Alexa Startups has announced the first cohort of its Black Founders Build with Alexa program, which will help build the next generation of voice, artificial intelligence, and ambient experiences.
According to an Amazon release, the startups selected for the program are MYAVANA, One Stop Wellness Inc., Kiddie Kredit, DOSS Group Inc., Seam Social Labs, moment.ai, and PayTalk. During the four-month program, the startups will integrate Amazon Alexa with devices and solutions that reach various industries, including real estate, financial education, vehicle safety, and more.
To help each startup, Alexa Startups Solution Architect and Business Development teams will provide individualized technology support. The founders of each startup will also receive increased visibility through networking events, panel discussions, demo showcases, and more.
Additionally, each startup will have an opportunity to receive up to $100,000 investment in the Alexa Fund. The program is among the latest in a series of Amazon initiatives supporting Black tech talent and entrepreneurship.
Other Amazon initiatives include partnering with actress, Keke Palmer, to highlight small businesses owned by Black women selling items on Amazon. Amazon has also provided free skills training in technology and partnerships with HBCU schools.
Chief Executive Officer, Bobby Bryant, is the founder of Doss Group Inc., a real estate technology company developing a smart assistant to improve customer experiences across the industry. Bryant told Amazon he is amazed at how fast artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things has advanced.
“Over the last decade, I have been amazed by how quickly experts in academia and the industry have furthered state-of-the-art in conversational AI. These developments inspired me to create a domain-specific intelligent assistant for the real estate industry.”
Kiddie Kredit, based in Miami was founded by Evan Leaphart
to teach children about finances including credit to give them a head start in learning about money.“I wanted to build a service that teaches kids about finances. Studies show that money habits are formed as early as seven years old, and teaching children financial literacy when they are young, is critical,” Leaphart said in a statement.