Uplift AI, a rising Pakistani voice AI startup, has raised $3.5 million in fresh funding in a round led by Y Combinator, the globally renowned accelerator known for backing companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and GitLab. The round also included Indus Valley Capital, Pakistan’s leading early-stage venture fund, along with Pioneer Fund, Conjunction, Moment Ventures, and several Silicon Valley-based angel investors.
Founded by former Apple and Amazon engineers Zaid Qureshi and Hammad Malik, Uplift AI is building advanced voice AI technology focused on regional languages such as Urdu, Punjabi, and Balochi. The startup’s mission is to enable people to interact with technology simply by speaking in their native language, removing barriers created by low literacy and limited digital access.
The company’s flagship voice AI model, Orator, has gained attention for its highly natural, human-like Urdu speech, setting a new benchmark for local-language voice systems. Unlike generic global solutions, Uplift AI’s voice AI models are trained entirely in-house using region-specific data, allowing for better accuracy, tone, and cultural context.
The voice AI startup is already seeing strong adoption. More than 1,000 developers are actively using Uplift AI’s APIs to build real-world applications, ranging from FIR registration voice bots to healthcare intake systems designed for rural clinics. Small businesses, students, and entrepreneurs are increasingly relying on voice AI to reach underserved communities.
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Uplift AI believes voice-first technology is essential for Pakistan, where nearly 42 percent of adults cannot read or write, limiting their participation in the digital economy. By enabling voice-based access to information and services, the startup aims to unlock productivity and economic growth at scale.
Hammad Malik, CEO of Uplift AI, said voice technology can play a transformative role in national development by giving millions of people access to knowledge, services, and economic opportunity through simple spoken interaction.
Investors see voice AI as a foundational layer for emerging markets. Indus Valley Capital Partner Aatif Awan said voice is the most natural gateway to the digital economy in countries like Pakistan, and Uplift AI is building the core infrastructure needed to unlock this massive opportunity.
Industries that serve large populations—including banking, healthcare, agriculture, and government—stand to benefit significantly from voice AI solutions that overcome literacy and language barriers. In agriculture, Uplift AI’s technology is already being used to deliver actionable intelligence to farmers in their own language, helping improve yields and decision-making.
With the new funding, Uplift AI plans to expand voice AI support across all major Pakistani languages. A significant portion of the investment will be used for large-scale data collection and labelling within Pakistan, a move expected to generate thousands of local jobs. The remaining funds will support research and development of next-generation speech understanding and speech generation models.
While the company positions itself as a global player focused on underserved languages, Pakistan remains its primary focus in the near term. Uplift AI’s platform is currently open to startups and small businesses, allowing immediate access to its voice AI capabilities through developer-friendly APIs.
