Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Rissa Cao, Fish Audio

28- Jul-2026

In this episode, BAM CEO Beck Bamberger sits down with Rissa Cao, founder and CEO of Fish Audio, an AI company creating hyper-realistic, emotionally expressive voices.

Rissa shares how Fish Audio evolved from a passion project into a growing voice AI company, the challenges of building in a rapidly changing industry, and what she has learned about enterprise sales, assembling the right team, and recognizing each person’s unique strengths.

Since recording this conversation, Fish Audio announced that it raised $52 million in seed funding to expand its AI voice technology for creators and enterprises.

They also explore the future of voice technology and how AI is changing the way humans create, communicate, and connect.

show notes:

00:00 - The rise of voice technology

04:20 - Improving and optimizing the model

06:31 - From creators to developers

10:13 - Building Enterprise Sales Team

16:32 - Embracing change and adaptability

17:58 - Managing Ego and Self-Awareness

20:43 Improving media interview responses

Read More About The Episode:

00:00 — The Rise of Voice Technology
Rissa Cao shares how Fish Audio evolved from a hobby project into an AI voice company focused on creating hyper-realistic, emotionally expressive speech. She discusses why voice is essential to communicating emotion and building trust—and what still separates AI-generated voices from human speech.

04:20 — Improving and Optimizing the Model
Rissa explains how the team continuously improves Fish Audio’s models across latency, efficiency, pronunciation, stability, accuracy, and emotional control. She also discusses how user feedback helps the company align its technology with real human preferences.

06:31 — From Creators to Developers
Fish Audio initially served open-source developers and independent creators, but the line between the two quickly blurred. Rissa describes them all as “builders,” sharing how creators use APIs to automate voiceovers while developers integrate voice technology into new products and experiences.

10:13 — Building an Enterprise Sales Team
Despite not having a traditional sales background, Rissa found success through deep product knowledge, founder enthusiasm, and product-led growth. She discusses inbound enterprise interest, the company’s partnership with HeyGen, and the challenge of turning founder-led sales into a repeatable process.

16:32 — Embracing Change and Adaptability
Rissa reflects on the qualities Fish Audio seeks in early team members, including ownership, reliability, consistency, and comfort with constant change. In a fast-moving AI industry, the ability to experiment, act quickly, and follow through is essential.

17:58 — Managing Ego and Self-Awareness
Leadership has taught Rissa that everyone possesses a unique gift. She discusses balancing confidence with humility, managing ego, learning from hiring mistakes, and creating a culture where people can take ownership and perform at their best.

20:43 — Improving Media Interview Responses
The conversation closes with candid feedback about communicating Fish Audio’s story more effectively. Rissa receives practical guidance on making interview responses more concise, leading with the central message, and translating complex technical ideas into clear, memorable answers.