixhalo raised more than $39 million from investors including Fortress Investment Group, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, and Cowboy Ventures. The company had already been using DeepL as its primary translation provider before the acquisition.
Singh said the discussions began after he met DeepL Chief Technology Officer Sebastian Enderlein at a customer dinner. Their conversations identified potential uses across live events, meetings, documents, APIs, and application-based translation.
DeepL detailed the acquisition and its plans for Mixhalo in an official announcement.
DeepL Expands Its Voice Translation Services
DeepL has mainly been known for text and document translation, but it has increased its focus on spoken language tools. In 2024, the company introduced voice-to-text translation across more than 30 languages.
In April 2026, DeepL released a voice-to-voice translation suite for multilingual meetings. The service can provide translated audio or text during conversations held through tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Mixhalo gives DeepL a way to apply similar technology in physical venues where clear, low-latency sound is required. DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski said live events could also demonstrate how the company’s translation technology performs in real-world settings.
Acquisition Supports DeepL’s US Expansion
DeepL will establish a Bay Area office as part of the acquisition, expanding its operations in the United States. San Francisco-based Mixhalo will provide DeepL with an existing team and customer base in live event audio.
Mixhalo competes with live translation companies including Wordly AI and Palabra. Singh said the growth of voice model providers had created more integration options, while also increasing pricing pressure on companies operating at the application layer.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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