Silk Labs
Machine learning company using on-device ai to empower businesses to build the next generation of intelligent connected devices.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor investor investor | €0.0 | round |
| investor investor investor investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
* | N/A | Acquisition | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Silk Labs, founded in 2015 by former Mozilla CTO Andreas Gal alongside Chris Jones and Michael Vines, specialized in artificial intelligence software light enough to run on consumer hardware like cameras and smart home devices. The company's platform was engineered to bring sophisticated visual and audio intelligence to connected products, operating on the principle of edge computing. This approach prioritized user privacy by processing data directly on the device rather than sending it to the cloud, a key differentiator in the IoT market.
The founding team's journey reflects a deep background in software and systems architecture. Gal, who previously led the development of Firefox OS at Mozilla, leveraged his experience to address what he saw as a gap in the IoT space: devices were connected, but not truly intelligent. This perspective shaped Silk Labs' core mission to provide the underlying AI technology that would enable other businesses to build smarter, more responsive products without compromising user data security. The firm's business model shifted from direct-to-consumer hardware to a B2B focus, providing a full device stack, SDKs, and cloud services to hardware manufacturers. Their technology offered capabilities such as people detection, facial recognition, and object recognition for applications in home security, retail analytics, and building surveillance.
Initially, Silk Labs attempted to launch a smart-home hub called Sense via a Kickstarter campaign, but the project was later canceled as the company pivoted to focus entirely on its software platform. This strategic shift culminated in the company's acquisition by Apple in late 2018. The acquisition was seen as a strategic fit, aligning Silk Labs' privacy-centric, on-device AI processing with Apple's own stance on data security.
Keywords: on-device AI, edge computing, machine learning, IoT platform, computer vision, audio recognition, smart home technology, privacy-focused AI, connected devices, visual intelligence, Andreas Gal, Apple acquisition, Mozilla, deep neural networks, embedded machine learning, AI software, retail analytics, smart security, intelligent devices, IoT software