ElevenLabs Startup Grants just got bigger: now 12 months and over 680 hours of Conversational AI audio

When we first launched the ElevenLabs Startup Grants program, our goal was simple: help early-stage startups build with AI audio, without the upfront cost.

Since then, we’ve awarded over 4,000 Startup grants unlocking more than 2.2M hours of free AI voice generation. From AI tutors to game characters, founders around the world are proving what’s possible with access to the highest quality Voice AI models.

Now, as the world moves beyond basic Text to Speech and into full Conversational AI, we’re upgrading the program to match.

More time. Same mission.

Startup Grants are now available for 12 months, up from 3. And every recipient receives a total of 33 million free credits to use across our platform, equivalent to over 680 hours of Conversational AI.

That’s a full year of free access to ElevenLabs, giving founders the runway to prototype, iterate, and scale.

Our goal is to give builders more time, and fewer constraints so they can launch the next generation of audio-first applications.

Built for the future of voice

We believe the future of audio technology is conversational.

ElevenLabs isn’t just about generating audio from text. Our platform supports real-time, dynamic interactions between humans and AI.

With our Conversational AI tools, you can build agents that listen, respond, and act naturally. Features like natural turn-taking, on-the-fly language detection, and emotive voices enable AI agents that feel human and respond in context.

This changes what’s possible across industries:

• In customer support, you can deploy voice agents that solve problems instantly, reducing wait times and improving resolution.
• In education, tutors can speak directly with students and adapt in real time.
• In gaming, characters become interactive and responsive, making experiences more immersive.

Wherever conversations happen, AI audio makes them faster, smarter, and more human. Startup Grants are our way of making sure every team has a chance to explore that potential.

How it works

The ElevenLabs Startup Grants program is open to startups and small companies with fewer than 25 employees, anywhere in the world.

To apply, you’ll need to share a few details about how you plan to use ElevenLabs, whether it's for a game, an education tool, a support bot, or something entirely new.

If accepted, your ElevenLabs account will be upgraded immediately. You’ll receive 33 million characters of audio generation credits to use over the next 12 months, completely free.

There are no strings attached. Whether you need a few voice lines or millions of words, this gives you the freedom to build without worrying about cost.

If you reach the 33M character limit early, you can talk to us about scaling or upgrade self-serve to a paid plan. For most early-stage projects, it’s more than enough to get started.

At the end of the grant, you can move to an Enterprise plan, switch to a standard paid plan, or pause your usage entirely. It’s commitment-free beyond the 12-month term.

Startup Grant recipients in action

Here’s how some early recipients are already building with ElevenLabs:

• Allô utilizes both ElevenLabs’ Text to Speech and Conversational AI to deliver low-latency, natural-sounding voice across their telephony stack, enabling entrepreneurs and small businesses to run their operations from their smartphone. 

“Voice latency is critical for a good experience. With ElevenLabs, we finally found voices that sound natural, respond quickly, and perform well in both English and French” - Jérémy Goillot, CEO of Allô. 

• Layer builds on top of ElevenLabs’ Text to Speech and Text to Sound Effects technology giving its users the power to generate immersive soundscapes, create natural-sounding dialogue in over 30 languages and sync voiceovers to animation using lip sync support. 
• OpusPro uses Text to Speech to bring their silent or scripted video clips to life with voice, enabling creatives to create and publish videos 5x faster.

These teams show what happens when cost barriers are removed, and we’re excited to support even more.

Apply now

If you're building something with AI audio, we want to hear from you.

The ElevenLabs Startup Grants program offers a full year of tools, support, and free usage, so you can launch, grow, and scale with voice.

Apply now to get started.