On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Z Venture Capital held a pitch event, “ZVC Connect Vol.5 — The Future Shaped by Voice AI,” at the LY Corporation office. The event was designed to spark collaboration and foster co-creation between startups and the LY Corporation Group.

At the event, five startups working on cutting-edge voice AI technologies, products, and business models took the stage. Each company delivered an eight-minute pitch to representatives from various business units and group companies within LY Corporation.

The presentations showcased the latest developments in the rapidly evolving voice AI space, including speech recognition, conversational AI, speech synthesis, and industrial applications. Each startup highlighted its strengths, key achievements, growth plans, and potential opportunities to collaborate with the LY Corporation Group.


Featured Startups

・Soniox (USA) (Participated online)

A U.S.-based company specializing in highly accurate speech recognition technology. By combining advanced language models with real-world applications, Soniox delivers real-time speech recognition solutions.

・Pictoria (Japan)

A startup creating next-generation entertainment by blending AI with character content. The company operates an AITuber agency, develops proprietary speech synthesis services, and provides interactive AI-powered digital signage—driving the real-world adoption of voice-enabled character experiences.

・DGLOSS (Japan)

A company focused on automating the sales process with AI. Its solutions include “AI Tele-Appointment,” which streamlines both outbound and inbound sales calls, and “Sales Performer,” a tool that visualizes and enhances sales team motivation.

・Fairy Devices (Japan)

A company advancing digital transformation in industrial settings through its neck-worn wearable device “THINKLET” and voice processing AI “mimi.”

・Parakeet (Japan)

A University of Tokyo–origin startup specializing in speech synthesis AI. Its offerings include “Paravo,” a real-time voice conversion technology with processing speeds as fast as 0.06 seconds on CPU, and “Paratts,” a text-to-speech service featuring models based on 100 professional voice actors.

Around 30 participants from various LY Corporation business units and group companies attended the event.

Following the pitch session, a networking event brought together startup presenters and LY Corporation Group participants. Attendees engaged in deeper conversations inspired by the presentations and explored concrete ideas for collaboration, creating valuable opportunities for future co-creation.

Z Venture Capital will continue to foster new business partnerships and co-creation opportunities by connecting promising startups with the LY Corporation Group through its “ZVC Connect” initiative.

Contact ZVC

zvc-info@zvc.vc