I.am+ explained

i.am+
Industry:Consumer electronics
Location:Hollywood, California
Owner:Will.i.am

i.am+[1] is an American technology company based in Los Angeles, California.[2] The company was founded by musician Will.i.am, an American singer and rapper known for being a member of the Black Eyed Peas, in 2013 with the mission of "creating wearable products that combine fashion and technology."[3] In 2016, i.am+ acquired Israeli machine learning software company Sensiya, now known as over.ai.[4]

Products

i.am+ camera for iPhone 4

In 2012 i.am+ announced a camera accessory for the iPhone 4.[5]

dial

dial was a SIM-enabled smartwatch available in the UK exclusively through Three. Featuring a voice-enabled AI named AneedA, the smartwatch is the first of its kind with a conversational operating system.[6] The dial is also does not need to be tethered to a smart phone and can send calls and SMS messages independently. Included with the dial is a music streaming service with over 20 million songs.

EPs

i.am+ EPs are high-end Bluetooth headphones. The circular and phones form was supposedly designed to echo their namesake vinyl records. The EPs feature a woven fabric cable and a magnetic clip so they can be worn around the neck when not in use.[7]

BUTTONS

The EPs were replaced with the 2nd generation of bluetooth headphones (now called i.am+ BUTTONS). i.am+ BUTTONS launched in November 2016.[8]

over.ai

In July 2016, i.am+ acquired Israeli company Sensiya, now over.ai, to continue research and development of their machine learning and natural language understanding technologies.[9]

Wink

In July 2017, i.am+ purchased Wink, a software and hardware manufacturer, from Flex in a $38.7 million deal.[10]

Earin

In January 2018 i.am+ attempted to acquire Swedish earbuds startup Earin.[11] The acquisition later fell through for undisclosed reasons.[12]

Omega Voice Assistant

In October 2018, i.am+ announced a new platform agnostic voice assistant called Omega.[13]

In 2018, Majid Al Futtaim formed a partnership with i.am+ to introduce its omega technology in the Middle east, Asia, and Africa.[14]

Funding

In November 2017, the company secured $117 million in funding. Prior to this, it had raised $89 million from a group, including Salesforce Ventures.[15]

Controversy

In 2019, federal government of the United States lodged a lien for alleged non-payment of taxes.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: i.am . Iam+. iamplus.com. 2016-07-22.
  2. Web site: I.am+.
  3. Inside The Black Eyed Peas' 'Leap of Faith' Second Act. 2021-07-01. Billboard. en.
  4. Web site: Will.i.am's Smartwatch Startup Acquires Israeli Firm. Los Angeles Business Journal. 2016-07-22.
  5. News: Will.i.am's iPhone accessories to 'turn smartphones into genius phones' . Georgia Dehn. . 29 March 2017.
  6. Web site: Vincent. James. 2016-04-29. Will.i.am's smartphone-free smartwatch is available to preorder in the UK. 2021-05-05. The Verge. en.
  7. Web site: Sade. 2016-05-24. New Release: Will.i.am iam EPs Bluetooth Headphones. 2021-04-30. Major HiFi. en-US.
  8. Web site: Bang & Olufsen's New Earphones Are Perfect for Working Out. 22 May 2019.
  9. Web site: Will.i.am's Smartwatch Startup Acquires Israeli Firm Los Angeles Business Journal. 2020-06-18. labusinessjournal.com.
  10. Web site: i.am+ buys Wink, the smart home hub previously owned by Flextronics and Quirky. Ingrid Lunden. TechCrunch. 27 July 2017.
  11. News: Wireless earbud startup Earin bought by Will.i.am's tech company. 2018-10-08. The Verge. 2018-03-22.
  12. News: Will.i.am's acquisition of wireless earbud startup Earin has fallen through. 2019-05-10. The Verge. 2019-10-10.
  13. Web site: Will.i.am's Omega Voice Assistant Takes on Google, Alexa, and Siri. Figueroa. Mia. securitybaron.com. 8 October 2018. en-US. 2018-11-07.
  14. News: Opinion: Where is the money, will.i.am?. arabianbusiness.
  15. Web site: Rodriguez. Salvador. 2017-11-06. Will.i.am's start-up has raised $117 million as it pivots from hardware to customer support chatbot. 2021-07-01. CNBC. en.
  16. News: Dubai's Majid Al Futtaim denies it owes money to Will.i.am's tech company. arabianbusiness.