Dubformer

Dubformer, an Amsterdam-based startup established in September 2023, operates an AI-powered platform specializing in professional dubbing and localization for the media and entertainment industry. The company was founded by Anton Dvorkovich, a machine translation expert with over a decade of experience, who previously served as the Head of NLP & Speech at Yandex. His background includes managing teams responsible for major products like Yandex Translate and developing services for Russia's popular voice assistant, Alice, which provided him with deep expertise in machine learning, speech technology, and product development at scale. The founding team consists of AI and speech technology experts who were previously involved in launching a large-scale AI dubbing solution that garnered over 5 million users.

The company's business model is centered on providing AI-driven localization services to media companies, content distributors, streaming services, and localization providers. Its client roster includes prominent names like Paramount, Little Dot Studios, and Mainstream Media. Dubformer operates in the expanding video localization market, which is valued at approximately $7 billion and is growing annually. Revenue is generated by offering its technology through a self-service platform, an API, and managed services, which help clients reduce localization costs and speed up turnaround times for bringing content to global audiences. The company also forms strategic partnerships with recording studios and post-production houses to integrate AI into their workflows.

Dubformer's core product is a comprehensive localization platform that supports over 130 languages. A key feature is its proprietary "Emotion Transfer" technology, which moves beyond simple voice cloning to capture and replicate the emotional nuances, intonation, pitch, and acoustic characteristics of the original speech. This ensures the dubbed content maintains a high degree of authenticity. The platform provides a full suite of tools, including intelligent transcription, AI-powered translation, and automated mixing. To ensure accuracy, especially for sensitive or technical content, Dubformer incorporates a human-in-the-loop model, where professional translators and native speakers verify the output. In March 2025, the company secured €3.4 million (approximately $3.6 million) in a seed funding round led by Almaz Capital, with participation from s16vc, FinSight, and notable angel investors, including the founder of Microsoft Translator and a former executive from Netflix. This investment is intended to further develop its Emotion Transfer technology and expand its global presence.

Keywords: AI dubbing, media localization, emotion transfer technology, video localization, speech translation, content localization, voice-over services, Anton Dvorkovich, broadcast media, entertainment technology, streaming services, natural language processing, automated dubbing, localization platform, AI translation, post-production AI, multilingual content, voice cloning, media translation, dubbing API