Ex-Googler’s Yoodli triples valuation to $300M+ with AI built to assist, not replace, people

Yoodli, an AI-powered communication training startup, has crossed a valuation of more than $300 million — over three times higher than where it stood just six months ago — as it continues building technology designed to support people rather than replace their roles with automation.

This valuation jump comes alongside Yoodli's $40 million Series B funding round, led by WestBridge Capital with additional participation from Neotribe and Madrona. The new investment follows the $13.7 million Series A round announced in May, bringing the company's total funding close to $60 million.

At a time when AI tools are increasingly entering workplaces and sparking concerns about automation, Yoodli is positioning itself differently. The four-year-old Seattle-based startup uses AI to simulate real-world scenarios — from sales calls and leadership coaching to job interviews and difficult feedback sessions — giving users a structured environment to practice and improve their communication skills repeatedly.

Co-founder Varun Puri (pictured above, right), a former member of Google's X division who also worked on special projects for Sergey Brin, launched Yoodli in 2021 with ex-Apple engineer Esha Joshi (pictured above, left). Puri said he began noticing communication barriers after moving to the U.S. at age 18 — realising how challenges in expressing ideas or speaking confidently affected students and young professionals, especially those from countries like India, including himself.

The platform initially focused on helping people practice public speaking — a skill that, according to Yoodli's internal data, two-thirds of people struggle with. But as usage grew, the team noticed users increasingly relying on the tool for interview prep, sales scenarios, and difficult conversations. This shift moved Yoodli from a consumer-facing product to an enterprise solution centred on experiential learning and AI-driven role-play for go-to-market training, partner certification, and leadership development.

Yoodli's platform Image Credits: Yoodli

"In the old world, companies relied on passive, long-form training content or videos that everyone watches at 4x or 5x speed just to get through," Puri said. "But that doesn't mean anything was actually learned."

Major companies such as Google, Snowflake, Databricks, RingCentral, and Sandler Sales use Yoodli to upskill employees and partners. Coaching firms like Franklin Covey and LHH also integrate Yoodli into their existing methodologies and frameworks. According to Puri, the tool is built to complement coaching — not replace the human element.

"I philosophically believe AI can take you from a zero to an eight or nine," he said. "But the authenticity and vulnerability that a human coach brings will always matter."

Yoodli operates using multiple large language models, allowing enterprises or users to choose between systems like Google's Gemini or OpenAI's GPT. It can be embedded into enterprise software or accessed directly in a browser, supporting major languages including Japanese, Korean, French, Canadian French, and several Indian languages. There is currently no standalone mobile app — intentionally, Puri said, to remove friction during training.

Yoodli's team Image Credits: Yoodli

Although Puri did not disclose the user count, he confirmed that most revenue now comes from enterprise clients. Between its Series A and Series B rounds, Yoodli saw a 50% increase in total role-play simulations and time spent practising. Itso reported 900% growth in annual recurring revenue over the past year, though no specific details were provided.

The startup hadn't planned to raise funds again so soon, but investor interest surged unexpectedly. WestBridge led the round, influenced by strong performance metrics, notable customer wins, and new senior leadership hires. Yoodli recently onboarded former Tableau/Salesforce executive Josh Vitello as CRO, former Remitly CFO Andy Larson as CFO, and former Tableau chief product officer Padmashree Koneti as CPO.

While the AI communication training market is growing, Puri says Yoodli stands out for its deep customisation and ability to adapt to specific enterprise training verticals. The company, headquartered in Seattle, currently employs around 40 people.

The new Yoodli will be used to accelerate Yoodli's AI coaching capabilities, expand personalisation features, enhance analytics, strengthen enterprise learning use cases, and grow teams in product, AI research, and customer success. Yoodli also plans to expand more aggressively across the U.S. and into Asia-Pacific markets.