Mati Staniszewski, CEO and co-founder of the rapidly growing AI audio company ElevenLabs, recently highlighted his company's deep connection to competitive programming and academic olympiads, citing this background as foundational to their current work culture. In a social media post, Staniszewski expressed strong support for the International Olympiad in AI (IOAI), stating, > "Spotted our t-shirt in the wild at the International Olympiad in AI! We’re happy to support IOAI - many of us started in competitive programming, IOI, other olympiads & builder communities - that spirit shapes how we work today."
The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) is a prestigious annual competition designed for high school students passionate about AI. The inaugural IOAI was held in August 2024 in Burgas, Bulgaria, with the 2025 edition slated for Beijing, China. This team-based competition aims to inspire and challenge young minds, fostering the next generation of AI pioneers through scientific and practical rounds focusing on areas like natural language processing, machine learning, and computer vision.
ElevenLabs, co-founded by Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski in 2022, has quickly emerged as a leader in the AI audio space. The company specializes in creating lifelike speech and sound effects, offering advanced text-to-speech, voice cloning, and dubbing technologies in multiple languages. ElevenLabs achieved a valuation of $3 billion in January 2025 after a $180 million Series C funding round, backed by prominent investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital.
Staniszewski's remarks underscore a strategic alignment between ElevenLabs' operational philosophy and the rigorous, problem-solving environment of competitive programming. The company's focus on deep AI research and its mission to make information accessible globally through advanced audio tools resonate with the innovative spirit cultivated in such olympiads. This background, according to Staniszewski, is integral to how the company operates and innovates.
The public endorsement of IOAI also serves as a direct invitation for new talent. Staniszewski concluded his tweet with a recruitment call, stating, > "If that sounds like your kind of team - join us!" This highlights ElevenLabs' ongoing search for individuals who share their passion for AI and a background in challenging technical disciplines, reflecting a recruitment strategy that values foundational skills developed through competitive academic pursuits.