Mycroft AI inks $1.75M in oversubscribed round, battling Amazon, Google
January 12, 2018 | Bobby Burch
In a quiet room amid the chaos of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mycroft AI CEO Josh Montgomery gleefully told Startland News Friday that his tech firm raised a significant seed round.
Mycroft recently raised a $1.75 million round that will help the Kansas City-based artificial intelligence startup accelerate hiring plans and corporate partnerships. The seed round exceeded the firm’s goal by more than $1 million, Montgomery said.
“It’s fantastic — it shows we’re in an exciting space and positions the company for huge success,” Montgomery said. “It’s exciting to be growing a company in Kansas City.”
Mycroft created an open-source voice assistant similar to Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana or Amazon’s Alexa. The firm’s Mark I device — which raised $335,000 in a Kickstarter campaign — uses natural language processing technology to enable its everyday use in a consumer’s home.
A 2016 Sprint Accelerator grad, Mycroft AI will be deploying a smart speaker — the Mark II — via a Kickstarter campaign Jan. 25.
Among those joining in the seed round were the Missouri Technology Corporation, Kansas City-based Northland Angels, Deep Space Ventures, TechNexus and Social Starts, Montgomery said. The local support is meaningful to Mycroft, Montgomery said.
“It shows Kansas City has an up-and-coming startup scene,” Montgomery said. “There’s funding available for good ideas with solid execution.”
With an open-source, open-hardware approach, Mycroft allows users across the globe to develop software and hardware add-ons. Already working with Jaguar Land Rover, Mycroft aims to be a neutral integration for other corporations that view Google or Amazon as competition.
“Lots of companies want to deploy voice assistants but aren’t excited about sending their data to big tech,” Montgomery said. “This positions us for success with corporate engagements.”
Mycroft AI hopes to hire up to 40 staffers in 2018 to build out its software and business development teams, Montgomery said.
Mycroft AI was named a Startland Top Startup to Watch in 2017. To watch Montgomery in a full video interview with Techcrunch, check out the video below.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Designed by a language of love, ‘my clothing is my ministry,’ says Esmeralda Lole
Kyrie Eleison Couture creates custom pieces that incorporate the customer’s cultural influences, said Esmeralda Lole. Lole works closely with individual customers and draws colors from flags and patterns from their countries of origin, she said. “Everyone has a different love language and my love language is acts of service. So for me, to be able…
KCultivator Q&A: Bo Nelson percolates on positive energy in his Crossroads coffee shop
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space.Holding a red, Thou Mayest-branded mug, Bo Nelson credited the success of his 18th Street coffee shop to family talent,…
Scoops and fruit loops: Quirky collaboration melds Crumble candles, Betty Rae’s Ice Cream
Brandon Love hungered for a Kansas City brand as unconventional as his own high-growth aroma confectionery, Crumble Co. He found his match at Betty Rae’s. “I started trying to pick apart [potential partners] to see who would be the best fit,” said Love, Crumble Co.’s founder and “head fruit loop in charge.” “Our way’s really…
Bridge Space opens doors to creativity, collaboration in Lee’s Summit (Photos)
Set against the historic backdrop of the former Lee’s Summit post office, the past and present intentionally collide to create Bridge Space — a 13,000-square-foot coworking space that elevates entrepreneurs in the city’s bustling downtown business district, said Ben Rao. “I’m in the hospitality business. It’s about this experience that people have. We’re not just…