MENLO PARK, Calif.—Voice-recognition software developer Promptu said it closed an $11.6 million round of funding. Steelpoint Capital Partners led the round, and other current investors also participated.
Promptu, which was founded as AgileTV in 2000, has gained significant traction by working with cable operators and on-demand TV service providers to make remote controls that can change channels, search for programming and record shows with voice commands. The company rebranded earlier this year and hopes to use its technology to allow mobile phone owners to use voice commands to navigate search services and complex phone decks.
Several other players are vying in the voice-recognition space as well, including VoiceSignal Technologies Inc., V-Enable Inc., BeVocal Inc. and Nuance Communications Inc.
Promptu closed a $22 million round of funding in May, and said it will use the latest investment to accelerate its efforts in wireless around the world.
“The company has made tremendous strides in developing a simple and elegant solution for consumers and operators grappling with an ever-expanding amount of digital content on mobile devices,” said Steelpoint executive James Caccavo. “We’re confident that Promptu’s management team and innovative voice-activated technology will continue to make great progress in the months and years ahead.”
In other funding news, Handmark Inc. announced a new round of $5 million in funding with Motorola Inc. as the lead investor. The company’s existing investors joined Motorola in the round.
Handmark sells Pocket Express, a handset-based portal that serves news and other information to wireless users.
