UPDATED 12:36 EDT / JANUARY 05 2017

APPS

Slack adds 11 more bot startups to its $80M investment fund

Slack Technologies Inc. has revealed the next 11 startups that will receive part of its $80 million Slack Fund, which is aimed at bringing even more developers to the company’s already robust app ecosystem.

The fund’s latest cohort includes tools that address a wide range of needs, from sending out automated alerts based on Salesforce.com Inc. services or Google Analytics data to enabling always-on voice chat or simplified video conferencing. According to Slack, it looks for startups who make tools that are simple yet impactful, especially when those tools help with the sort of common, repetitive tasks that can add up over time.

“The Slack Fund backs new companies that bring more streamlined workflows to Slack—reducing the small, yet high-frequency tasks that consume chunks of our time,” the Slack team explained in a blog post Wednesday.

Slack did not reveal how much it actually invested in each of these companies, but the company said last year that it had invested nearly $2 million in the first 11 startups accepted to the Slack Fund.

Here is the full list of the new Slack Fund startups:

  • Statsbot: Automated alerts from Mixpanel, Salesforce and Google Analytics
  • SwayFinance: Easy access to company financial metrics
  • Guru: Improved search functions for Slack conversations
  • Bold: Internal company blog that posts straight to Slack
  • Demisto: Cyber security incident reporting and tracking
  • DataFox: Automated alerts for sales prospecting
  • Troops: Salesforce data integration with search and reporting
  • WorkRamp: Employee training progress tracking and analytics
  • Synervoz: Always-on voice chat
  • Twine: Integration with portable HDMI video conferencing stick
  • Donut: Relationship building through automated one on one introductions

Slack has been seeing more and more competition in business communications recently, with major new rivals such as Facebook Workplace popping up, but Slack still has a serious advantage with its massive app library.  The Slack Fund is one way the company hopes to stay ahead of the competition.

The company has also been seeking valuable partnerships with a number of major companies, such as its recent integration with Google Cloud. Other recent partnerships include its deal with IBM to develop smarter chatbots with Watson, as well as a deal with Salesforce to offer deeper integrations with its tools.

Photo by jeffedoe 

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