PumpML 👏🏽

setting the scene

• you’re at the beach with your friends, the sun is setting, and Instagram has to see it 🌅

• in an attempt to take a group photo, you set your phone between two cans of sunscreen and start the timer cam

  • after a few failed photo attempts, the sun sets 😔

• is self timer really the best way to take a group photo?

• this week’s company provides a software that not only could have captured that photo with the clap of your hands (demo here), but uses sounds in our environment to improve how devices function

in a sentence

PumpML is a software company that allows developers to make devices responsive to non-voice sound

• devices: anything from smart speakers to robots

• responsive: after a few samples, products gain an understanding of a sound

• non-voice sound: clapping hands, a baby crying, a doorbell ringing

bulleted version: just like you can train a dog to respond to a clicker, PumpML trains devices to react to sounds in our environment 🐶

the basics

• industry: b2b saas

• headquarters: Cleveland, OH 🏙

• year founded: 2019

• company size: < 10 employees

• amount raised: $200k

due diligence

what we like

• ♾️ infinite possibilities: PumpML’s software has a wide range of use cases

  • a smart speaker can play music when it hears the front door open

  • a sensor in a factory can listen for machine malfunctions

• human-like tech: technology continues to take on our everyday tasks

  • self-driving cars, home speakers, and security cameras will replicate our actions better by understanding the sounds around them

• 👩🏼‍💻 customizable: developers have complete control over what sounds they program to achieve an endless array of jobs

potential risks

• targeting developers: PumpML can take their business many directions; communicating to a broad range of developers may pose a challenge

• Alexa & Siri: several companies have products that detect voices; what’s stopping them from branching into non-voice sound?

• consumer app: the clap & record app is a great tool for creators, but it could distract from catering to the core customer base of developers

founder profiles

• Jonah Katz (CEO, student @ University of Wisconsin)

• Andrew Hamilton (CTO, student @ Cornell)

comps

• Audio Analytic

• Cochl

• Apple

why PumpML: we’re pumped that this company is creating software that enables developers across industries to build fully customizable AI listening products 🔊