A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
- Turi, machine learning startup which lets developers build apps that automatically scale and tune to help enterprises make better sense of data, has been acquired by Apple Inc. in a deal to be worth around $200M. Link
- Sift Science, a real-time machine learning fraud prevention solution provider for online businesses, raised $30M in Series C round backed by Insight Venture Partners. Link
- Takt Inc, an artificial intelligence based company which provides personalized customer interaction solutions for brands and businesses, raises $30M in Series A round led by BCG Digital Ventures including an investment by Starbucks. Link
- CognitiveScale, an Austin, Texas-based provider of industry-specific machine intelligence software, raised $21.8M in series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners and Intel Capital. Link
- Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is providing $22M over four years as an initial research grant to the University of Michigan. The funding is earmarked for artificial intelligence research specifically. Link
- SirionLabs, that provides supplier management technology products, has raised $12.25M in a Series B round led by existing investor Sequoia India with participation from QualGro Asean Fund and Canopy Ventures . Link
- PatternEx, an Artificial Intelligence powered cyber security platform, raised $7.8M in Series A funding from Khosla Ventures. Link
- Prospera, a technology solution for plant health monitoring, completed a $7M Series A round by Bessemer Venture Partners. Link
- Civil Maps, a 3D geospatial data organizer which uses AI and SLAM algorithms, raised $6.6M Seed round backed by Motus Ventures, Ford, Yahoo cofounder Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures, Wicklow Capital, and StartX Stanford. Link
- Google has cut its electricity bill by 40% using its artificial intelligence software DeepMind. It has reduced the total energy use at the centers by 15%. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Deckard (2016, Berlin) – Deckard is an AI-based coding assistant for individuals and teams. It is a Virtual assistant for the developer.
Statustoday (2015, London) – StatusToday provides an AI based insider threat detection & prevention solution for monitoring user activity
Thirdeye (2015, London) – ThirdEye uses AI techniques to develop security solutions for the retail environment by predicting and detecting crime
LEADER BOARD – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Infrastructure – Machine Intelligence Systems
Machine Learning
Data Robot (2012, Boston, $57M) – provides a machine learning platform for predictive analysis . Backed by Techstars,New Enterprise Associates, Intel Capital and Others.
H2O.ai (2011, Mountain View, $31M) – Provides an open source machine learning platfrom for pattern detection and prediction. Backed by Nexus Venture Partners, Transamerica Ventures, Paxion Capital Partners and others.
Deep Learning
Sentient (2007, SF, $144M) – Operates distributed AI on large scale systems for finance and medical sectors. Backed by Tata Group, Access Industries and Horizon Ventures.
DeepMind (2011, London, $500M, Acq.) – Combines techniques from machine learning and neuroscience to build general-purpose learning algorithms. Backed by Founders Fund, Horizons Ventures and others.
Cognitive Learning
Vicarious (2010, SF, $72M) – Provides machine learning software based on neo cortex learning. Backed by Open Field Capital, Felicis Ventures, Founders Fund.
Numenta (2005, Redwood City, $30M) – Provides software based on Neo Cortex technology for enterprises and developers to build AI applications. Backed by Skymoon Ventures.
Infrastructure – NLP
Speech Recognition
Nuance Communications (1992, Burlington, IPO) – Provides speech recognition solutions for consumers, businesses to control devices. IPO in 2000.
Mobvoi (2012, Beijing, $77M) – Develops AI based technology for Speech Recognition for Chinese Language. Backed by Google Ventures, Sequoia Capital and others.
NLP – Text & Speech Analytics
SpinVox (2003, NYC, $105.5M, Acq.) – Provides a voice to text conversion services. Backed by GLG Partners, Goldman Sachs, Blue Mountain Capital and Tosca Fund. It was acquired by Nuance in Dec. 2009 for $102M.
VoiceBase (2010, Novato, $20M) – Provides API’s for speech recognition and speech analytics. Backed by Band of Angels, Ecosystem Ventures and others.
Infrastructure – Visual Recognition
Face++ (2011, Beijing, $47M) – Provides face recognition API which developers can apply into their own websites, mobile Apps. Backed by Innovation Works, QI Ming Venture Partners.
Cortica (2007, NYC, $38M) – Developers of image recognition technology to comprehend visual data on web. Backed by Horizons Ventures, Mail.Ru Group.
Infrastructure – Enabling Technologies
Attivio (2007, Newton, $102M) – Provides data discovery and integration solutions. Backed by Oak Investment Partners, Tenth Avenue Holdings.
Movidius (2005, San Mateo, $86.5M) – Developing mobile vision processor chips. Backed by Summit Bridge Capital, Draper Esprit and others.
Applications – Enterprise
BI & Analytics – Business Intelligence
Palantir (2004, Palo Alto, $2B) –Intelligence products to augment human-driven analysis for critical government, commercial and non-profit institutions. Backed by Founders Fund, In-Q-Tel, 137 Ventures, ARTIS Ventures, Glynn Capital Management, Reed Elsevier Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Mithril Capital Management, Benjamin Ling, Keith Rabois, Jeremy Stoppelman.
Ayasdi (2008, Palo Alto, $106M) – Machine Intelligence platform for insight discovery from large data sets. Backed by Floodgate, Citibank, General Electric, Institutional Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Draper Nexus, Centerview Capital Technology.
BI & Analytics – Social Media Intelligence
Dataminr (2009, NYC, $180M) – Products for real-time extraction of insights from social media data aimed at Media, Finance and Government sectors. Backed by Carissa St Clair, BoxGroup, Venrock, Institutional Venture Partners, GSV Capital, Deep Fork Capital, Fidelity Investments.
DataSift (2010, Reading, $64M) – Enables companies to aggregate, filter and extract insights from the billions of public social conversations. Backed by Daher Capital, IA Ventures and others.
Sales
InsideSales (2004, Provo, $199M) – Predictive and Prescriptive self-learning cloud-based platform for management. Backed by Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, US Venture Partners, Zetta Venture Partners, EPIC Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Polaris Partners, Salesforce, Microsoft.
EverString (2012, San Mateo, $79M) – Predictive analytics platform helps B2B companies to identify and engage sales leads and new clients. Backed by Danhua Capital, IDG Capital Partners and others.
Marketing
Attensity (2000, Palo Alto, $90M) – NLP-based business solutions for sales acceleration, fraud and risk management, and reputation management.
Bloomreach (2009, Mountain View, $97M) – Customer Analytics and site optimization IntelligencePlatform based on machine learning. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Chris P.C., New Enterprise Associates, Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Security
Cybereason (2012, Boston, $89M) – Endpoint Detection and Response platform based on behavioral machine learning. Backed by Charles River Ventures, Lockheed Martin, Spark Capital, Softbank Mobile
Cylance (2012, Irvine, $77M) – next generation antivirus, Cylance Protect which combines pre-detection, machine learning, and secure design lifecycle solutions. Backed by Khosla Ventures, Fairhaven Capital Partners, Blackstone Group, Dell Ventures, Capital One Financial Corp, DFJ Growth.
Applications – Industry
Pharma & Healthcare
Butterfly Network Inc. (2011, Guilford, $100M) – Low-cost diagnostic medical imaging devices using a combination of Deep Learning and Ultrasound Imaging. Backed by Aeris Capital.
Modernizing Medicine (2010, Boca Raton, $98M) – Electronic Medical Assistant to physicians, which has been trained to extract to extract information from EMR using Machine and Deep Learning. Backed by Pentland Group, Summit Partners.
Finance
Zest Finance (2009, LA, $112M) – Underwriters better predict credit score of potential borrowers. Backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, Fortress Investment Group, Eastward Capital Partners, Kensington Capital, Northgate Capital.
Kensho (2010, Cambridge, $73M) – Machine Learning platform with natural language querying capabilities to aid financial institutions in research and financial decisions. Backed by General Catalyst Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Accel Partners, Google Ventures, Goldman Sachs.
Automobile
Mobile Eye (1999, Israel, IPO) – vision systems for onboard Driving Assistance & collision avoidance Systems.Currently, developing advanced vision systems to aid driverless technology. Backed by FIBI Holding, GlenRock Israel, Delek Group, Goldman Sachs. IPO in 2014.
Cruise Automation (2013, SF, $21M, Acq.) – Advanced driver assistance systems with self-drive and collision avoidance capabilities. Backed by Y Combinator, Founder Collective, CrunchFund, SV Angel, AME Cloud Ventures, Spark Capital. Acquired by General Motors in 2016.
Advertising
RocketFuel (2008, Redwood City, IPO) – programmatic media-buying platform that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to predict the right time for placement of an ad. Backed by Mohr Davidow Ventures, Labrador Ventures, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, DLA Piper, MF Capital, Nokia Growth Partners, Northgate Capital, Summit Partners, Cross Creek Capital, Comerica Bank.IPO in 2013.
QuantCast (2006, SF, $65M) – Provides a data-intelligence platform, utilizing big data and machine learning to provide advertising solutions. Backed by Founders Fund, Glynn Capital Management, Polaris Partners and others.
Education
Knewton (2008, NYC, $157M) – Adaptive learning technology provider for personalized learning.The adaptive learning platform consolidates data science, statistics, psychometrics, content graphing, machine learning, tagging, and infrastructure in one place in order to enable personalization at massive scale. Backed byAccel Partners, First Round Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital, Founders Fund, Pearson, Atomico, GSV Capital, Silicon Valley Bank.
Declara (2012, Palo Alto, $14M) – a free social learning platform which connects people to large amount of content using machine learning algorithms. Backed by Founders Fund, Data Collective, EDB Investments.
Agriculture
The Climate Corporation (2006, SF, $109M, Acq.) – Underwrites weather insurance for farmers based on predictive insights extracted using machine learning platform from historical weather data, soil observations, and other data sources.Backed by Founders Fund , Google Ventures , New Enterprise Associates, CODE Advisors, Allen & Company, Anthemis Group, Felicis Ventures,Glynn Capital Management, Khosla Ventures, SV Angel, Joshua Schachter, Howard Morgan, Index Ventures. Acquired by Monsanto for $930M in 2013.
Blue River Technologies (2011, Sunnyvale, $30M) – Blue River Technology, uses computer vision and robotics in fields for yield optimization, elimination of weeds and unwanted plants. Backed by Khosla Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Data Collective, Stanford A&E, Ulu Ventures.
Legal
LexMachina (2009, Menlo Park, $10M, Acq.) – Provides IP Litigation Data and Analytics. Backed by XSeed Capital, Costanoa Venture Capital and Cue Ball. It was acquired by LexisNexis in Nov. 2015 for an undisclosed amount.
Judiciata (2012, SF, $8M) – Legal Analytics platform to parse case law and turn unstructured court opinion into structured data to predict future legal arguments.Backed by SV Angel, Khosla Ventures.
Applications – Consumer
Virtual Assistant
X.ai (2014, NYC, $34M) – Virtual Assistant builds that schedules meetings for the business customers. Backed by SoftBank, Two Sigma Ventures, Pritzker Group and others.
Siri (2007, San Jose, $24M, Acq.) – Intelligent virtual assistant that has a natural language interface to answer questions, make recommendations and perform actions by delegating requests to web services. Backed by Morgenthaler Ventures, Menlo Ventures, SRI International, Horizons Ventures.It was acquired in 2010 by Apple.
Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
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