yoodleeThe 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 to assist people rather than replace them with machines.
The valuation increase follows Yoodlee’s $40 million Series B round, led by Westbridge Capital with participation from NeoTribe and Madrona. This one comes after $13.7 million Series A round The announcement was made in May, bringing the startup’s total funding to approximately $60 million.
As AI tools proliferate in workplaces and fears of automation grow, Eudaly is positioning 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 exercises to improve their speaking skills.
Varun Puri (pictured above, right), who previously worked in Google’s X division and handled special projects for Sergey Brin, co-founded Yoodlee in 2021 with former Apple engineer Isha Joshi (pictured above, left). After moving to the US at the age of 18, she became aware of communication challenges and saw how much it affected students and young professionals in countries like India in not being able to express ideas or speak confidently – herself included – Puri said in an interview.
Initially, Yoodlee was intended to help people practice public speaking — a skill with which two out of three people struggle, Puri told TechCrunch, citing internal data. However, the startup soon saw users turn to the platform for interview preparation, sales pitches, and difficult conversations. That shift pushed Yoodlee away from a consumer-focused product toward enterprise training, and it now offers AI role-play and experiential learning tools for go-to-market enablement, partner certification, and management coaching.
“In the old world, companies trained people using static, long-form content or passive videos that we all watched at 4x-5x speed, just to get the job done,” Puri said. “But that doesn’t actually mean you’ve learned it.”
Companies including Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales use Yoodlee for employee or partner training. Puri said the startup also sells its platform to coaching firms like Franklin Covey and LHH, who can customize the system to suit their methodology and training framework. He said the device is not designed to replace human trainers but to provide personalized guidance to humans.
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“I believe philosophically that AI can get you, let’s call it minus eight or minus nine,” Puri said. “But the pure essence of who you are and how you show up, and your authenticity and vulnerability that a human being responds to you will always be there.”
The platform works with many major language models, meaning users can run it with models like Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s GPT, depending 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.
Yoodlee does not offer a dedicated mobile app, with Puri saying the decision was taken to avoid adding extra steps for users during training sessions.
Puri did not disclose how many people use the platform but said the majority of Yoodlee’s revenue now comes from enterprise customers. He said that between the Series A and B rounds, Eudaly saw a 50% increase in the number of role-plays run on the platform and the total time users spent practicing. The startup also said its average recurring revenue grew 900% over the last 12 months, though it did not provide specific figures.
Puri said Eudaly had not planned to raise more money so soon after its last round, but saw unexpected investor interest, with Westbridge leading the latest fund raise. He said strong performance metrics, key clients and senior appointments helped attract investors. The startup recently appointed 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.
Yoodlee isn’t alone in the market for AI-based communication tools, but Puri told TechCrunch that the startup differentiates itself by 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 Yoodlee’s AI coaching, analytics and personalization tools, and to grow its presence in enterprise learning and professional development. The company also plans to make hires in product, AI research and customer success, and expand into markets in the Asia-Pacific region while deepening its footprint in the US.
