ElevenLabs Doubles Valuation to $22 Billion in Employee Tender

ElevenLabs, the AI voice-synthesis startup, told employees Sept. 30, 2026, that they could sell a portion of their vested equity in a transaction valuing the company at $22 billion, according to TechCrunch. The figure doubles the $11 billion valuation ElevenLabs reached in February 2026, TechCrunch reported.

What Did ElevenLabs Announce On Sept. 30?

ElevenLabs authorized a $300 million tender offer, giving employees the opportunity to sell shares directly to outside investors rather than wait for an IPO or acquisition, TechCrunch reported. The company did not disclose how many employees participated or what share of the company's total equity the offer represented, based on the available reporting.

How Does The $22 Billion Figure Compare To Earlier Rounds?

The new valuation is double the $11 billion mark ElevenLabs set in February 2026, when it raised $500 million in primary funding, according to TechCrunch. That February round itself followed a September 2025 tender offer that valued the four-year-old company at $6.6 billion, the outlet reported — meaning ElevenLabs' valuation more than tripled in roughly one year across the two tender events and the February raise.

Who Co-Led The $300 Million Tender Offer?

Wellington and T. Rowe Price co-led the transaction, TechCrunch reported. Both are large institutional investors that typically back private companies with the intent of holding their stock through an eventual public listing, according to the report. Neither firm's size of investment in this specific tender was disclosed in the available material.

What Is ElevenLabs' Full Funding And Tender Timeline?

• 2022: ElevenLabs is founded; the company is known for generating human-sounding synthetic voices and sound effects, per TechCrunch.
• September 2025: ElevenLabs holds its first employee tender offer, worth $100 million, at a $6.6 billion valuation.
• February 2026: The company raises $500 million, setting an $11 billion valuation.
• Sept. 30, 2026: ElevenLabs completes a second tender offer, worth $300 million, co-led by Wellington and T. Rowe Price, at a $22 billion valuation.

Why Are AI Startups Using Employee Tenders?

Tender offers have become a retention tool among fast-growing AI companies competing for engineering and research talent, TechCrunch reported, allowing staff to realize gains on paper wealth without the company going public. ElevenLabs, based in New York and London, now ranks among Europe's most valuable startups following the transaction, according to the outlet. TechCrunch noted it interviewed ElevenLabs co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski the week before the announcement, though no direct quote from that conversation was published in the report reviewed for this article.

Readers curious about the underlying technology can test ElevenLabs' voice-generation platform through HTT's affiliate link.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.