Today, The Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars, announced its inaugural class of nine companies focused on products and services ranging from consumer devices to enterprise solutions. We’re excited to work with the Alexa Accelerator companies from around the world who are enthusiastic about the ability to transform customer and business experiences through voice-powered interactions. The companies will be resident in Seattle as they build their businesses and develop a variety of new and innovative voice applications on Alexa. The program is built around the belief that voice will fundamentally improve the way people interact with technology.

The 2017 class includes:

• Aspinity: Ultra-low power processors for IoT devices.
• Botnik Studios: Digital tools for self-expression.
• Novel Effect: Powering voice interactive entertainment.
• Play Impossible: An active gaming system that brings digital action outdoors.
• Semantica: Humans and AI working side by side.
• Sensible Object: Merging physical and digital and harnessing the power of devices already in the connected home to power face-to-face social interaction and entertainment.
• Tinitell: Your kid’s first mobile phone.
• Twine: Bridging the gap between conference room functions and team collaboration tools.
• MSZ, Inc.: User-centered interaction testing for voice apps, with actionable insights and analytics from target audiences.

The response to the program exceeded our expectations with companies applying from over 54 countries after a ten-city tour.

Over the next thirteen weeks, Alexa Accelerator companies will work with mentors from Amazon and the Seattle Techstars community to solidify their company roadmaps, build voice technology and experiences, refine their investor pitches, and finally demo their work and companies to the public and to venture capital, seed and angel stage investors during Demo Day on October 17.

You can find more information on the Alexa Accelerator here as well as an announcement from Techstars here.