Alexa Next Stage, Powered by Techstars Announces 2020 Class
Jun 17, 2020
2-min Read
We are excited to announce the seven companies that are joining the first class of Alexa Next Stage, Powered by Techstars. A new virtual program run in collaboration with the Alexa Fund, Alexa Next Stage, Powered by Techstars supports the growth of rapidly scaling startups and builds on the success of the last three years of the Alexa Accelerator, Powered by Techstars.
Later stage startups are typically unable to step away from their daily operations to attend an in-person program. For this reason, we designed the program to be highly virtual, enabling companies to participate in Alexa Next Stage, Powered by Techstars when they may previously have been unable to participate due to the required extended travel and stay in Seattle. While in program, the class of companies will have the opportunity to connect with Techstars and Amazon leadership and mentors, while exploring collaboration and integration opportunities with Amazon and its Alexa voice offerings.
This year’s class consists of teams working across the world, including France, Estonia, Italy, Israel, Mexico, and the U.S. The companies enable a broad set of customer experiences, including world-class audio content, rapid learning, conversational insights, and emotional well-being, among others. For the selection of this class, we paid close attention to how these kinds of experiences are helping customers thrive in new and emerging environments today. Three of the companies are also returning Techstars alumni.
Over the next eight weeks, these companies will have the opportunity to meet with a diverse group of mentors across the Techstars network and Amazon. The program will conclude with an Innovation Showcase where companies will present the progress they have made over the program.
Meet the class of Alexa Next Stage, Powered by Techstars 2020:
Alba
Alba builds robots to improve the independence of passengers with reduced mobility.
Blerp
Blerp is the search engine for soundbites.
Blue Fever
Blue Fever is an empathetic AI that allows you to express yourself without judgement and then be guided to experiences that meet you exactly where you are on your emotional journey.
Kardome
Kardome allows people to interact with voice user interfaces in acoustically challenging conditions.
Lingvist
Lingvist is language learning technology that aims to make all of human learning 10x more efficient.
Sybel
Sybel is a premium audio content streaming platform.
Symbl ai
Symbl ai analyzes natural voice and text conversations without any upfront training data.