Google invests in start-ups to make its Assistant smarter

To make Google Assistant better, the company has announced a new investment programme for early-stage startups to build an enhanced digital assistant ecosystem.

The new initiative will include investment capital from Google to provide additional financial resources for the development, hiring and management of these startups.
The startups will get advice from Google engineers, product managers and design experts to share technical guidance and product development feedback.

"We're welcoming companies across a diverse range of fields, including startups that are developing technologies that broaden the Assistant's set of features," Sanjay Kapoor, Vice President, Corporate Development at Google said in a blog post on Wednesday.
The programme will let startups access to the Google Cloud Platform -- the suite of cloud computing services that run on the same infrastructure that it uses for products like Google Search and YouTube.

The first batch of investments has startups like "GoMoment", a creator of "Ivy", a 24/7 concierge for hotel guests, capable of providing instant answers to common questions.Another early-stage startup is "Edwin" that prepares students looking to take English as a foreign language tests such as the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL).

"Edwin" combines advanced AI technology with the expertise of professional English teachers to tailor lessons according to individual needs, learning style and pace. "BotSociety" startup has created a tool that allows developers to design, prototype and user test voice interfaces.

More than 30,000 developers worldwide have designed their voice assistant applications using "Botsociety". "With aPulse Labs', developers can test their applications with real people, quickly acquire in-depth insights, and use that feedback to
refine the experience," Google said.