Whispp Secures a Place on Forbes 2025 Accessibility 100 List
Forbes has honored Whispp as one of the world’s most meaningful technologies for improving the lives of people with disabilities. Being included in this first-ever list is not only a milestone for our company, it’s a powerful acknowledgment of the importance of inclusive technology and the role of Whispp's voice AI in everyday life.
Recognized as one of the world’s top impact-makers in accessibility
We are proud to announce that Whispp has been selected for the inaugural Forbes Accessibility 100, a global list recognizing the most impactful innovators advancing accessibility in areas such as communication, mobility, education, software, and more.
Forbes has honored Whispp as one of the world’s most meaningful technologies for improving the lives of people with disabilities. Being included in this first-ever list is a milestone for our company, and a powerful acknowledgment of the importance of inclusive technology and its role in everyday life.
“Accessibility is a fascinating space that has never been captured like this before,” says Alan Schwarz, Forbes Assistant Managing Editor, who spearheaded the project. “There are lone innovators, juggernaut tech companies, startups. They are revolutionizing how people get around, learn, communicate, work, play sports, travel, and so much more. Their impact on people’s lives is monumental – and will only be getting more so soon.”
Helping People Communicate Naturally—Every Day
Whispp is an AI-powered speech technology that enables people with voice disabilities (or those who prefer to whisper) to speak naturally and clearly again. Our app converts whispered or impaired speech into real-time speech with the right intonation, emotion, and personality. It’s already helping more than 12,000 people speak freely using voice messages, video calls, or everyday phone calls.
People who stutter, have vocal cord paralysis, or struggle to speak due to neurological conditions now use Whispp to reconnect with their voices. Others use Whispp to maintain privacy during calls in public places. No matter the reason, our goal remains the same: clear, natural, confident communication for all.
The new on-device AI models further eliminate latency and improve the naturalness of the synthetic voice. This means that anyone using this feature will be able to have a conversation anywhere utilizing a synthesized version of their natural speech with the intended intonation and emotion.
Building on a Year of Recognition
The Forbes Accessibility 100 list joins a growing list of honors that Whispp has received over the past year, including:
TIME Invention of the Year
CES 2024 Innovation Award
Best of Mobile World Congress
These accolades validate both our technology and the real-life impact it’s having. We remain focused on building solutions that empower people, not just through novelty, but through real-world usefulness.
CEO Joris Castermans on the Recognition
“It’s really an honor to be chosen for the Forbes Accessibility 100,” says Joris Castermans, CEO and founder of Whispp. “While we’re discovering new use cases that go beyond accessibility, helping people communicate in their natural voice will always be our priority. Forbes recognizing this goal, and the progress we’ve made, is something we’re incredibly proud of. It motivates us to push Whispp even further.”
Explore Our Work
Want to learn more about Whispp’s mission, product, and impact? Visit our Media Kit for downloadable visuals, press materials, and our full story.
We’re deeply grateful to our users, testers, and partners whose trust and feedback continue to shape Whispp every day.
Whispp is now listed on Living Made Easy, Europe’s largest impartial assistive technology platform. Therapists and clinicians can officially reference and recommend Whispp as a voice support app for people with speech or voice impairments. Explore our listing under Communication Apps and Software.
After losing his natural voice to laryngeal cancer, Roger Gillespie found a new way to connect using Whispp. On World Voice Day 2025, we share his story — a reminder of how assistive voice technology can help restore not just speech, but connection, confidence, and joy.
Whispp already received attention in Time Magazine. Now it is also Quote’s turn to interview Joris Castermans about his smart app that ensures that people who are less quick-witted are also heard. But: ‘Eventually only one out of six downloads comes from someone who stutters’.
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