Generative AI company ElevenLabs has acquired the development team behind Omnivore, an open-source “read-it-later” app. This transition aims to enhance the reach of ElevenLabs in creating accessible, AI-driven reading experiences.
Omnivore co-founders Jackson Harper and Hongbo Wu stated in a blog post that the acquisition allows them to expand their work on accessible reader technology. They emphasized that Omnivore’s codebase will stay fully open-source, ensuring the development community can continue to improve and build on its technology. Current Omnivore users have until November 16 to export their data, as it will be deleted afterward.
Launched in 2021, Omnivore was developed for readers who value text, featuring tools like highlighting, PDF and offline support, mobile apps, and browser extensions. The app’s text-to-speech capability, powered by ElevenLabs' AI-generated voices, became a popular feature, enhancing the reading experience by providing ultra-realistic voice options.
Harper and Wu are now focused on integrating Omnivore’s strengths into ElevenReader, ElevenLabs' own reader app. Since joining ElevenLabs, the team has introduced new updates to ElevenReader, which launched earlier this year. ElevenReader enables users to upload articles, e-books, and PDFs, offering audio options in various voices and languages, including the synthesized voices of actors like Judy Garland and James Dean. It’s likely that some of Omnivore’s key features will be integrated into ElevenReader over time.
ElevenLabs has recently emerged as a major player in generative AI, securing unicorn status after raising $80 million, with backing from Andreessen Horowitz. The company, which specializes in creating synthetic voices for audiobooks and multilingual video dubbing, is reportedly considering additional funding that could bring its valuation close to $3 billion.
