Former NotebookLM Developers Launch Audio-First App Huxe
Key Points
- Three former NotebookLM developers—Raiza Martin, Jason Spielman, Stephen Hughes—founded Huxe.
- Huxe creates AI‑hosted audio briefings and podcasts using email, calendar and web data.
- The app launched invite‑only before becoming publicly available on iOS and Android.
- Raised $4.6 million from Conviction, Genius Ventures, Dylan Field (Figma) and Jeff Dean (Google Research).
- Features include personalized daily briefings, live topic stations, and an interest‑feed for audio content.
- Designed for screen‑heavy users who want hands‑free news and information consumption.
- Competes in a growing audio‑AI market alongside Pocket FM, Kuku FM, ElevenLabs, Oboe, Google and Meta.
Three engineers who helped build Google’s AI note‑taking tool NotebookLM have founded a new startup, Huxe, that creates audio‑first briefings and podcasts on demand. The app pulls information from a user’s email, calendar and web sources to generate a personalized “station” of AI‑hosted audio content, allowing listeners to ask for clarifications or deeper dives. Huxe launched on an invite‑only basis before becoming publicly available on iOS and Android. The company raised $4.6 million from investors including Conviction, Genius Ventures, Figma CEO Dylan Field and Google Research chief scientist Jeff Dean.
Founders and Origin
Raiza Martin, Jason Spielman and Stephen Hughes, three developers who worked on Google’s NotebookLM from its inception, left the search giant in December 2024 to pursue their own ideas. After an initial foray into a chatbot aimed at business users, they shifted focus to the consumer market and built a personal assistant that could generate personalized images, videos and audio. Observing that users frequently employed the assistant for daily briefings and news consumption, the team decided to double down on audio, leading to the creation of Huxe.
Funding and Launch
Huxe announced a funding round of $4.6 million, attracting capital from Conviction, Genius Ventures, Figma CEO Dylan Field and Google Research chief scientist Jeff Dean. The startup first released the app on an invite‑only basis in June, then opened it to all iOS and Android users. The launch followed a strong reception to NotebookLM, which had impressed early adopters with its ability to turn documents into “podcasts” featuring AI hosts.
Product Features
Huxe functions as an audio‑first personal assistant. It scans a user’s email inbox and calendar to understand daily priorities, then generates a concise briefing that can be listened to while multitasking. Users can also explore any topic by creating a “live station” where AI hosts discuss the subject, answer follow‑up questions, and re‑explain points in different ways. The app automatically pulls from multiple sources to keep the station updated, making it useful for following evolving news stories.
Beyond news, Huxe offers a personalized interest feed that automatically produces audio content aligned with the user’s preferences. The platform is designed for people who spend long hours in front of screens, providing a hands‑free way to stay informed without reading.
Market Context and Competition
Audio‑centric AI applications are gaining traction worldwide. Indian platforms such as Pocket FM and Kuku FM are integrating AI to let creators produce audio content, while startups like Huxe compete with companies such as ElevenLabs and Oboe that also leverage synthetic voice technology. Major tech firms including Google and Meta are exploring similar audio experiences, underscoring a broader industry shift toward voice‑first interfaces.
Future Outlook
While Huxe is currently positioned in the information market, its founders see potential expansion into entertainment. The ability to generate dynamic, AI‑hosted audio could open new use cases beyond daily briefings, such as personalized storytelling or interactive podcasts. As the audio AI landscape evolves, Huxe aims to differentiate itself through its integration of personal data sources and real‑time topic updates.