内容来源：https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/05/ex-googlers-yoodli-triples-valuation-to-300m-with-ai-built-to-assist-not-replace-people/

内容总结：

近日，人工智能沟通培训平台Yoodli宣布完成4000万美元B轮融资，由WestBridge Capital领投，Neotribe和Madrona跟投。本轮融资后，公司估值突破3亿美元，较六个月前增长超两倍，累计融资额已近6000万美元。

Yoodli成立于2021年，总部位于西雅图，专注于利用人工智能技术提供沟通技能培训。平台通过模拟销售洽谈、领导力辅导、面试及反馈对话等场景，为用户提供结构化、可重复的互动练习，旨在提升职场沟通能力。

公司联合创始人Varun Puri表示，平台最初聚焦于帮助用户克服公众演讲障碍，但随着企业客户将之用于员工培训、销售演练及高管辅导等场景，业务重心已转向企业服务。目前其客户包括谷歌、Snowflake、Databricks等科技企业，以及Franklin Covey等专业培训机构。

Puri强调，Yoodli的设计理念是“人机协同”而非替代人工教练。平台支持多语言模型接入，可根据企业需求嵌入现有系统，并提供英语、日语、法语及多种印度语言的支持。尽管未披露具体用户数，公司透露过去一年角色扮演练习量及用户使用时长均增长50%，经常性收入同比增长九倍。

本轮融资资金将用于加强AI教练功能、数据分析与个性化工具研发，拓展企业学习市场，并计划在亚太地区扩大业务布局。公司近期已引入多位高管，包括前Tableau营收负责人Josh Vitello担任首席营收官，前Remitly首席财务官Andy Larson担任CFO。

在人工智能应用日益渗透职场的背景下，Yoodli以“深度定制化”和“垂直场景聚焦”作为差异化策略，为企业提供适配自身培训体系的沟通解决方案。

中文翻译：

人工智能沟通培训初创公司Yoodli近期估值突破3亿美元，较六个月前增长逾两倍。该公司的技术理念旨在辅助人类提升能力，而非以机器取代人力。

此次估值跃升源于Yoodli完成的4000万美元B轮融资，本轮由WestBridge Capital领投，Neotribe和Madrona跟投。此前该公司在五月刚完成1370万美元A轮融资，累计融资额已近6000万美元。

当人工智能工具渗透职场引发自动化焦虑之际，Yoodli开辟了差异化赛道。这家成立四年、总部位于西雅图的初创公司运用人工智能构建模拟场景——涵盖销售洽谈、领导力培训、面试演练及反馈会议等模块，为用户提供结构化、可重复的演讲技能训练。

联合创始人瓦伦·普里（上图右）曾在谷歌X部门工作，负责谢尔盖·布林的特殊项目。2021年他与前苹果工程师埃莎·乔希（上图左）共同创立Yoodli。普里在接受采访时表示，他18岁移居美国后深切体会到沟通障碍——包括他自己在内的许多来自印度等国的学生和年轻专业人士，都曾因难以自信表达观点而受影响。

普里向TechCrunch透露，根据内部数据，最初Yoodli旨在帮助人们克服公开演讲障碍——这项技能困扰着全球三分之二的人群。但平台很快涌现出面试准备、销售演示与艰难对话等多元需求，推动其从消费级产品转向企业培训领域。目前该公司提供人工智能情景模拟和体验式学习工具，覆盖市场拓展赋能、合作伙伴认证及管理培训等场景。

"传统企业培训依赖静态长篇内容或被动式视频教学，员工常以4-5倍速播放草草了事。"普里指出，"但这并不代表真正掌握了技能。"

谷歌、Snowflake、Databricks、RingCentral和Sandler Sales等企业已采用Yoodli进行员工及合作伙伴培训。普里表示，平台还面向富兰克林柯维、LHH等专业教练机构开放，这些机构可依据自身方法论和培训体系定制系统。他强调该工具并非取代人类教练，而是通过人机协同实现个性化指导。

在人工智能席卷职场的浪潮中，Yoodli坚守"辅助而非替代"的定位。普里阐述其理念："我始终相信人工智能能将使用者从零基础提升至八分或九分水平，但人类教练给予的个性特质反馈——关于你如何呈现自我、保持本真、展现脆弱性的指导——始终具有不可替代的价值。"

该平台兼容多种大型语言模型，用户可根据偏好选用谷歌Gemini或OpenAI的GPT等模型。企业可将其嵌入现有软件系统，用户也能直接通过网页浏览器访问。人工智能系统支持韩语、日语、法语、加拿大法语及多种印度语言等主流语种。

Yoodli未开发独立移动应用程序，普里解释这是为避免培训过程中增加用户操作步骤。

虽未披露具体用户数量，普里表示目前主要营收来自企业客户。他透露在A轮与B轮融资期间，平台情景模拟使用量及用户总练习时长均增长50%。过去12个月平均经常性收入激增900%，但未公布具体数值。

普里坦言本轮融资原不在近期计划内，但因WestBridge资本领投的意外投资意向而推进。出色的业绩指标、关键客户资源及高管团队组建成为吸引投资者的重要因素。近期该公司已延揽前Tableau和Salesforce高管乔什·维泰洛担任首席营收官，前Remitly首席财务官安迪·拉尔森出任CFO，前Tableau首席产品官帕德马什里·科内蒂担任CPO。

尽管人工智能沟通工具市场不乏竞争者，但普里向TechCrunch强调，Yoodli通过深度定制化和垂直领域聚焦形成差异化优势，允许企业根据具体使用场景和教练方法定制系统。

这家西雅图初创公司现有约40名员工。普里表示新融资将用于拓展人工智能教练系统、分析工具与个性化功能，加强在企业学习和职业发展领域的影响力。公司计划在产品研发、人工智能研究和客户成功部门扩招，在深化美国市场布局的同时进军亚太地区。

英文来源：

Yoodli, an AI-powered communication training startup, has reached a valuation of more than $300 million — more than triple its level six months ago — as it builds technology meant to assist people rather than replace them with machines.
The valuation increase follows Yoodli’s $40 million Series B round, led by WestBridge Capital with participation from Neotribe and Madrona. It comes after a $13.7 million Series A round announced in May, bringing the startup’s total funding to nearly $60 million.
As AI tools spread into workplaces and fuel fears of automation, Yoodli positions itself differently. The four-year-old, Seattle-based startup uses AI to run simulated scenarios — including sales calls, leadership coaching, interviews, and feedback sessions — and provides users with structured, repeatable practice to improve their speaking skills.
Varun Puri (pictured above, right), who previously worked at Google’s X division and handled special projects for Sergey Brin, co-founded Yoodli with former Apple engineer Esha Joshi (pictured above, left) in 2021. He became aware of communication challenges after moving to the U.S. at 18 and seeing how difficulty expressing ideas or speaking confidently affected students and young professionals from countries such as India — himself included — Puri said in an interview.
Initially, Yoodli was meant to help people practice public speaking — a skill two out of three people struggle with, Puri told TechCrunch, citing internal data. However, the startup soon saw users turning to the platform for interview preparation, sales pitches, and difficult conversations. That shift pushed Yoodli from a consumer-focused product to enterprise training, and it now offers AI role-plays and experiential learning tools for go-to-market enablement, partner certification, and management coaching.
“In the old world, companies would be training people using static, long-form content or passive videos that we’d all watch at 4x-5x speed, just to get the thing done,” said Puri. “But that doesn’t actually mean you’ve learned it.”
Companies including Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales use Yoodli for employee or partner training. The startup also sells its platform to coaching firms such as Franklin Covey and LHH, which can tailor the system to their own methodology and training frameworks, Puri stated. He added that the tool is not designed to replace human coaches but to keep a human in the loop delivering personalized guidance.
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“I philosophically believe that AI can get you, let’s call it from a zero to an eight or a zero to nine,” said Puri. “But the pure essence of who you are and how you show up, and your authenticity and vulnerability that a human gives you feedback on will always exist.”
The platform works with multiple large language models, meaning users can run it with models such as Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s GPT based on their preference. Enterprises can also embed it into their existing software, or users can access it directly through a web browser. The AI supports most major languages, including Korean, Japanese, French, Canadian French, and a list of Indian languages.
Yoodli does not offer a dedicated mobile app, a decision Puri said was made to avoid adding extra steps for users during training sessions.
Puri did not disclose how many people use the platform but said most of Yoodli’s revenue now comes from enterprise customers. He added that between the Series A and B rounds, Yoodli saw a 50% increase in the number of role-plays run on the platform and in the total time users spent practicing. The startup also said it grew its average recurring revenue by 900% over the last 12 months, though it did not provide specific figures.
Yoodli had not planned to raise more funding so soon after its last round but saw unanticipated investor interest, with WestBridge leading the latest raise, Puri said. He noted that strong performance metrics, key customers, and senior hires helped attract investors. The startup has recently hired former Tableau and Salesforce executive Josh Vitello as chief revenue officer (CRO), former Remitly CFO Andy Larson as CFO, and former Tableau chief product officer (CPO) Padmashree Koneti as CPO.
Yoodli is not alone in the market for AI-based communication tools, but Puri told TechCrunch the startup differentiates itself through deep customization and a focus on specific training verticals, allowing companies to tailor the system to their use cases and coaching methods.
The Seattle-headquartered startup has about 40 employees. Puri said the latest funding will be used to expand Yoodli’s AI coaching, analytics, and personalization tools, and to grow its presence in enterprise learning and professional development. The company also plans to hire across product, AI research, and customer success, and to expand into markets in the Asia-Pacific region while deepening its footprint in the U.S.