Yoodli triples valuation to $300M with $40M Series B for AI that assists, not replaces workers

Ex-Googler's Yoodli triples valuation to $300M+ with AI built to assist, not replace, people | TechCrunch

Yoodli, an AI-powered communication training startup, has reached a valuation of more than $300 million -- more than triple its level six months ago -- as it builds technology meant to assist people rather than replace them with machines. The valuation increase follows Yoodli's $40 million Series B round, led by WestBridge Capital with participation from Neotribe and Madrona. It comes after a $13.7 million Series A round announced in May, bringing the startup's total funding to nearly $60 million. As AI tools spread into workplaces and fuel fears of automation, Yoodli positions itself differently. The four-year-old, Seattle-based startup uses AI to run simulated scenarios -- including sales calls, leadership coaching, interviews, and feedback sessions -- and provides users with structured, repeatable practice to improve their speaking skills. Varun Puri (pictured above, right), who previously worked at Google's X division and handled special projects for Sergey Brin, co-founded Yoodli with former Apple engineer Esha Joshi (pictured above, left) in 2021. He became aware of communication challenges after moving to the U.S. at 18 and seeing how difficulty expressing ideas or speaking confidently affected students and young professionals from countries such as India -- himself included -- Puri said in an interview. Initially, Yoodli was meant to help people practice public speaking -- a skill two out of three people struggle with, Puri told TechCrunch, citing internal data. However, the startup soon saw users turning to the platform for interview preparation, sales pitches, and difficult conversations. That shift pushed Yoodli from a consumer-focused product to enterprise training, and it now offers AI role-plays and experiential learning tools for go-to-market enablement, partner certification, and management coaching. "In the old world, companies would be training people using static, long-form content or passive videos that we'd all watch at 4x-5x speed, just to get the thing done," said Puri. "But that doesn't actually mean you've learned it." Companies including Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales use Yoodli for employee or partner training. The startup also sells its platform to coaching firms such as Franklin Covey and LHH, which can tailor the system to their own methodology and training frameworks, Puri stated. He added that the tool is not designed to replace human coaches but to keep a human in the loop delivering personalized guidance. "I philosophically believe that AI can get you, let's call it from a zero to an eight or a zero to nine," said Puri. "But the pure essence of who you are and how you show up, and your authenticity and vulnerability that a human gives you feedback on will always exist." The platform works with multiple large-language models, meaning users can run it with models such as Google's Gemini or OpenAI's GPT based on their preference. Enterprises can also embed it into their existing software, or users can access it directly through a web browser. The AI supports most major languages, including Korean, Japanese, French, Canadian French, and a list of Indian languages. Yoodli does not offer a dedicated mobile app, a decision Puri said was made to avoid adding extra steps for users during training sessions. Puri did not disclose how many people use the platform but said most of Yoodli's revenue now comes from enterprise customers. He added that between the Series A and B rounds, Yoodli saw a 50% increase in the number of role-plays run on the platform and in the total time users spent practicing. The startup also said it grew its average recurring revenue by 900% over the last 12 months, though it did not provide specific figures. Yoodli had not planned to raise more funding so soon after its last round but saw unanticipated investor interest, with WestBridge leading the latest raise, Puri said. He noted that strong performance metrics, key customers, and senior hires helped attract investors. The startup has recently hired former Tableau and Salesforce executive Josh Vitello as chief revenue officer (CRO), former Remitly CFO Andy Larson as CFO, and former Tableau chief product officer (CPO) Padmashree Koneti as CPO. Yoodli is not alone in the market for AI-based communication tools, but Puri told TechCrunch the startup differentiates itself through deep customization and a focus on specific training verticals, allowing companies to tailor the system to their use cases and coaching methods. The Seattle-headquartered startup has about 40 employees. Puri said the latest funding will be used to expand Yoodli's AI coaching, analytics and personalization tools, and to grow its presence in enterprise learning and professional development. The company also plans to hire across product, AI research, and customer success, and to expand into markets in the Asia-Pacific region while deepening its footprint in the U.S.

AI roleplay startup Yoodli raises $40M, reports 900% revenue growth

Yoodli is on a roll. The Seattle startup, which sells AI-powered software to help people practice real-world conversations such as sales calls and feedback sessions, announced a $40 million Series B round on Tuesday to fuel growth. WestBridge Capital, a $7 billion global investment firm, led the round. The fresh funding comes less than a year after the company's $13.7 million Series A round in May. Yoodli's software lets users create personas to simulate conversations with another person or multiple people. The company's model is trained on effective communication techniques and can be customized depending on an organization's goals. Customers include SAP, Google, Snowflake, the University of Washington, Korn Ferry, and others. "At a moment when AI is replacing human jobs, we're doubling down on a different belief: that AI should help people become the best version of themselves in the conversations that matter most," co-founder and CEO Varun Puri wrote on LinkedIn. Yoodli's revenue has grown around 900% in the past year. Its headcount has tripled to more than 40 people. Puri told GeekWire earlier this year that Yoodli is like a "batting cage before game time," or a flight simulator for communication. The idea is to replace passive formats such as slide decks and training videos with interactive practice that builds conversational muscle memory. The company said it will use the new funding to expand into what it calls "experiential learning." "Experiential learning is the next step of conversation coaching -- helping people learn, practice, and apply skills with roleplays at the center of their experience," Puri wrote. "We're making learning more fun and actionable for individuals and much more closely tied to ROI for organizations." The raise comes amid competition in the AI-powered workforce training market, as employers look for tools to upskill workers in communication, leadership, and customer engagement -- areas where traditional learning management systems may have limitations. Puri and Esha Joshi launched Yoodli in 2021 at the AI2 incubator in Seattle. The startup got off the ground with a consumer-focused offering targeted at practicing public speaking. Neotribe and Madrona also participated in the latest funding round. Total capital raised is nearly $60 million.

AI Learning Startup Yoodli Raises $40 Million in Series B Led by WestBridge Capital | AIM

This funding will accelerate Yoodli's AI coaching and analytics while expanding its reach in enterprise learning and professional development. Yoodli, a US-based AI-powered learning platform, has raised $40 million in its Series B funding round led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from Neotribe and Madrona. Founded in 2021 by Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, Yoodli has secured Series B funding just a few months after announcing its Series A round in May. To date, the company has raised nearly $60 million. The startup's platform uses AI to simulate real-world scenarios, from sales calls and leadership coaching to interviews and feedback sessions, giving users instant, personalised feedback they can practice privately and repeatedly. This funding will accelerate Yoodli's investment in AI coaching, analytics, and personalisation while expanding its reach across enterprise learning, GTM enablement, and professional development. The company plans to grow its product, AI research, and customer success teams as it continues to scale globally. "This round helps us scale our team and serve more enterprises on a true end-to-end experiential learning platform," said Varun Puri, cofounder and CEO of Yoodli. "We're reducing the time it takes to acquire real skills, ensuring employees are ready for game time, and saving organisations countless hours lost to passive coaching. The Yoodli platform is used by major companies like Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales. Adoption has surged due to a workplace shift towards experiential learning, allowing employees to improve through guided practice rather than just consuming training content. "We see Yoodli defining a new category of AI-native learning tools for the enterprise, as companies today seek scalable, AI-driven solutions to train and upskill their workforces. The Yoodli team has built a platform that brings a high level of precision and scalability to skill development, and we're excited to partner with them as they scale," said Manthan Shah, principal at WestBridge Capital.

Yoodli Raises USD 40 Mn in Series B to Advance Experiential Learning

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. AI learning platform Yoodli has raised USD 40 million in a Series B funding round led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from Neotribe and Madrona. With the latest infusion, the Seattle-based startup has secured nearly USD 60 million in total funding since its launch in 2021. The company said the new capital will support deeper investment in AI coaching, analytics and personalised learning tools. It also plans to expand its enterprise reach across areas such as professional development, go to market training and corporate learning programs. Yoodli expects to grow its product, research and customer success teams as it scales globally. "This round helps us scale our team and serve more enterprises on a true end to end experiential learning platform," said Varun Puri, Co-founder and CEO. He added that the company aims to reduce the time employees need to learn practical skills. "The future of learning is not about consuming content. It is about adaptive, real world practice that drives behavioral change." Founded in 2021 by Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, Yoodli provides an AI powered platform that helps users build communication and speech skills by offering real time feedback on clarity, pace and filler words. The tool allows people to rehearse workplace scenarios, including customer conversations, leadership interactions, interviews and feedback sessions. "In a world where so much is being automated by AI, Yoodli is helping people strengthen what makes them uniquely human," Puri said. "Communication is the skill that separates top performers." Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer Esha Joshi said realistic practice is essential for improvement. "Learning sticks when it feels real. Professionals need a place where they can practice and get immediate feedback," she said. Yoodli counts Google, Snowflake, Databricks and RingCentral among its enterprise users.

Learning platform Yoodli raises $40 million in round led by WestBridge Capital - The Economic Times

Existing backers Neotribe Ventures and Madrona also participated in the funding round. To date, the platform that offers roleplay-based simulations to help users practice real conversations has raised $60 million. The fresh funds will be used to strengthen its AI coaching and analytics capabilities and hire talent.Yoodli, a learning platform that offers roleplay-based simulations to help people practice real conversations, has raised $40 million in a funding round led by WestBridge Capital. The round also saw participation from existing backers Neotribe Ventures and Madrona. The latest funding comes months after its previous $13.7 million raise in May, taking the total capital raised to nearly $60 million, including a $6 million seed round in 2022. Founded in 2021 in Seattle, Yoodli operates in the experiential learning segment, which focusses on practical, simulation-based skill-building rather than traditional content-led training. The platform offers AI-powered roleplay simulations for scenarios such as sales pitches, performance reviews, leadership coaching, and job interviews, along with real-time personalised feedback. Yoodli counts companies including Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales among its enterprise clients, positioning itself as a communication-skills training layer for large organisations. The company said the new capital will be used to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) coaching and analytics capabilities and expand hiring across product, AI research, and customer success. It also plans to scale globally across enterprise learning, go-to-market enablement, and professional development use cases. Yoodli noted that as organisations rethink how their teams learn and perform, the learning platform is seeing a shift from passive training modules to personalised, adaptive coaching with real-time feedback. "In a world where so much is being automated by AI, Yoodli is helping people strengthen what makes them uniquely human," said Varun Puri, cofounder and CEO of Yoodli. "Communication is the skill that separates top performers, and Yoodli helps people sharpen that edge through practice." WestBridge Capital said the demand for scalable AI-driven training platforms is growing as companies rapidly upskill workforces. "The Yoodli team has built a platform that brings a high level of precision and scalability to skill development, and we're excited to partner with them as they scale," said Manthan Shah, principal at WestBridge Capital.