Global AI Leader to Expand NYC Operations

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that ElevenLabs — a leader in artificial intelligence that develops foundational models and products for seamless human-computer interaction — will significantly expand its United States operations in New York City. The expansion underscores New York City’s continued emergence as a leading hub for AI innovation, attracting fast-scaling technology companies and high-skilled talent from around the world.

“New York is becoming one of the world’s premiere destinations for artificial intelligence companies, and ElevenLabs’ decision to expand here is proof that our strategy is working,” Governor Hochul said. “With 230 new high-quality jobs, a $33 million R&D investment, and a fast-growing global footprint, ElevenLabs is choosing the Empire State because of our unmatched talent, energy and commitment to responsible technological advancement. We look forward to supporting the company’s continued growth in New York.”

Founded in 2022 by Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dąbkowski, childhood best friends from Warsaw who were inspired by the poor dubbing of content in their native Poland, the company started with creating human-like AI voice models and have expanded to a suite of frontier audio models used to power an Agents Platform for omnichannel customer engagement, as well as a creative platform for generating speech, music, image, and video. ElevenLabs serves millions of users and thousands of businesses from the fastest growing startups to the largest enterprises.

As part of this expansion, ElevenLabs will create 230 new engineering and corporate jobs, retain 36 existing New York City positions, and invest $33 million in research and development. Nearly 100 of the projected new roles will be software engineering positions, strengthening New York’s growing AI and technology workforce. The company will relocate from its current Spring Street offices to a larger space at 40 Crosby Street in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. Empire State Development (ESD) is supporting ElevenLabs with up to $4.4 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, which are tied to the company’s planned job creation and research and development investments.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “ElevenLabs is at the forefront of innovation in generative AI audio, and its expansion in New York City reinforces our state’s leadership in attracting the world’s most dynamic technology companies. This project will create hundreds of good-paying jobs, deepen New York’s bench of engineering talent, and support cutting-edge R&D that strengthens our growing AI ecosystem. ESD is proud to support ElevenLabs as it scales its U.S. operations here in the Empire State.”

ElevenLabs Co-Founder Mati Staniszewski said, “New York City is a global center for innovation, talent, and creative energy, making it the ideal place for ElevenLabs to scale our U.S. presence. This expansion allows us to deepen our investment in frontier AI research, expand our industry partnerships, and advance our mission of reimagining human-technology interaction. We want to lead New York’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystemand this investment puts us in position to do so.”

Assemblymember Steve Otis said, “News of the ElevenLabs expansion is another success story in New York’s program to attract cutting-edge technology growth in our state. Governor Hochul, Empire State Development, and the Legislature have prioritized making New York a leader as a home for growing technology companies and responsible artificial intelligence development. Time and time again companies choose New York because of our educated workforce, the work of our economic development team at ESD, and the synergy we are creating by bringing so many technology innovators to New York. Congratulations to Governor Hochul and ElevenLabs on the expansion announced today.”

ElevenLabs’ expansion aligns with Governor Hochul’s statewide commitment to ensuring New York becomes a national leader in responsible artificial intelligence development. Through initiatives such as the Empire AI Consortium, new workforce training programs, and investments designed to support safe, transparent, and equitable AI innovation, New York is building an ecosystem that attracts world-class companies, strengthens research capacity, and prepares New Yorkers for the jobs of the future. By locating and growing in Manhattan, ElevenLabsjoins a fast-emerging network of AI firms, universities, and innovation partners helping advance the Governor’s vision of making New York a global hub for responsible, next-generation AI technologies.

About Empire State Development
Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

About ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is reimagining human-technology interaction through advanced AI research and products. Its Agents Platform enables businesses to deploy reliable, intelligent voice and chat agents at scale, with built-in integrations, testing, monitoring and enterprise-grade reliability. Its Creative Platform empowers creators and marketers to generate and edit speech, music, images, and video in more than 70 languages. Both platforms are powered by ElevenLabs’ industry-leading AI research. The company pioneered the first human-like AI voice model and has since expanded its capabilities across dubbing, transcription, music, sound effects and speech-to-speech technologies.