Four Canadian startups have been selected to participate in the first cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Voice AI program.
The three-month accelerator, which is available to startups across North America, is designed to bring Google’s programs, products, people, and technology to voice technology companies across North America. A total of twelve startups were selected for the accelerator’s first cohort.
Over the last year, Google has looked to significantly expand its accelerator presence in Canada.
Startups accepted to the program will receive mentorship and technical project support. The program focuses on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development for founders. The accelerator program will run from March to May. The Canadian startups accepted into the program come from across the country, including Western Canada, Toronto, and Atlantic Canada.
Over the last year, Google has looked to significantly expand its accelerator presence in Canada. Last year, the software giant launched two Canadian-focused accelerators and recently made its Black Founders programs available to Canadians.
The now-four accelerators open to Canadian founders is a significant increase from two years ago when Google had no such Canadian-specific programs.
The Canadian startups joining Google’s Voice AI accelerator include:
Babbly (Toronto)
Babbly provides parents real-time insights on their child’s speech and language skills and recommends personalized activities that promote their child’s development. Notably, the startup was also a member of Techstars Toronto’s third cohort in 2020, as well as the Next AI program in 2019.
conversationHEALTH (Toronto)
conversationHEALTH aims to facilitate conversational agents for patients and healthcare professionals in clinical trials, medical affairs, and commercial lines of business. The startup was part of the Women in Tech Silicon Valley Program last year, which is led by the Canadian Consulate in Palo Alto.
SiMBi (Vancouver)
SiMBi offers a reading-while-listening and reading-out-loud platform for readers and educators. The startup was one of 14 companies that participated in the eight-week Canadian Technology Accelerator Digital, based in Silicon Valley.
Talkatoo (Halifax)
Talkatoo has developed dictation software specifically for veterinary and medical professionals, aimed to allow these workers to save time in their practice.
The Voice AI accelerator officially begins on March 15 and concludes with a demo day on May 20.
Image source Unsplash. Photo by Malte Helmhold.