i.am+ is an American technology company based in Los Angeles, California.[1][2] The company was founded by musician and entrepreneur will.i.am, in 2013 with the mission of "creating wearable products that combine fashion and technology."[3] In 2016, i.am+ acquired Israeli machine learning software company Sensiya, now known as over.ai.[4]
Products
i.am+ camera for iPhone 4
In 2012 i.am+ announced a camera accessory for the iPhone 4.[5]
dial
dial was a SIM-enabled smartwatch available in the UK exclusively through Three. Featuring a voice-enabled AI named AneedA, the smartwatch was the first of its kind with a conversational operating system.[6] The dial did not need to be tethered to a smart phone and could send calls and SMS messages independently. Included with the dial was 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.[7]
BUTTONS
The EPs were replaced with the 2nd generation of bluetooth headphones (now called i.am+ BUTTONS). i.am+ BUTTONS launched in November 2016.[8]
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.[9]
Wink
In July 2017, i.am+ purchased Wink, a software and hardware manufacturer, from Flex in a $38.7 million deal.[10]
Earin
In January 2018 i.am+ attempted to acquire Swedish earbuds startup Earin.[11] The acquisition later fell through for undisclosed reasons.[12]
Omega Voice Assistant
In October 2018, i.am+ announced a new platform agnostic voice assistant called Omega.[13]
In 2018, Majid Al Futtaim formed a partnership with i.am+ to introduce its omega technology in the Middle east, Asia, and Africa.[14]
Funding
In November 2017, the company secured $117 million in funding. Prior to this, it had raised $89 million from a group, including Salesforce.[15]
Controversy
In late 2019, the company was the subject of multiple tax liens, with the California Franchise Tax Board alleging over $500,000 in delinquent taxes and the IRS alleging $1.78 million in delinquent taxes and interest.[16]
References
- I.am+^
- Iam+. i.am iamplus.com, retrieved 2016-07-22^
- Inside The Black Eyed Peas' 'Leap of Faith' Second Act Billboard, retrieved 2021-07-01^
- Will.i.am's Smartwatch Startup Acquires Israeli Firm Los Angeles Business Journal, 3 May 2016, retrieved 2016-07-22^
- Georgia Dehn. Will.i.am's iPhone accessories to 'turn smartphones into genius phones' The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 29 March 2017^
- James Vincent. Will.i.am's smartphone-free smartwatch is available to preorder in the UK The Verge, 2016-04-29, retrieved 2021-05-05^
- Sade. New Release: Will.i.am iam EPs Bluetooth Headphones Major HiFi, 2016-05-24, retrieved 2021-04-30^
- Bang & Olufsen's New Earphones Are Perfect for Working Out 22 May 2019^
- Will.i.am's Smartwatch Startup Acquires Israeli Firm labusinessjournal.com, 3 May 2016, retrieved 2020-06-18^
- Ingrid Lunden. i.am+ buys Wink, the smart home hub previously owned by Flextronics and Quirky TechCrunch, retrieved 27 July 2017^
- Wireless earbud startup Earin bought by Will.i.am's tech company The Verge, 2018-10-08, retrieved 2018-03-22^
- Will.i.am's acquisition of wireless earbud startup Earin has fallen through The Verge, 2019-05-10, retrieved 2019-10-10^
- Mia Figueroa. Will.i.am's Omega Voice Assistant Takes on Google, Alexa, and Siri securitybaron.com, 8 October 2018, retrieved 2018-11-07^
- Opinion: Where is the money, will.i.am? arabianbusiness^
- Salvador Rodriguez. Will.i.am's start-up has raised $117 million as it pivots from hardware to customer support chatbot CNBC, 2017-11-06, retrieved 2021-07-01^
- Sean O'Kane. Smart home platform Wink is dying as Will.i.am's tech company is low on money The Verge, October 25, 2019, retrieved May 11, 2020^