Celebrating the Alexa Champions, Skill Developers and Visionaries Named as Leaders by Voicebot.ai
Earlier this month, Voicebot.ai announced their Top 44 Leaders in Voice 2019. As a company focused on voice as the primary interface, Voicebot.ai is a leading source for news, research, and commentary related to voice technology.
With so many deserving people in this growing field, we were thrilled the judges chose to honor many of the Alexa Champions and members of the Alexa developer community, not to mention some of Amazon’s own Alexa team members.
Join us in congratulating all the leaders in voice. Thanks to their innovation, dedication, and hard work, voice continues to grow as a leading technology in the world of user interfaces.
Alexa Developers Recognized as Top Leaders in Voice
One of the main drivers behind the growth in voice is the community of talented, innovative developers who create the Alexa skills that delight customers. Among those honored by Voicebot.ai are several members of the Alexa development community, including a number of Alexa Champions.
Adva Levin, named a top Design & Product Pro, was the Grand Prize winner of the first Amazon’ Skills Challenge: Kids with her Alexa skill, Kid’s Court. A recognized Alexa Champion, she is the founder of Pretzel Labs, a studio that creates voice-first games and learning skills for children and families.
“It's an honor to be on the Leaders in Voice list,” said Levin. “I'm fascinated to see how new breakthroughs in voice will enable us to create more personalized, inclusive and memorable experiences for people worldwide.”
Jess Williams was named a top Design & Product Pro. She’s also a co-founder of Opearlo, a company that builds games and productivity skills. A developer of several popular Alexa skills, she’s an Amazon Alexa Champion for her skill, Panda Rescue, which won Best Skill Designed for an Echo Show in the Alexa Skills Challenge: Kids. She was also nominated for the 2019 Alexa Award Executive of the Year.
“It’s incredible to see how many businesses are using voice now compared to before, said Williams. “It's amazing to be listed as one of top 44 people working in voice, especially when you consider who else is on the list.”
Max Child, a top Design & Product Pro, co-founded Volley, a company that develops games for Alexa. His Alexa skill Song Quiz was nominated for a 2019 Webby Award in the Games & Entertainment category, and is recognized as a top earner in the Alexa Developer Rewards program.
“I'm honored to make the list alongside such a brilliant group of founders and designers,” said Child. “The voice space has been dynamic and exciting for the last few years, and I'm sure we have many exciting years ahead.”
Tom Hewitson, named a top Design & Product Pro, is the CEO of labworks.io and a recognized Alexa Champion. He’s developed some of the most popular Alexa games including True or False, Trivia Hero, and Would You Rather. His skill, True or False, won a 2019 Webby Award in the Education & Reference and People’s choice categories.
Mark Tucker of of Soar.com, named a top Technologist in Voice, was one of the first Amazon Alexa Champions for his early work as an advocate among voice developers and end users. During his time as the principal architect and co-founder at VoiceXP, he developed more than 30 Alexa skills. Tucker recently launched the open source Speech Markdown, which helps developers, designers, and content authors with text to speech formatting.
Jonathon Myers, named a top Design & Product Pro, cofounded the company Earplay in 2013 as a way to create and distribute voice operated interactive story experiences. His Alexa skill Mr. Robot Daily Five/Nine won 2019 Webby Awards in the categories of Games & Entertainment, Best Writing, and People’s Voice.
voicebot.ai Invites an Alexa Champion to be a Judge
To compile this list of Leaders in Voice, voicebot.ai put together a panel of judges who themselves have made significant contributions to the voice industry. Among them was Nick Schwab, a recognized Alexa Champion and founder of his voice company, Invoked Apps. Schwab developed Rain Sounds, the first Alexa skill for ambient noise. Nick continues to publish successful Alexa skills and is a recognized leader in the voice-first community.
“Each of the judges brought a unique perspective to the panel, and I was honored to participate,” said Schwab. “There are so many people doing amazing work and progressing the voice industry. I can't wait to see what comes next!”
Amazon’s Own Also Recognized as Visionaries in Voice
In addition to the Alexa developers, many of Amazon’s own were included in voicebot.ai’s list.
Among those recognized as innovators driving the future of voice were Jeff Bezos, Amazon Chairman, CEO and President, Dave Isbitsky, the chief evangelist of Alexa and Echo, Rohit Prasad, Vice President and Head Scientist of Alexa Artificial Intelligence, Max Amordeluso, lead evangelist of Amazon Alexa in Europe, and Paul Cutsinger, the head of Amazon Alexa Voice Design Education.
Get Started Building for Voice
So, here’s to all the Leaders in Voice for 2019. We’re looking forward to meeting the new leaders in voice over the next year, and we can’t wait to see who will take the top honors in 2020.
Join the growing community of Alexa developers who are innovating with voice Visit our website to learn about the Alexa Skills Kit and start building for voice today.