
Saudi Startup Sawt Raises $1 Million to Expand AI Voice Support
Jul 28, 2025
Saudi-based startup Sawt has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by STV and T2. The company is developing Arabic-native voice AI to automate customer service functions including sales, bookings, and support, offering a 24/7 alternative to traditional call centres.
With the fresh capital, Sawt plans to expand its team, scale its infrastructure, and refine its voice AI models to handle millions of interactions efficiently. The platform is designed to reduce wait times, lower costs, and improve the customer service experience by automating responses to common queries and requests.
Sawt's technology is developed entirely in Saudi Arabia, enabling it to meet enterprise-level standards for privacy and data security. The company is targeting the growing GCC market for AI call centre automation, estimated to be worth between $800 million and $1.2 billion.

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