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,[3] in 2013 with the mission of "creating wearable products that combine fashion and technology."[4] In 2016, i.am+ acquired Israeli machine learning software company Sensiya, now known as over.ai.[5]

i.am+
IndustryConsumer electronics
Founded2013 (2013)
HeadquartersHollywood, California
OwnerWill.i.am
Subsidiaries

Wink

Websiteiamplus.com

Products

i.am+ camera for iPhone 4

In 2012 i.am+ announced a camera accessory for the iPhone 4.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8]

BUTTONS

The EPs were replaced with the 2nd generation of bluetooth headphones (now called i.am+ BUTTONS). i.am+ BUTTONS launched in November 2016.[9]

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.[10]

Wink

In July 2017, i.am+ purchased Wink, a software and hardware manufacturer, from Flex in a $38.7 million deal.[11]

Earin

In January 2018 i.am+ attempted to acquire Swedish earbuds startup Earin.[12] The acquisition later fell through for undisclosed reasons.[13]

Omega Voice Assistant

In October 2018, i.am+ announced a new platform agnostic voice assistant called Omega.[14]

In 2018, Majid Al Futtaim formed a partnership with i.am+ to introduce its omega technology in the Middle east, Asia, and Africa.[15]

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.[3]

Controversy

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

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


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