Intel Capital, Samsung Venture Investment and Telefónica Digital have all invested in Expect Labs, whose technology is used to analyze and understand conversations in real-time and find related information.
Speech recognition is becoming a more central part of a growing number of consumer electronics products, including smartphones, tablets and TVs, but Expect Labs wants to take what is currently offered to the next level. The company paints a picture of a future where in a few years connected devices "will know who we are, understand what we say, and be far more capable of interpreting our intentions and anticipating our needs," according to CEO and founder Timothy Tuttle.
The company has already developed MindMeld, an application that can analyze a conversation and automatically display related relevant pictures, videos and articles, according to Expect Labs. It is available for Apple's iPad, and is coming soon to Android and other platforms, it said.
The new investments will speed up the company's efforts to extend its technology across different industry verticals and geographic markets, Expect Labs said, without delving into any details.
The new investors all have high hopes for what Expect Labs and its Anticipatory Computing Engine can accomplish. For example, through its partnership with Expect Labs, Samsung expects to get its hands on "new types of intelligent, voice-driven and context aware" applications for smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, it said.
Intel, Samsung and Telefónica aren't the only investors in Expect Labs. Previous investors in the company include Google. Expect Labs is also funded in part by IDG Ventures, which is owned by the same parent company as IDG News Service.
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