Indian founder and computer science student Aarush Yadav, who is studying at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is developing a wearable technology designed to let people interact with computers and AI systems without speaking aloud.
Yadav is the cofounder and CEO of The Subvocal Company, which has secured approximately $1.3 million in pre-seed funding from Afore Capital, Y Combinator and angel investors.
The startup is developing a discreet wearable that aims to decode silently mouthed speech into text and computer commands, potentially enabling users to interact with computers in environments where speaking aloud is inconvenient or disruptive.
Building a New Interface for Computers and AI
The Subvocal Company’s technology focuses on detecting physical signals associated with silently mouthed speech and translating those signals into digital commands.
The company’s objective is to create an interaction method with minimal visible movement and no audible voice.
For Yadav, the work combines hardware and software. He is responsible for the company’s sensing hardware and embedded firmware, including sensor-data acquisition and integration with the software pipeline that interprets the captured signals.
Alongside his engineering responsibilities, Yadav is also leading fundraising, team-building and go-to-market planning.
“Computers have become far more powerful, but the way we talk to them has changed very little. We believe the best way to interact with computers and AI agents will be silent, seamless and far faster than what exists today,” said Aarush Yadav, cofounder and CEO of The Subvocal Company.
He added that the funding would provide the company with resources to develop its vision for human-computer interaction.
From a Stanford Hackathon Prototype to a Startup
The origins of The Subvocal Company can be traced to TreeHacks at Stanford University in February 2026.
Yadav and cofounder Arnav Kumar, both Georgia Tech computer science students at the time, participated in the hackathon as part of a four-person team.
The team built an early prototype combining:
- Muscle-sensing electrodes
- Machine learning
- Language-model assistance
- Facial muscle signal processing
- Text and computer-command generation
The prototype was designed to translate signals generated by silently mouthed speech into digital text and commands.
Although the team did not win the competition, the experience convinced Yadav and Kumar of the potential consumer applications of the technology.
The founders subsequently raised initial funding and moved to San Francisco to work on the company full-time.
The Subvocal Company Raises $1.3 Million in Pre-Seed Funding
Afore Capital provided the startup’s initial $500,000 investment in April 2026, when the company was still working on an early prototype.
Subsequent investment from Afore, angel investors and Y Combinator’s $500,000 investment commitment has taken the company’s total pre-seed backing to approximately $1.3 million.
The startup is also part of Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch.
According to the source material, Y Combinator reports a typical acceptance rate of approximately 1%, highlighting the competitive nature of its accelerator programme.
The Subvocal Company also won YC’s Group 1 Product Showcase, with voting from YC alumni and batchmates. YC subsequently reposted Kumar’s announcement of the win.
Technology Targets 200+ Words Per Minute
The company says its prototypes have achieved text-entry speeds of more than 200 words per minute.
The claimed performance is notable because the system is designed to operate without audible speech and with minimal visible mouth movement.
The technology is intended to create a more discreet interface between users and computers, particularly as AI agents become increasingly capable of executing tasks on behalf of users.
Instead of relying entirely on keyboards, touchscreens or spoken commands, the company’s approach is focused on interpreting physical signals generated during silent speech.
Wearable Could Target AI-Agent Interaction
The development comes as AI agents increasingly move beyond generating text and toward completing tasks across software applications.
A wearable capable of translating silent speech into commands could potentially provide another input mechanism for interacting with these systems.
The Subvocal Company’s current focus, however, is on developing the underlying technology into a consumer product rather than simply demonstrating the prototype.
The startup is expanding its team and plans to open pre-orders in the coming months, when it expects to reveal more about the technology and product.
Who Is Aarush Yadav?
Aarush Yadav is an Indian founder and computer science student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the cofounder and CEO of The Subvocal Company, where his responsibilities span sensing hardware, embedded firmware, fundraising, team building and go-to-market strategy.
His cofounder, Arnav Kumar, is also a Georgia Tech computer science student and was part of the original team that developed the early prototype at TreeHacks.
Together, the founders are working on a technology that sits at the intersection of wearable computing, machine learning, speech interfaces and human-computer interaction.
What Comes Next for The Subvocal Company?
The startup’s immediate priorities include turning its prototype into a consumer-ready wearable, expanding its team and preparing for pre-orders.
Its development roadmap will determine how effectively the company can translate the laboratory-style sensing and machine-learning approach demonstrated in its early prototype into a reliable everyday product.
If successful, silent speech technology could create a new category of computer interaction—one where users can issue commands and communicate with AI systems without typing, speaking aloud or making significant visible movements.
For now, The Subvocal Company is focused on developing the hardware and software infrastructure required to make that concept practical.
Key Takeaways
💰 Funding: Approximately $1.3 million pre-seed
🚀 Investors: Afore Capital, Y Combinator and angel investors
👨💻 Founders: Aarush Yadav and Arnav Kumar
🎓 Background: Georgia Tech computer science students
🧠 Technology: Silent-speech decoding using sensing hardware and machine learning
⚡ Prototype speed: More than 200 words per minute, according to the company
🌎 Base: San Francisco
🎯 Next step: Consumer product development and pre-orders
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Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. She has written extensively on fintech, AI and emerging startups.