Cisco has acquired EzDubs, a Y Combinator–backed startup known for real-time voice translation that preserves a speaker’s tone and delivery.
The move shows Cisco’s push to improve communication tools for global teams by adding translation features directly into its collaboration products.
EzDubs was launched in 2023 by Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, Amrutavarsh Kinagi, and Kareem Nassar. The company’s work centered on translating spoken conversations during calls while retaining the original speaker’s voice qualities, enabling users to hear translated dialogue without losing emotional cues or natural inflection. Before co-founding the company, Nassar spent time within Cisco’s speech group, giving him familiarity with the corporation’s communication technologies and product environment.
The startup raised $4.2 million in seed funding led by Venture Highway. Other notable backers included Replit’s Amjad Masad and Michele Catasta, Qasar Younis of Applied Intuition, and Ben Firshman of Replicate.
EzDubs’ rise drew attention for its consumer-first approach, introducing mobile apps and tools that gained traction online, including demonstrations that reached large audiences on social platforms.
With the acquisition now announced, EzDubs is preparing to close all consumer-facing apps by December 15.
EzDubs From Consumer Launch to Enterprise Transition
EzDubs began as a consumer service aimed at removing language barriers in everyday communication. Its early products were simple to use: users could make a call, speak in their own language, and hear the translated responses in the voice of the person they were talking to. This approach stood out because many existing translation tools operated through text output or generated neutral synthetic voices, losing the personal tone of a conversation.
This consumer orientation brought initial visibility but also exposed the limits of operating in a market dominated by major platforms. Maintaining consumer applications in the communication space requires distribution reach, long-term maintenance, and global infrastructure—areas where large communication companies typically hold the advantage. EzDubs’ shift away from consumer tools following the acquisition marks a clear transition toward enterprise deployment, where the technology can be embedded directly into widely adopted collaboration systems.
The founders acknowledged this transition when announcing the shutdown timeline. Their message to users expressed gratitude for the adoption their tools received and noted that the company’s focus would turn toward integration with Cisco’s communication products.
How the Translation Technology Works
EzDubs’ system was designed to translate speech in real time while maintaining the speaker’s vocal identity. Instead of delivering flat or generic outputs, the system aimed to carry over rhythm, tone, and emotional cues. This meant that during a translated call, the listener would hear the other person’s translated words spoken in a voice that resembled the speaker’s original delivery. This capability addressed a longstanding weakness in conventional translation tools, which often rely on text conversion or introduce robotic audio output.
The system supported more than 30 languages and enabled voice calls on both mobile and desktop platforms. It was built to operate during ongoing conversations rather than processing recordings after the fact. This emphasis on immediacy differentiated EzDubs from several established translation products that typically focus on text-based queries, document translation, or offline phrase conversion.
EzDubs also built a consumer dubbing tool that gained attention on social media. Users could upload videos and receive versions in different languages, with translated audio tracks that matched their natural tone. Though a separate feature from its call translation system, this tool helped demonstrate the company’s technical approach and contributed to its early momentum.
Where Cisco Fits In and What It Gains
Cisco plans to incorporate EzDubs’ technology into its Collaboration group, which includes Webex calling, meetings, and messaging. Once integrated, customers will have access to real-time translated speech as part of their existing communication workflows. Cisco also stated that partners and developers may gain access to the technology for broader use within its platform.
Snorre Kjesbu, SVP of Collaboration at Cisco, said, “The EzDubs team will join our Collaboration group and work alongside our product and engineering units. Our focus is to make communication clearer and more natural for people everywhere.” His statement indicated Cisco’s intent to use EzDubs’ work as a core feature rather than a standalone add-on.
EzDubs’ full team transition has not yet been confirmed, and Cisco has not shared additional staffing details. What is clear is that EzDubs’ independent consumer presence is ending, and its next phase will unfold entirely within Cisco’s communication suite.
Cisco’s acquisition of EzDubs brings real-time translated speech directly into Webex’s product line, offering more natural cross-language communication for global teams. By embedding this technology within its collaboration tools, Cisco expands the capabilities of its platform without relying on external apps or services, giving users a more seamless experience during multilingual conversations.
