Sweepr raises $9 million to diagnose smart home devices in real time
Summary
By using knowledge of a local network and connected devices’ diagnostic data, it’s able to deliver customized instructions via an app to help solve common technical problems. CEO Alan Coleman said the funds will enable Sweepr to expand its workforce to 75 employees through next year as it ramps up deployments throughout Europe and North America. “Customer support needs to evolve to accommodate the growing complexity of our connected home environments,” added Coleman, who held roles at Accenture, Macalla Software, and Morgan Stanley prior to selling his first company to Amdocs for roughly $65 million. Customers themselves can play a key role in support if it’s delivered in a language they understand.” As alluded to earlier, Sweepr’s cloud-backed, voice-enabled platform leverages machine learning to bubble up troubleshooting steps for devices and appliances like routers, dishwashers, doorbells, set-top boxes, and tablets. Pose a question like “Why is my Netflix not loading?” to Sweepr’s voice apps for Alexa and Google Assistant prompts them to provide answers in real time, accompanied by diagrams and instructive videos (on compatible devices).