About us

Our mission is to make your life with Whispp a little easier and more fun!

Why are we doing it?

Whispp founder Joris Castermans stutters himself and Whispp finds its origin in the fact that when stuttering people whisper, they are relaxed and can speak (almost) fluently. We then learned that Whispp is also valuable for people with voice disorders who need a boost for their voice.

Our vision. The next generation of Whispp.

The first version of Whispp will be launched shortly and will act as a smart speech amplifier. Soft, hoarse and whispering voices are made audible.

Developments will take some time, but with the future version of Whispp you will be able to speak with a natural sounding voice!

Our artificial intelligence-based speech technology will be able to convert whispered speech into a natural voice without delay with the intonation and emotion you intended.

The team behind Whispp

Whispp is a Dutch startup. We believe it is important to work in an ethically and scientifically based manner. That is why we work together with the following (academic) partners.

Joris Castermans - CEO

Originally an industrial designer, I worked as an innovation consultant, business developer and alliance manager in IT and telecom. Based on my own experience of stuttering and interest in technology I founded Whispp. Worldwide 10 million people stutter severely or suffer from a voice disorder. This often has a major impact on their lives. Therefore it is my mission to enable these people to speak freely and empower them in their daily lives and work.

Akash Raj - AI Researcher & Developer

I studied Electrical and Computer science Engineering at BITS Pilani, India. After starting my career as a software engineer, I quickly realized my interest in machine learning. Juggling both software developement and AI research, I like the challenges that Whispp offers and the opportunity to learn new things. Since a few years, I've taken up dancing salsa and playing cello as my hobbies.

Elise van Wijngaarden - AI Researcher & Developer

I am studying Computer Science at Leiden University with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence. I am 23 years old and I like sports, making music and playing games. At Whispp I do research into improving the conversion from whisper to speech. Specifically, I try to make the result sound more natural. I find it a great challenge to do research at Whispp and it gives me a good feeling that people are being helped with it.

Tatsu Matsushima - AI Researcher & Developer

I am Tatsu from Japan. I studied Voice Technology for my master’s degree, where I explored all aspects of deep learning for speech. My motivation behind working in this field is to empower the lives of people with disabilities in communication. Therefore, working at Whispp is really exciting. As voice conversion for whisper speech is technically challenging, it brings a lot of fun to my work.

Bram Kooiman - AI Researcher & Developer

I develop technology to convert whispered speech into vocal cord speech and thereby come into contact with a rapidly developing field of research. I like to learn from the new ideas around me and enjoy gluing them together in a logical way. That is a surprisingly creative process!

Alex Stratu - iOS Developer

I am an iOS developer, and I strive to provide the best user experience for mobile users. With my previous expertise in advertising, I have a passion for the design process and the user interface. I keep my work and personal life in balance, so when I'm not coding, I like to go on long bike rides, play the guitar and spend time in the kitchen with my wife.

Jonathan Van Wessendorp - AI Researcher & Developer

I was born and raised in Amsterdam and am currently completing my Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Amsterdam. With Whispp I explore the potential of Diffusion Probabilistic Models at Whispp, a task that is both challenging and exciting. In my spare time I like to play the guitar or practice one of my many favorite sports. One of my main goals for the future is to work on green solutions that help solve the climate problem.

Yrsa Niels - Marketeer

I'm a student speech language pathology and I enjoy learning about technical devices that can improve people’s lives. At Whispp I'm responsible for keeping up with the social media and writing articles for the website. Here I can combine my interest in speech language pathology and artificial intelligence with my joy in writing. To be able to contribute to helping people with speech problems gives it even more added value.

Our partners

Whispp is a Dutch startup. We believe it is important to work in an ethically and scientifically based manner. That is why we work together with the following (academic) partners.