Good Tape, a Copenhagen-based AI transcription provider, has secured investment from Nordic Makers and launched a new product that turns archived recordings into searchable context. The company reports that 3 million people in more than 150 countries have used its platform to complete more than 15 million transcriptions. Alexander Aghassipour, co-founder and former Chief Product Officer of Zendesk, led the investment for Nordic Makers and joined Good Tape's board.
From Newsroom Tool to Independent Company
Good Tape began as an internal tool at Zetland, the Danish member-funded newsroom, where journalists needed accurate transcripts without sending sensitive interviews to third parties. Co-founders Ýmir Gyðuson Gíslason and Lasse Finderup have since built a platform used by journalists, researchers, consultants, lawyers, and public-sector teams. The investment aligns with the company's effort to build trust in how sensitive audio material is handled and stored.
A Management Buyout and New Investment
Finderup said the previous spinout structure became an obstacle when the company sought external investment, because potential backers did not want to invest in that arrangement. The solution was a management buyout completed alongside the investment round, with Zetland no longer holding an ownership stake. The deal required careful structuring and was finalized on the same day as Finderup's wedding.
Explore Connects Past Recordings
The company also launched Explore, a context layer that connects every new recording to a user's existing transcription archive. The tool surfaces changed opinions, contradictions, and supporting arguments, with each finding linked to the original recording. Journalists, researchers, and teams can trace what was said, when it was said, and how positions have developed across months of material.
Moving Beyond Commodity Transcription
Finderup said transcription alone has become a commodity, so the company had to offer something more than accurate text. Explore addresses the fact that journalists often use only 5% to 10% of an interview and rarely return to the remaining material. It acts as an artificial memory that reminds users of forgotten statements, prior commitments, and relevant supporting evidence.
Organizational Memory and Journalistic Control
Explore can also draw on interviews shared by colleagues, creating what Finderup calls an organizational memory for media teams and research organizations. Good Tape recognizes that journalists often feel protective of their interviews, so the product is designed to give users control over what is shared. Existing safeguards include ISO 27001 certification, GDPR compliance, EU data storage, and a commitment not to train AI models on customer data.
Real Time Ambitions and Customer Adoption
Demand for the tool extends beyond journalism to consultants and researchers who manage large volumes of conversations and need reliable recall. Finderup said Explore could eventually provide real-time context during interviews, such as surfacing a politician's earlier statement and playing it back for accountability. Good Tape is not charging for Explore initially, relying on organic adoption and word of mouth to create what Finderup described as clear demonstrations of value.
Good Tape's evolution from a newsroom utility to an independent company reflects a broader shift toward trusted AI tools that support deeper reporting and institutional knowledge. With Nordic Makers' backing and new board expertise from Zendesk, the company is positioning itself around privacy, control, and contextual intelligence rather than transcription volume alone. The launch of Explore signals its next phase: helping users turn large archives of spoken material into durable, searchable memory.