DeepL Expands Its Horizons by Acquiring Mixhalo for Enhanced Live Event Audio Streaming and Translation Solutions

At various conferences, speakers frequently deliver presentations in languages not understood by many attendees. This often leads to participants hurriedly using translation apps on their phones to capture audio from afar, a process that can prove ineffective. To address this issue, Mixhalo, a startup specialized in real-time audio solutions, is collaborating with German translation company DeepL to enhance its translation offerings and improve such experiences.

Founded in 2016 by Mike Einziger, a guitarist for Incubus, along with violinist Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger and Vik Singh, who currently serves as the CEO, Mixhalo initially aimed to enhance the audio experience for concert-goers. Over the years, it has expanded its focus to provide real-time audio for various live events, including sports. The company has secured over $39 million in funding from notable investors such as Fortress Investment, Founders Fund, Defy Partners, and Cowboy Ventures.

In a recent email, CEO Vik Singh stated that the influx of voice technology models in the market is beneficial for Mixhalo since it can integrate and evaluate a range of them. While he mentioned that the growth of voice AI has not directly influenced acquisition discussions, he noted that as these model companies expand, they may start to infringe upon Mixhalo’s market, making pricing competitive more challenging.

Mixhalo has previously relied on DeepL for its translation needs, making a closer partnership logical.

Singh shared, “The conversation with DeepL unfolded naturally. Mixhalo has been a long-time user of their services, and during a recent customer dinner, I found myself next to Sebastian, DeepL’s CTO. Our dialogue revealed significant synergies between our event operations, API capabilities, and application in areas like vocal communication for meetings, document translation, and live events.”

DeepL has established itself as a key player in text translation for years, and recently, it has started to make strides in voice technology. In 2024, the company introduced voice-to-text translation for over 33 languages, launching a voice-to-voice suite in April aimed at facilitating multilingual meetings. The acquisition of Mixhalo could allow DeepL to penetrate the live event sector with these new tools.

DeepL’s CEO, Jarek Kutylowski, explained that incorporating Mixhalo will serve as both a functional solution and a marketing opportunity. He noted that Mixhalo’s platform will demonstrate how DeepL’s technology can be applied in real-time during live settings such as conferences.

With this acquisition, DeepL plans to establish a presence in the Bay Area to expand its U.S. operations. Mixhalo competes with companies like Wordly AI and Palabra, supported by Seven Seven Six.