Voiceitt Announces CEO Transition

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Sep 14, 2023, 10:30 ET

Alyson Pace Appointed Chief Executive Officer, Effective Immediately

Focus on Sales, Market Expansion and Next Generation Technology to Unlock Voiceitt's Commercial Growth

TEL AVIV, Israel and STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Voiceitt, a leading provider of speech recognition for non-standard speech, announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Alyson Pace, formerly Director at Cisco, as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Alyson Pace succeeds Danny Weissberg, Co-Founder, who has stepped down as CEO. Mr. Weissberg will remain involved to ensure a smooth transition, and serve as a strategic advisor and Director of the company.

Alyson joins Voiceitt from Cisco, where she served as Director of Strategy, Business Development and Partnerships in the Collaboration business.

"Co-Founder and CEO Danny Weissberg has done a remarkable job building the technological foundation of Voiceitt. In Alyson Pace, Danny has found a partner who can take the business to the next stage, bringing this incredible productivity tool to populations that have historically been left behind. On behalf of the Investors and the Board of Directors of Voiceitt, we are thrilled that Alyson will bring her leadership skills, business acumen and industry relationships to bear as our new CEO. Her addition is a grand slam for the Company," said Karl Anderson, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Viking Maccabee Ventures. "We are equally excited to welcome Danny to the Board as a Director where he will continue to provide important strategic guidance to the company."

The announcement follows the launch of Voiceitt's next-generation technology, which supports spontaneous speech recognition for people with speech disabilities. In addition to a browser-based application employing the next-generation technology, which is available to end users via bulk license sales, Voiceitt also offers an API that enables seamless integration of its tech with any voice interface, making these products accessible to users with disabilities, degenerative disease or brain injuries, developmental disorders, aging-related speech changes, and even challenging dialects. Early integrations of the next-generation technology include Webex, announced with Cisco in May 2023, a unique partnership enabling people with speech impairments to speak and be understood during virtual meetings through innovative captioning and transcription leveraging Voiceitt's AI on the leading collaboration platform.

"I am deeply inspired by the vision, dedication, and tireless work that has brought the company to this turning point," says Ms. Pace. "It is among the greatest honors of my professional life to join Danny on this journey, and to pick up the reins as CEO, joining co-founder, Sara Smolley, and the team as we bring Voiceitt into its next stage of impact, commercialization, and growth."

Ms. Pace added, "Voiceitt, which was founded with the mission to help people with speech disabilities live more connected lives, is emerging as a leading provider of voice AI for non-standard speech. The underlying technology, speech recognition based on cutting edge proprietary automatic speech recognition algorithms, has moved from science fiction to a real, working product. The business opportunities sit at the heart of a revolution in conversational AI, as well as a paradigm shift in inclusion and accessibility. There is no better timing."

"As Voiceitt enters a new phase, Alyson's exceptional track record, encompassing her time at Cisco and her experience developing and commercializing impactful voice AI, positions her well to bring Voiceitt successfully into its next stage of growth," said Mr. Weissberg. "With Alyson's leadership, Voiceitt is set to thrive. Thanks to my co-founders Stas Tiomkin and Sara Smolley, our amazing team, and our strategic partners and investors, we've developed continuous speech recognition for non-standard speakers, positioned uniquely in one of the most dynamic areas of AI, and poised to help our partners provide inclusive voice experiences and products that meet the needs of all customers. As ever, I remain dedicated to Voiceitt's mission and to making a difference in the world while achieving remarkable success."

About Alyson Pace
Alyson Pace is a dedicated entrepreneur turned corporate executive leader. Before her second tour at Cisco in 2018, Alyson was an early executive at Voicea, a voice AI tech startup, and a leader at Webex, both with successful acquisitions. Her leadership has emphasized exceptional user experience and technical and GTM partnerships, including sales or channel enablement and OEM commercial deals, which led to the company's acquisition by Cisco.

At Cisco, Ms. Pace led the M&A and integration practice for the company's Collaboration business unit to accelerate time to value and provide world-class employee experience. As part of Corporate Development at Cisco Investments, she managed multiple practices for the acceleration and scaling of Cisco portfolio startups' businesses, accelerating time-to-market and revenue. Ms. Pace's career is marked by her passion for disruptive technologies, and her capabilities to bring complex technological products to market, from ideation to scale, and to build early-stage companies from startups to successful enterprises.

About Voiceitt
Voiceitt was founded with the mission to apply its machine learning and speech recognition technologies to help people with speech disabilities resulting from stroke, degenerative disease, or developmental disorders live more connected, independent lives. Its proprietary automatic speech recognition (ASR) makes voice AI accessible — enabling people with speech impairments to interact with mainstream voice technologies, communicate by voice, and be understood.

Voiceitt has been highlighted in international media, including Forbes, The New York Times, and the BBC. Investors include Cisco Investments, the Amazon Alexa Fund, AARP, XTX Markets, and Microsoft's M12. Voiceitt was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Israel with a subsidiary in Stamford, CT.

Media Contact:
Sara A Smolley
Co-Founder & Vice President, Partnerships
[email protected]

SOURCE Voiceitt, Inc.