Eric Schmidt, Xavier Niel Back French AI Voice Startup Gradium

French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel is one of the backers for a new AI voice startup called Gradium.

Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

A Paris-based artificial intelligence voice startup called Gradium has spun out of a nonprofit research lab and raised $70 million in funding from a group of A-list investors, including former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt and French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel.

The financing round, which is set to be announced Tuesday, was led by FirstMark Capital and Eurazeo. DST Global Partners, Amplify Partners, shipping magnate Rodolphe Saadé and other investors also participated.