What began as an accessibility-focused research and development project at CMKL University has grown into Sonar AI Co., Ltd., a student-founded startup using artificial intelligence to expand access to Thai-language audiobooks and digital voice technology.

Founded by four Year 3 students from CMKL University’s AI & Computer Engineering (AiCE) program, Sonar AI is addressing two major challenges in Thailand’s audiobook market: the limited availability of professionally produced Thai-language audiobooks and the high cost and time required to produce them through traditional production methods.

Inside the Sonar Audiobooks app — home, library, player, and genre browser, launching July 2026.

The founding team includes Phasit Thanitkul, Co-founder and CEO; Kasidis Manasurangkul, Co-founder and CTO; Lalida Krairit, Co-founder and CXO; and Khant Phyo Wai, Co-founder and CFO. Together, the team is developing an AI-powered production pipeline that can generate audiobooks with natural, context-aware narration at a fraction of traditional production cost.

The Sonar AI founding team at the CMKL University exhibition booth.

Sonar began at CMKL as an R&D project developed in partnership with the Christian Foundation for the Blind, with the original goal of making written Thai content more accessible to visually impaired readers through AI-generated audio. As the team refined the technology, they identified a broader market gap: Thai publishers lacked a scalable audiobook production pathway, while Thai listeners had limited access to local audiobook platforms.

That realization led the students to transform their university project into a registered company in October 2025. Today, Sonar AI is revenue-generating through Echonic, a B2B partnership that applies the same core technology to AI customer service avatars and AI phone call agents for corporate clients. The company is also preparing to launch Sonar Audiobooks app, a B2C mobile application scheduled for July 2026, designed to serve Thai audiobook listeners.

The startup has already reached several milestones, including:

• Receiving a grant from Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA)

• Signing MOUs with multiple publishers

• Engaging with the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT)

• Winning first prize at the Beyond Green: AI for a Thriving Future Pitch Competition 2025, organized by UNESCO and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) during the 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Bangkok

Sonar AI receiving first prize at the Beyond Green Pitch Competition during the 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, Bangkok 2025.

For the founders, CMKL provided the technical foundation, research environment, and project-based learning culture that allowed Sonar to move from idea to implementation. Through the AiCE program, the team developed knowledge in AI voice synthesis, natural language processing, large language models, audio processing, and software engineering — skills they now use directly in product development.

Sonar’s development has also been supported by Prof. Justin Paulsen, CMKL faculty member and project advisor, who has guided the team on business direction as the project evolved from an accessibility-focused R&D initiative into a startup with commercial potential. His mentorship helped the students think beyond technical development and consider market positioning, product strategy, and pathways for sustainable growth.

Phasit Thanitkul speaking with visitors at the Sonar booth.

Presenting Sonar’s AI Production Engine — “Zero production cost for Publishers.”

“At CMKL, we’re taught to be builders, not just students,” said Phasit Thanitkul, Co-founder and CEO of Sonar AI. “Sonar didn’t start as a business pitch; it started as an accessibility project we cared about. The university gave us the technical backbone and the freedom to experiment, and that’s what allowed us to turn classroom research into a real, revenue-generating startup before we even graduate.”

Sonar AI reflects CMKL’s approach to AI education, where students learn by building technologies that respond to real-world needs. By connecting accessibility, publishing, AI engineering, and entrepreneurship, the startup demonstrates how student-led innovation can create meaningful impact for society and open new opportunities for Thailand’s digital content economy.

As Thailand’s AI and innovation-focused university, CMKL continues to support students in turning research, technical ideas, and hands-on learning into practical solutions that can serve industries, communities, and the future of AI-driven innovation.

Built from accessibility. Powered by AI voice technology. Scaled into a student-led startup.

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Website: https://sonaraudiobooks.com/  •  Contact: [email protected]