DEEPLY Raises $1.65M to Expand Industrial Acoustic AI Solution Listen AI into Global Markets

DEEPLY, a South Korean acoustic AI startup, has closed a new funding round of approximately $1.65M (KRW 2.5 billion). Devsisters Ventures led the round, with Soo Investment Capital and Nautilus Investment participating.

The company develops and operates Listen AI, an industrial acoustic AI solution that detects subtle sound variations imperceptible to the human ear. The technology is applied to quality inspection of mechanical components, fastening sound analysis, and predictive maintenance on production lines. In real-world manufacturing deployments, Listen AI has demonstrated inspection accuracy exceeding 99.87%, and adoption continues to grow alongside the expansion of physical AI in robotics and mobility. Beyond manufacturing, the solution has also been deployed in public safety applications.

Listen AI is currently in use at domestic and Mexico-based plants of an H Group affiliate — a major automaker — as well as on motor production lines at H Company, Korea’s top automotive motor manufacturer. The system filters out human speech and ambient noise to isolate target sounds and determine whether they fall within normal parameters. Because the technology operates with minimal language or location constraints, the company sees it as well-suited for international expansion.

DEEPLY has recorded more than threefold annual growth over each of the past three years since launching the solution. The company is currently pursuing market expansion in North America, targeting bearing manufacturers and automotive assembly lines. It plans to accelerate its U.S. entry by participating in Automate 2026 in Chicago on June 22. The company is also seeking to link this funding round with the TIPS program run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

“DEEPLY is playing a critical role in transforming sound — a data source that has historically been underutilized — into a core industrial data asset,” said Seungwoo Lee of Devsisters Ventures. “We expect the company to build an entirely new market by standardizing acoustic data for broad application across industries.”

“Through ongoing requests from clients, I’ve seen firsthand how Listen AI can be applied across a far wider range of industrial settings,” said Suji Lee, CEO of DEEPLY. “With this new investment, we’ll work to demonstrate the value of Listen AI on an even broader scale.”