Nitesh Sharan, serving as CFO of SoundHound AI since September 2021, has been instrumental in navigating the company through significant growth and transformation. SoundHound AI, a leader in voice and conversational AI, went public on April 28, 2022, amid challenging market conditions. Before joining SoundHound, Sharan held senior finance positions at Nike, including Treasurer and CFO of Global Operations, and leadership roles at HP and Accenture.
In a recent interview, Sharan reflected on his key achievements at SoundHound. “When I joined, it was still private and at an inflection point—preparing to scale breakthrough voice AI technology,” he noted. Founded 20 years ago by Stanford PhDs, SoundHound aims to change how people interact with technology, allowing for natural conversation similar to human dialogue.
Sharan identified the company’s public listing as a defining milestone. “Taking the company public in 2022, during one of the most challenging years to do so, brought complexities of sustaining growth and managing liquidity,” he explained. His focus has also been on building the finance function from the ground up, establishing systems and processes to ensure agility. Under his leadership, SoundHound has successfully raised capital, entered new markets, and introduced innovative pricing models aligned with its strategic vision.
Despite achieving high organic growth, SoundHound AI has also engaged in acquisitions. “Until 2024, our growth was entirely organic,” Sharan stated, acknowledging that the company has since acquired four firms: SYNQ3, Allset, Amelia, and Interactions. Each acquisition has brought unique strengths and customer relationships, reflecting a strategic approach to innovation. “We didn’t believe that only looking internally for great ideas was a good idea,” he added. “There are incredible teams out there, and we saw real opportunities to combine strengths.”
Looking ahead, Sharan did not rule out future acquisitions, saying, “We remain open—and we have to be. We evaluate every opportunity through a strict lens, with strategic, operational, and financial considerations.” Each potential acquisition must support the mission of transforming human-technology interaction.
Concerns have been raised about the costs associated with AI investments. Sharan, however, maintains a different perspective. “Every era of fundamental disruption has seen skepticism,” he said. “Growth and change don’t happen linearly…the overall trajectory of the AI industry keeps rising.” He emphasized that the potential of generative and agentic AI remains largely untapped across various sectors, including education, healthcare, and financial services.
Internally, SoundHound is leveraging AI tools within the finance team, enhancing efficiency and productivity. “We are getting twice as much done with our existing staff,” Sharan noted. The company is cautious, adopting AI for research and documentation while exploring its applications in planning and payables. “We’re experimenting broadly, staying open-minded, and I expect we’ll have even more to share a year from now,” he concluded.
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