Pypestream
IndustryEnterprise Artificial Intelligence
Founded2015 (2015) in New York City
FounderRichard Smullen
Websitepypestream.com Edit this on Wikidata

Pypestream is an American software company that offers a self-service automation platform.[1] The company was founded in 2015 by Richard Smullen, the co-founder of Genesis Media LLC,[2][3][4] and is headquartered in New York City.

Technology

The Pypestream platform drives an engagement interface called a Pype that uses conversational AI within a graphical user interface. It gained popularity due to the high cost of assisted-service engagements versus the minuscule cost of self-service engagements, coupled with the brand-enhancing experience delivered by a Pype.[5][6] It is used for customer service, employee service, recruiting, patient service, traveler service, marketing, and other automated engagement use cases. Pypestream couples AI-driven natural-language understanding (NLU) with a widget-based GUI that encourages pointing, swiping and gestures.[3][7]

History

In late December 2015, Pypestream's mobile application launched in beta.[3][7]

By April 2016, the company had 500 businesses signed up and using the messaging platform, including Washington Gas and Billboard.[3][8] The same year, the company was named in the Red Herring list of 100 most exciting startups in North America[9] and announced a partnership with Discovery Health, the largest medical scheme administrator in South Africa, in order to include the Pypestream technology in the app for members of Discovery Health Medical Scheme.[10] In July 2016, Pypestream partnered with Insurance Thought Leadership to create a messaging platform specialized for insurance customer service. As of 2016, there were over 12,000 businesses using Pypestream since its launch in December 2015.[11]

In February, 2017, Pypestream raised $15 million in funding from Rick Braddock and The Chattergee Group.[12]

In 2018, Pypestream was named one of the four Hot Vendors in Conversational AI by Aragon Research.[13] Its current clients include Allianz, EY, Google, Sling, Brown & Brown, and Shell.[14][1][15] The company has been granted five patents by the U.S. Patent Office[16] and secured $15 million in funding by W.R. Berkley, bringing their total up to $35 million.[1][17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pypestream raises $15 million for conversational enterprise AI". VentureBeat. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  2. Anthony Ha (October 7, 2015). "Pypestream Raises $2M To Help Businesses Talk To Their Customers". Tech Crunch. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sara Ashley O'Brien (January 12, 2016). "Is this app the call center of the future?". CNN. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  4. "Pypestream Closes $2M Seed Funding". Finsmes. October 9, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  5. Anthony Ha (November 11, 2015). "Pypestream Offers Consumers A New Way To Chat With Businesses". Tech Crunch. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  6. Christopher Mohr (January 26, 2016). "Customer-Friendly Pypestream System Slashes Labor Costs". Omnichannel Experience. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  7. 1 2 João-Pierre S. Ruth (February 22, 2016). "Pypestream's CEO Talks Messaging Between Businesses and Consumers". Xconomy. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  8. Lisa Johnston (January 25, 2016). "RIP Hold Times: Pypestream Bringing Customer Service Into The Digital Age". Twice. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  9. "Red Herring Crowns Top 100 North American Winners". Red Herring. June 14, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  10. "Innovative customer service solution for South African medical scheme members". Discovery Holdings. June 7, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. Khari Johnson (July 29, 2016). "Chat startup Pypestream to advise major insurance companies". VentureBeat. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  12. Anthony Ha (February 28, 2017). "Pypestream raises $15M for its customer messaging platform". Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  13. "Hot Vendors™ in Conversational AI, 2018". Aragon Research. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  14. "Conversational AI Outfit Pypestream Raises $15M+". callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  15. "Sling TV Partners with Pypestream to Make Customer Service Capabilities Easily Accessible". loyalty360.org. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  16. "Patents Assigned to Pypestream Inc. - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  17. "Conversational A.I. Start-Up Pypestream Brings in $15 Million". Cheddar. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  18. "Customer-Friendly Pypestream System Slashes Labor Costs". AMBCrypto. January 17, 2024.
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