Iceland has a proud tradition in acoustics. The island has given birth to some of the most mesmerising soundscapes from artists over the past decades.
Björk, Sigur Ròs, Ólafur Arnalds — all have been inspired by the otherworldly settings of their home country’s ambience to create their own sublime sonic landscapes.
Keeping up the acoustic adventures where the Atlantic and Arctic oceans meet is Treble Technologies. The Reykjavik-based sound simulation and synthetic audio data generation startup has just raised €11mn in Series A to improve our audio experiences of the built environment, something increasingly proven to affect our overall wellbeing (and productivity) in spaces.
Treble’s technology specialises in simulating sounds of buildings, cars — and tech products — via a cloud-based platform. Founded in 2020 by acoustic engineers Dr Finnur Pind and Jesper Pedersen, the startup currently employs 35 people (approximately 0.009% of Iceland’s total population).
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Having launched the platform in 2023, Treble says its mission is to “enable a better sounding world, enhancing overall wellbeing and productivity.” It does this using what it says is the world’s fastest wave-based sound simulation technology — 100 times faster than other state-of-the-art solutions.
“The world could sound so much better than what it currently does,” said co-founder and CEO Pind. “Our mission at Treble is to provide the software tools necessary to make the world a better sounding and less noisy place.”
Privacy first for Treble’s customer data
User data is encrypted both in transit and in rest, and Treble says it does not have access to customer projects on its platform. This adds another layer of “peace of mind” for designers, for instance, in the automotive industry.
Its simulation engine allows for both energy absorption and phase shifts. The included database covers a wide range of surface conditions, and also allows users to import their own materials. It is already being used by “three of the five leading global tech giants and the world’s largest engineering consulting firms,” according to Treble.
The Treble CEO highlighted that the funding round marked a “significant moment” for the company, affirming its role as a leading innovator in the audio space. The round was led by KOMPAS, an early-stage VC with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Tel Aviv, which specialises in the built environment.
Iceland’s Frumtak Ventures (having just raised its fourth fund) also participated, as did the European Investment Bank, Omega Venture Partners, strategic partners St. Gobain & L-Acoustics, as well as experienced angel investors. Treble will use the funds to expand the team, enhance its R&D efforts, forge new enterprise clients, and expand into new markets.