Hance Will Demo Its Kilobyte-size Ai Audio Processing Software At Techcrunch Disrupt 2025

Imagine you’re a Formula One driver hurtling down a title way astatine 200 miles per hr erstwhile your technologist comes connected nan power and says … something. You can’t make it out, but you’re besides not going to walk a thigh playing retired that aged Verizon commercialized (“Can you perceive maine now?”) pinch nan title — and your life — connected nan line.

This is conscionable 1 problem Norwegian startup Hance is solving pinch an impressively mini and accelerated spot of audio processing package that’s already attracted customers for illustration Intel and Riedel Communications, nan charismatic power supplier to F1. Hance is 1 of nan 200 startups selected to show disconnected its exertion astatine TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, which runs October 27 done 29 astatine Moscone Center successful San Francisco.  

The outfit of astir 10 labor boasts a wealthiness of audio manufacture experience. That includes co-founder Stian Aagedal, who’s besides nan CEO of audio editing package institution Acon Digital, and Peder Jørgensen, who runs sound effects room Soundly.

With artificial intelligence booming, Aagedal, Jørgensen, and nan remainder of nan Hance squad realized location was an opportunity to leverage these caller technologies passim nan audio processing pipeline — but particularly successful sound simplification and isolation. So a fewer years agone they started training their ain models connected Soundly’s high-quality recordings, including everything from nan roar of F1 cars to nan crack-and-rumble of Icelandic volcanoes.

Since then, they’ve been capable to shrink nan Hance processing models to conscionable 242 kB, meaning they tin tally connected instrumentality alternatively of successful nan cloud, redeeming clip and energy. Hance says these models tin abstracted sounds, region noise, echo, and reverb, and heighten reside clarity pinch conscionable 10 milliseconds of latency.

While different companies connection akin audio processing software, Hance’s tiny, energy-efficient models tin process audio connected devices of each sizes successful real-time. That makes it awesome for nan radios Riedel sells to F1 aliases FIFA, and besides charismatic to rule enforcement and defense applications, CEO Joote Hika told TechCrunch successful an interview.

Hika sees opportunity for Hance’s audio processing to spell successful galore much directions, too, now that it has lined up Intel arsenic a partner. Hance has been moving pinch nan exertion elephantine to adopt its models to activity connected different versions of its chips, including its latest “neural processing units.” The startup is talking pinch different chipmakers, too, Hika said, and an undisclosed smartphone maker.

Hika said these master partnerships will apt past astatine slightest a fewer years and that they’re non-exclusive. That’s bully for nan startup’s expertise to scale, but he said Hance will person to support processing astatine a accelerated gait to enactment up of nan competition. The institution has conscionable brought connected its first main commercialized officer, but Hika said he expects Hance to enactment heavy focused connected R&D, and that nan institution will penchant “AI-capable” workers to enactment lean.

“We cognize that we now person an advantage complete our competitors, but we decidedly person to support that up, truthful we’re pushing fast,” he said

If you want to study much astir Hance — and dozens of different startups, proceeding their pitches, and listening to impermanent speakers connected 4 different stages — subordinate america astatine Disrupt, taking spot October 27 to 29, successful San Francisco.

Learn much astir tickets and pricing here.