PumpML 👏🏽

giving AI ears

April 26, 2022

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

comps

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