Language AI company DeepL, valued at USD 2bn in its most recent funding round, announced on October 1, 2024, the opening of a new tech hub in New York City to meet the growing demand for its language AI, AI translation, and writing tools in the region.

The company has had a pivotal 2024. Jarek Kutylowski, DeepL CEO and Founder, shared with Slator that the company is “in the midst of one of the most transformative periods” in its history.

Kutylowski said that, since January 2024, DeepL has launched several new products and features, including a next-generation LLM for AI-enabled translation. “Our specialized Language AI platform is live in over 200 markets, serving over 100,000 customers and tens of millions of individual users.”

The new DeepL NYC-based hub, its second site to open in the US (and in the same year), will focus on accelerating research, innovation, and product development.

Backed by Index Ventures, which led the May 2024, USD 300m funding round, DeepL has seen rapid customer growth in the US after first having success in Europe.

The investment round, among the largest for any language tech company, solidified the German company’s status as a unicorn with a clientele to match: in the US alone, more than 100k of DeepL’s customers include 50% of the Fortune 500.

Expanding the C-Suite

In the same press release, DeepL also announced the additions to its C-suite team of Sebastian Enderlein as Chief Technology Officer and Steve Rotter as Chief Marketing Officer. The seasoned executives are expected to help drive DeepL’s strategic global growth, language AI innovation, and market engagement. 

About these key hirings, both of which are new positions within the company, Kutylowski said that “In the midst of this growth, it was [also] a priority to strengthen our leadership with experienced executives.”

Kutylowski added that both Enderlein and Rotter have experience on the B2B and B2C sides and are familiar with the fast-paced nature of the industry and its diverse audiences. 

The CEO further explained that “while the transition to AI certainly comes with its own nuances, what we’re most excited about is that they bring fresh perspectives and unique experiences to the table.”

Kutylowski also told Slator that DeepL has always been a product-driven company, not doing much in the way of marketing, with a lot of growth happening organically. With the intention of becoming the global leader in Language AI, the CEO qualified a greater focus on marketing as essential in their expansion to new markets.

CTO Sebastian Enderlein counts among its previous employers tech giants Uber, Salesforce, and Personio. About his new appointment, Enderlein said that “with AI on everyone’s mind right now, what drew me to DeepL is its commitment to purpose-driven technology –-DeepL isn’t just developing AI for its own sake; it’s addressing real-world challenges, particularly the critical issue of language barriers that affect nearly every business and person today.” 

CMO Steve Rotter echoed his colleague’s sentiment, stating that “as a marketer, I’ve seen firsthand how language can make or break a business. In a world where clarity and consistency can set a brand apart, language barriers are a major obstacle to growth.” Rotter’s previous engagements include Adobe, Motorola, FourKites, and OutSystems.

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A Bite of Big Apple Talent

The strategically located new hub is set to attract local tech talent, and DeepL is actively hiring for local product and engineering roles in what is described in the press release as a “strong, diverse tech expertise and talent pool in New York City.”

Regarding this talent initiative, Kutylowski said that although the new roles will vary, a primary focus will be on projects related to the creation and transformation of various aspects of the DeepL specialized Language AI platform. 

“Launching DeepL’s first US tech hub in New York City positions us at the center of one of the largest talent pools in the market and brings us closer to our customers, including many Fortune 500 companies… We want to tap into this to strengthen our product and engineering teams there… Logistically speaking, having a team based on the East Coast also makes it easier for us to operate across time zones,” added Kutylowski. 

The company intends to double the size of the hub within the next 12 months.