ToneTag Secures Investments from Qualcomm Ventures to Build Edge AI Payment Modules

Bengaluru-based startup ToneTag has secured an investment from Qualcomm Ventures, the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated, as it expands its sound-wave communication technology to power edge AI and payment capabilities across connected devices.

The startup company said the funding will support development of what it described as one of the world’s first Edge AI-powered, payment-capable modules designed and engineered in India for global deployment.

ToneTag’s technology uses proximity-based sound-wave protocols and on-device processing to enable secure device-to-device communication and payments without heavy reliance on cloud infrastructure.

The company aims to integrate its technology across legacy payment systems and consumer devices including smartphones, smart TVs, wearables, and emerging IoT hardware. By combining edge processing with contextual awareness, ToneTag said it plans to turn everyday devices into conversational, payment-ready ecosystems capable of operating in real-time environments such as identity verification and in-store transactions.

“The real differentiation in computing is happening at the edge,” said Kumar Abhishek, Founder and CEO, ToneTag. “With our proximity context protocol, we are laying the foundation for a new class of intelligent, payment-ready edge devices that can scale globally.”

"We’re proud to be part of ToneTag’s pioneering journey in digital payments, now foraying into the age of AI. ToneTag’s innovation combines powerful on-device AI with contextual intelligence, unlocking secure real-time payments across industries and devices," Rama Bethmangalkar, Sr. Director, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and Managing Director at Qualcomm Ventures India, added.

ToneTag said its protocol is already deployed across millions of touchpoints, processing more than 25 million transactions daily and over $3 billion in monthly transaction value.