Cliff Weitzman
American entrepreneur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cliff Weitzman is an American[1] entrepreneur and the founder and chief executive officer of Speechify.[2] In 2017, Weitzman was named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 list.[3] Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate. He could not read as a child.[1]
Cliff Weitzman | |
|---|---|
Weitzman at HBS 2025 | |
| Education | Brown University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Organization | Speechify |
| Title | Chief executive officer |
| Awards | Forbes 30 Under 30 |
| Website | speechify |
Early life and education
Weitzman was diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade.[4] He could not read as a child.[5] According to interviews, he taught himself English, listening to audiobooks including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 22 times in a row. He graduated from high school with a GPA over 4.0.[6] Weitzman graduated from Brown University in 2016 with a degree in Renewable Energy Engineering, a combination of computer science, engineering, and physics. He also took courses in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design.[7]
Career
While attending Brown, Weitzman created BoardBrake, an attachable brake for longboards and skateboards; CellArmor, a device for blocking cell phone radiation; Direct Boost, a transdermal delivery system for branched-chain amino acids; StarterPack, an application that was downloaded over 70,000 times; and Find Me Scholarships, a website to help students find scholarships. Weitzman was a Google Student Ambassador.[8] He won first place at both MIT's and Stanford University's startup pitch competitions.[9]
Speechify
Weitzman began developing the AI text-to-speech technology that would become Speechify while at Brown University to complete a summer reading assignment before his first semester at Brown.[10] Speechify is a text-to-speech application[11] that uses artificial intelligence and deep learning to read text aloud in natural-sounding voices[12]. The platform offers over 1,000 AI-generated voices in more than 200 languages.[13] The app uses optical character recognition technology to convert physical books and printed text into audio.[14] The application is intended to help people with dyslexia, ADHD, low vision, and other reading difficulties, and users who want to consume content more efficiently.[15]
As of 2026, the application has over 56 million users, and the company has a team of more than 200 software engineers.[16]
In December 2023, Google included Speechify as a favorite Chrome extension. In June 2025, Speechify won an Apple Design Award at WWDC 2025.[17]
Recognition
In 2016, Weitzman was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Education category.[18] In 2017, Speechify was included on Inc.'s America's Top 30 Emerging Companies. In 2018, he was included on New York Jewish Week's 36 Under 36.
Personal life
He has four siblings, including a younger brother, Tyler, who is also an entrepreneur.[19] Weitzman has said he listens to approximately 100 audiobooks per year.