Yoodli, a Seattle-based AI communication training startup, has quietly joined the fast-rising AI valuation club.
The four-year-old company has reached a valuation north of $300 million — more than triple its level just six months ago — after closing a new $40 million Series B led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from Neotribe and Madrona. That brings Yoodli’s total funding to nearly $60 million.
Instead of trying to replace workers with AI, Yoodli is betting big on a different story: using generative AI to help people become better communicators.
From Public Speaking Coach to Enterprise Training Platform
Co-founded in 2021 by Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, Yoodli started life as a kind of “Grammarly for speech,” helping people practice public speaking. Puri previously worked at Google X, handling special projects for co-founder Sergey Brin, while Joshi is a former Apple engineer. The pair spun Yoodli out of Seattle’s AI2 Incubator with a mission to make high-quality communication coaching more accessible.
Puri says his motivation is personal. After moving to the U.S. at 18, he noticed how often smart students and young professionals from countries like India struggled to express themselves confidently in English—and how that held them back.
Originally, Yoodli focused on helping users rehearse speeches and presentations. But usage data revealed something else: people were using it to prep for job interviews, sales pitches, performance reviews, and tough feedback conversations. That behavior pushed the company to pivot from a consumer-focused tool to an enterprise learning platform.
Today, Yoodli sells AI-driven role-play simulations and experiential learning tools aimed at:
- Sales and go-to-market enablement
- Partner certification
- Leadership and management coaching
- Interview prep and “difficult conversations” training
How Yoodli’s AI Coaching Works
Instead of static videos and slide decks, Yoodli drops employees into interactive scenarios. The AI plays the role of a prospect, manager, interview panel, or direct report, and responds in real time based on what the user says.
After each session, the platform breaks down performance with feedback on:
- Clarity, conciseness, and filler words
- Tone and confidence
- Structure and pacing
- How well the user handled objections or sensitive topics
Yoodli runs on multiple large language models. Enterprise customers can choose to power scenarios with models like Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s GPT, and can embed Yoodli into existing software stacks or access it via the browser. The platform currently supports a wide range of languages, including Korean, Japanese, French, Canadian French, and multiple Indian languages.
Notably, there’s no dedicated mobile app. Puri says that’s deliberate—Yoodli wants users fully focused during training sessions, not bouncing between notifications.
Customers and the “Assist, Not Replace” Philosophy
Yoodli is already working with a high-profile customer list. Companies such as Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales use the platform for employee and partner training. Coaching firms including Franklin Covey and LHH white-label Yoodli’s engine and plug it into their own methodologies.
Crucially, Yoodli pitches itself as a “human-in-the-loop” system. The AI handles repetition, simulation, and structured feedback, but human coaches stay in the mix for nuance, personalization, and accountability.
“I philosophically believe that AI can get you from a zero to an eight or a nine,” Puri told TechCrunch. “But the pure essence of who you are, and your authenticity and vulnerability—that human feedback will always matter.”
In a market where many AI tools are sold as a way to automate jobs away, that message—augment, don’t replace—is a big part of how Yoodli is differentiating itself.
Funding, Growth, and New Hires
The new $40 million Series B follows a $13.7 million Series A announced in May 2025, putting Yoodli’s total capital raised just under the $60 million mark. Investors across the A and B rounds include WestBridge Capital, Neotribe, and Madrona.
While Yoodli hasn’t disclosed absolute revenue or user counts, it says that in the 12 months between the A and B rounds:
- The number of AI role-plays run on the platform increased by about 50%
- Total practice time on the platform also rose by roughly 50%
- Average recurring revenue grew by around 900%, according to company-reported figures
To support the next phase, Yoodli has been building out its executive bench:
- Josh Vitello, a veteran of Tableau and Salesforce, has joined as chief revenue officer
- Andy Larson, formerly CFO at Remitly, is now chief financial officer
- Padmashree Koneti, previously a senior product leader at Tableau, has come aboard as chief product officer
The company currently employs around 40 people, with plans to grow teams across product, AI research, and customer success. The new capital will go toward expanding Yoodli’s AI coaching and analytics capabilities, deepening its enterprise presence in the U.S., and pushing further into Asia-Pacific markets.
A Crowded, Fast-Moving Market
Yoodli isn’t alone in chasing AI-powered communication training. Competing tools and adjacent platforms are springing up in sales enablement, HR tech, and leadership development.
Puri argues Yoodli’s edge lies in depth and customization:
- Enterprises and coaching firms can tailor scenarios, scoring rubrics, and feedback to match their own playbooks.
- The multi-model architecture gives customers flexibility as the LLM landscape evolves.
- A narrow focus on real-world conversations—rather than generic chatbot interactions—helps the product slot into existing training programs.
At a moment when many AI tools are still searching for clear use cases and repeatable revenue, Yoodli’s sharp positioning—and its new $300M+ valuation—suggest there’s serious investor belief in AI that trains people, not just software.