DetectifAI Licenses On-Device Deepfake Voice Detection to Phone Makers

DetectifAI, a San Francisco startup founded by Tarini Padmanabhuni, is licensing compact AI models that detect deepfake voices directly on smartphones, targeting phone manufacturers as its first customers. The company says its software development kit can run inside a phone's operating system and return an instant verdict on whether a voice is AI-generated during calls and voice messages, without audio leaving the device. The push follows an incident about two years ago in which Padmanabhuni's grandfather paid a ransom after a deepfake impersonated his kidnapped brother. The FBI reports Americans lost nearly $900 million to AI-driven scams in 2025, up 24% from 2024, with people 60 and older losing twice as much as those aged 50 to 59. DetectifAI says it already generates early revenue, handling more than 100,000 calls a month for financial institutions in India. It has raised a small seed round from investors Josh Constine and Manohar Kamath and will compete at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield on October 13-15, 2026.