Mike Pappas, CEO and Co-Founder of Modulate: $36 Million Raised to Power the Future of Voice Safety

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Mike Pappas, CEO and Co-Founder of Modulate, a voice safety platform that has raised $36 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

• Unconventional Path to Tech: Mike's journey from studying physics and math at MIT, exploring different industries, including a significant stint at Bridgewater Associates, before co-founding Modulate with his CTO, Carter, reflects the importance of diverse experiences in shaping a founder's vision and approach to building innovative solutions.
• Bridgewater's Influence: Mike's time at Bridgewater Associates introduced him to the principles of radical transparency and continuous feedback, shaping his management style and the culture at Modulate, albeit with a nuanced approach to accommodate different individual needs and foster inclusivity.
• Identifying the Problem: The inception of Modulate was driven by a desire to improve online interactions. Originally exploring voice-changing technology, they pivoted to voice moderation after recognizing a critical market need for protecting users from harmful content in digital spaces.
• Customer-driven Development: The transition from voice transformation to voice moderation highlights the significance of listening to customer feedback and adapting the product to meet market demands effectively.
• Prosocial Voice Intelligence: Modulate's vision extends beyond voice safety, aiming to enable richer, more meaningful online interactions globally through prosocial voice intelligence. This ambition illustrates the broad impact that innovative technology can have on enhancing human connections in digital environments.