Many churches gather people who speak many languages, yet the sermon is usually in one. Kaleo AI is a real-time translation and captioning platform so attendees can follow a service in their language from a phone, tablet, or computer.^1
When the pastor speaks, Kaleo transcribes the audio and translates it into 150+ languages. People scan a QR code or search for their church, then read captions or listen on headphones. Churches start from a web browser and the sound system, with no special hardware and no cap on how many people can join.^1 The model is custom-trained on theological words and Bible names, so epistle does not become "a pistol," and captions are always available in the original speaker language for deaf and hard-of-hearing members, with Bluetooth hearing-aid support in the attendee apps.^1^4 Attendee apps are free on iPhone and Android; churches use a subscription-based service after a free trial, with plan details on the pricing section of the Kaleo site.^1^4
Aidan Britnell built Kaleo after his Oakville church offered Spanish translation while more than 70 languages were in the room.^2 A University of Toronto Mississauga computer science graduate and 2019 Schulich Leader, he began developing the app in early 2025 and launched it that June.^2 In his words: "That's the difference between Kaleo AI and generic tools like Google Translate and AirPods translation. They're not built for a church environment, so they miss a lot of the context and vocabulary."^2
"We're getting e-mails every week from pastors saying, 'This is incredible; this has opened up our church to the community like never before,'" says Britnell.^2
Notable:
- Hope Bible Church in Oakville offers live captions and translation into 150+ languages at all of its services with Kaleo AI.^5
- In 2026, Britnell pitched Kaleo at Exponential Global's NEXT Ventures Pitching Deck, which reported more than 500 churches equipped, and Kaleo was later named one of 12 projects invited to the NEXT Ventures Shark Tank that September.^6
