Artificial intelligence is growing, from photo recognition and phone-based assistants to spotting eye disease and playing complex board games. Now, Austin-based Apposphere is using AI to comb social networks, finding the best leads for its customers.
Their product, Aingine, uses machine learning to understand when people are looking for a service through social networks. If someone asks their followers for a recommended tax consultant or graphic designer, Aingine surfaces those posts to qualified freelancers, startups and small businesses.
“We want to use deep learning in a way that it recognizes images and it learns by itself,” said Apposphere co-founder Sridhar Kamma. “Using that technology, we can get more accurate leads [over time].”
Apposphere isn’t just using machine learning to find the leads, but also to connect them to the right clients. For example, if a post said “Can anyone recommend a good designer? I’m looking to update my website,” Aingine will recognize that a web designer is needed, not an interior designer.
Right now, Aingine scrolls Twitter for leads, but the company hopes to add Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to the mix with future updates.
Apposphere’s clients range from freelancers and two-person businesses to 700-employee companies. But Apposphere isn’t just generating leads with AI. Aingine is just one of the company’s cloud-based modules. Users can also access sales automation, invoice creators and metrics dashboards with a per-user subscription model.
After launching in beta at SXSW, Apposphere has started developing revenue and its seven-person team is growing. The company is looking for more AI experts to build up Aingine, along with sales and development staff. Funding is also on the horizon, with two investors lined up and plans to close on the first round later this month.
Images via company website/Shutterstock
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