Vesper sounds out corporates for $15m series A

Vesper, a US-based advanced acoustic sensor developer spun out of Michigan University, secured $15m on Friday in a series A round backed by e-commerce and cloud computing company Amazon’s Alexa Fund.

Accomplice, the venture capital firm formerly known as Atlas Venture, led the round, which also featured acoustic component producer AAC Technologies, investment firm Hyperplane, optical film manufacturer Mirae Nano Tech and undisclosed other investors.

Vesper is working on advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones for use in smartphones, smart cities, smart speakers, internet-of-things products and connected cars.

Steve Rabuchin, vice-president of Amazon Alexa, Amazon’s voice-activated technology division, said: “We are always interested in supporting novel technologies that can enable new and delightful Alexa experiences for our customers.

“We see the potential for Vesper’s technology to unlock compelling new use cases for Alexa, such as portable electronics where dirt and moisture resistance is an important attribute for microphones, and we are excited to be supporting the company with our investment.”

A statement released by Vesper also listed electro-acoustic product maker XinGang Electronics as an investor, but the company was not named as a participant in its series A round.

– A version of this article first appeared on our sister site Global Corporate Venturing.