Puente in the press.
Resources for journalists, podcasters, creators, and partners covering real-time AI translation, language access, and what it means to build in Houston.
About Puente
Puente is a real-time AI voice translation app built in Houston, TX by Labyrinth BJJ LLC. It supports 109 languages with 8 available fully offline. No account required. $9.99 one-time Pro upgrade. Built for the moments when language barriers actually cost people something.
Key facts
- Founded: Houston, Texas, 2025
- Company: Labyrinth BJJ LLC
- App: iOS — Coming Soon
- Languages: 109 total, 8 offline
- Pricing: Free (5/day), Pro $9.99 one-time
- Accuracy: DeepL Voice — 96.4/100 (Slator)
- No account required
What makes Puente different
Empathy Engine — Puente's proprietary voice analysis reads 6 dimensions of emotional signal (pause density, vocal tremor, onset sharpness, dynamic range, rhythm regularity, sustained vowel ratio) and reproduces them in the translated voice. No other consumer translation app does this.
Auto Voice Matching — Analyzes the speaker's pitch, rhythm, and energy to select a target-language voice that naturally matches the original speaker's characteristics.
6 conversation modes — Auto-detect, Tabletop, Earbud, Smart Glasses (Ray-Ban Meta), Remote (6-digit code link), and Group (up to 8 people).
9 Profession Packs — Medical, Legal, Trades, Restaurant, Education, Finance, Emergency, Childcare, Biblical — $2.99 each, one-time.
HIPAA-aligned architecture — No audio stored server-side. No PHI retention. Title VI compliant.
Origin story
Puente was built inside a jiu-jitsu gym. The founders of Labyrinth BJJ LLC trained with teammates who spoke Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. When someone got hurt or needed to explain something important, there was an invisible wall — Google Translate was too slow, phone interpreters cost $1.50–$3.50/minute, and nothing worked offline when the gym's Wi-Fi dropped.
So they built something. No investors. No press release. They put it in the App Store, told people in Gulfton, and watched what happened. Houston needed it more than any other city — 145+ languages, 29% foreign-born, 25% limited English proficiency, and a medical center that sees 10 million patients a year.
"Houston is the most diverse city in America and people are still walking around with laminated cards that say 'do you speak English?' We wanted to fix that." — Labyrinth BJJ LLC, Houston, TX
Press contact
For interviews, product demos, review access, podcast appearances, or partnership inquiries:
We respond to press inquiries within 1 business day. Review units and beta access available for verified media.
Approved boilerplate
Puente is a real-time AI voice translation app that supports 109 languages — 8 fully offline — with no account required. Built in Houston, Texas by Labyrinth BJJ LLC, Puente is designed for families, clinics, construction crews, restaurants, schools, and anyone navigating a language barrier in a moment that matters. Available on iOS.