Helix, a US startup that builds voice-based identity checks, has raised US$6.2 million in a pre-seed round led by Chicago Ventures as AI makes online fraud harder to spot.

The company, founded in 2025, said it had launched voice-based human verification software that runs on a user’s device and can replace or supplement CAPTCHA.

Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus is backing Helix and will advise the startup.

Helix said its technology can estimate a speaker’s age and is testing whether voice can indicate distress or intoxication.

CEO Alex Oberg said the software cannot reliably detect lies or identify AI agents during live calls.

The technology could face scrutiny under Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, which can require notice, written consent, and retention policies for covered biometric data.

Age-verification bills in US states are increasing, and proposed checks have raised broader privacy concerns.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch