What Step Labs does

Step Labs is a privately held acoustic software company headquartered in San Jose, California, focused on producing clear voice communications in noisy environments. Founded in 2005, the company is organized as a for-profit entity with 1-10 employees and is currently in a pre-launch operational state, with its website displaying a 'Launching Soon' landing page that collects email signups for future updates.

The company's core offering centers on software-based acoustic processing designed to suppress background noise and enhance voice intelligibility. Public materials do not disclose underlying technology stacks, model architecture, integration pathways, SDK availability, or patents. There is no documented product packaging, pricing model, distribution channels, or named customers in the source data, leaving the commercial mechanics undefined.

Step Labs has raised approximately $9.09 million in disclosed venture funding, spread across a $6.5M Series 2 led by Gabriel Venture Partners (with Garage Technology Ventures, Garage Technology Ventures Canada, and The Individuals' Venture Fund participating) in January 2008, followed by $750K in November 2008 and $1.84M in March 2009. Leadership comprises Robert Mitro as Chairman & CEO and Michael Hickerson as President. The absence of reported operating metrics, post-2009 funding activity, or product launches leaves the company's current commercial scale and trajectory indeterminate.

Name

Step Labs

Legal name

Step Labs

Website

https://step-labs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Step Labs is a San Jose-based acoustic software company developing technology to deliver clear voice communications in noisy environments, currently operating in a pre-launch phase with a small team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Core offering

Step Labs is an acoustic software company developing technology that produces clear voice communications in noisy environments. The company website currently displays a 'Launching Soon' message, indicating the company is in pre-launch or early-stage development phase with its acoustic voice processing software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acoustic Voice Communications Software

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Jabra (GN Audio): Jabra develops professional and consumer headsets with advanced noise-cancelling microphone systems. It competes with Step Labs in the endpoint voice-clarity category and is also a potential acquirer/partner for acoustic software IP.
• Bose Corporation: Bose is a leading audio hardware company with deep proprietary noise cancellation and acoustic processing IP, including in communications headsets. It is a broad incumbent whose noise-reduction technology competes in the same end-customer value (clear voice in noise) as Step Labs.
• Dolby Laboratories: Dolby is a global audio technology incumbent whose portfolio includes voice enhancement, noise reduction, and communications audio processing. While it operates across a much broader audio ecosystem, its voice/audio processing capabilities overlap with Step Labs' core focus on clean voice communication.
• NVIDIA (RTX Voice / Broadcast): NVIDIA offers AI-driven noise removal features (RTX Voice, Broadcast) that suppress background noise in real time for calls and streaming. It is a broad incumbent that has set a high-quality bar in the same consumer/prosumer use case Step Labs targets.
• Nuance Communications: Nuance (now part of Microsoft) builds enterprise voice, speech recognition, and audio processing software with noise handling components. It overlaps with Step Labs at the intersection of voice processing and enterprise communications, though it is a much broader speech/AI platform.
• Poly (HP Poly): Poly (formerly Plantronics/Polycom, now part of HP) produces enterprise headsets and conferencing solutions with built-in noise-cancelling microphone and DSP technology. It competes with Step Labs at the integrated communications endpoint level where noise suppression is a key feature.

Direct peers

• Andrea Electronics: Andrea Electronics develops digital microphone array and noise reduction DSP software/hardware for voice communications. It directly competes with Step Labs in the noise suppression and clear-voice communications space, particularly for headset and PC applications.
• SoliCall: SoliCall provides noise and echo cancellation software for call centers, softphones, and VoIP providers. It is a direct peer — pure-play acoustic software focused on voice clarity in noisy environments, sold into similar communications use cases as Step Labs.
• Krisp: Krisp is an AI-powered noise, voice, and echo cancellation software that removes background noise from calls in real time. It is a direct competitor to Step Labs, serving the same customer need (clear voice in noisy environments) with a software-only delivery model.

Regional players

• ClearOne: ClearOne provides professional audio conferencing solutions, including beamforming microphone arrays and DSP-based noise/echo cancellation for conference rooms. It is comparable to Step Labs in the conferencing voice-clarity category, though ClearOne is more focused on installed room systems.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Step Labs