Papercup's IP Acquired by RWS amidst Team Transition
Deal News | Jun 26, 2025 | Business Cloud
RWS, a listed firm with a robust suite of language technologies, has acquired the intellectual property of Papercup, an AI dubbing and synthetic speech platform. This acquisition comes in the wake of a significant portion of Papercup's staff moving to Scale AI. Papercup's co-founder and CEO, Jesse Shemen, described the departure as a bittersweet moment but expressed pride in the company's achievements, which include collaborations with major media brands such as Bloomberg and Sky News. Papercup's technology, renowned for its ability to replicate a speaker's tone, pace, and emotion, complements RWS's existing capabilities in language and translation solutions. With this acquisition, RWS aims to enhance its service offerings and meet the growing demand in the multimedia content sector.
Sectors
- Language Technology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Media and Entertainment
Geography
- United Kingdom – Papercup was based in London, making the UK relevant to the article's context.
- United States – Scale AI, the company where a significant portion of Papercup's team has moved, is based in San Francisco.
Industry
- Language Technology – This sector is relevant as RWS offers language solutions including translation and dubbing technologies, and the acquisition of Papercup enhances its offerings in this industry.
- Artificial Intelligence – Papercup's AI platform for dubbing and synthetic speech falls squarely in the AI industry, and this acquisition highlights the growing role of AI in media and content localization.
- Media and Entertainment – Papercup provided AI dubbing services to major media brands, aligning with the media and entertainment industry's increasing use of technology for content creation and distribution.
Financials
Participants
| Name | Role | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papercup | Target Company | Company | AI dubbing and synthetic speech platform provider. |
| RWS | Bidding Company | Company | Listed company acquiring Papercup's IP, offers language and translation solutions. |
| Scale AI | Other Company | Company | San Francisco-based company receiving a portion of Papercup's team, specialized in AI applications. |
| Jesse Shemen | Co-Founder and CEO of Papercup | Person | Papercup co-founder and CEO who commented on the company's transition. |
| Garrett Goodman | VP of Sales at Papercup | Person | Papercup's VP of Sales joining Scale AI, reflecting on the company's journey. |
| Ben Faes | CEO of RWS | Person | CEO of RWS commenting on the strategic acquisition of Papercup's technology. |