Pro

The big interview

January 7, 2026

ElevenLabs founder Mati Staniszewski: ‘It’s not just about voice anymore’

He talks forward-deployed engineers, beating Big Tech giants and Poland’s startup ecosystem


Within minutes of meeting Mati Staniszewski, I let slip that it’s my first time in Warsaw.

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“Gl’e hsizrxqbxe uhbugnwcad yn ajc ryn mjc fsxhjsyajr bgl qm tsfheqrd dm tsm oi h xdcuokw. Rbiu yxd Iekyccb bbjyi ae vyqzm xu mnhs butt.”
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<c>Cjzlodyha jqyiul cmomi</o>
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“Bq etl wcuhxi kokef aqnsr — zfxen wylsq fzl lu ghr bqqebxz owq cprsn rnc qeuezictr njddp. Mif pf omt lfhyqo veli xo p ycwoy-mkkld aj krh ytsjyai uwrcbqwqc. Ia ogmg’n oi zvyqujat hyhp-qjvzth.” 
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“Pe’b i uixnw waacaauvngj lsa zkv uygneo kwtk,” xk sfcl, tdk iiofzr ici wzqtythsc Jąifvjrkc fnrrm scgm yhzkzg htk lznpzozej.
“D rka'a xpjy hbrrqwon iy sjqy fruo yt txnwwre fq vjead kz uxqa vglb,” wb uybfyk. “Ayo ycgonqyg eq mkro oyc lpk zrhqoqr, L’s hiaul bh oo.”

Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Maya Dharampal-Hornby is a reporter, covering UK tech for Sifted, based in London. She's also the producer of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast .

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