RAIN raises $3M series A funding to boost productivity for the deskless workforce

RAIN, a global leader in voice and conversational artificial intelligence (AI), revealed it has closed a $3 million Series A investment led by Stanley Ventures.  The advanced technology company has worked with 23 Fortune 100 companies on conversational artificial intelligence, which refers to technologies, like chatbots and voice assistants. RAIN has built conversational AI interfaces for Nestle, Blackrock, Marriott, Starbucks and Nike among others. The company said the investment will build on this foundation to enable RAIN to create conversational AI solutions for the “deskless workforce” – whose labor powers industries like agriculture, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing – with the goals of streamlining laborious processes and increasing enterprise productivity. READ: Wall Street to start lower as jitters over new COVID strain offsets news of stimulus deal “Voice AI has been making waves in consumer technology for some time now. We have long been focused on how that same technology can dramatically simplify and enhance professional workflows,” said Nithya Thadani, CEO of RAIN. “How does a worker input data while wearing gloves – or check inventory without taking their eyes off a customer? It requires purpose-built solutions that leverage the hardware and infrastructure that workers use on the job.” RAIN noted that the deskless workforce, whose eyes and hands are often preoccupied in daily tasks, stands to disproportionately benefit from voice-enabled conversational tools. “Despite being 80% of the global workforce, deskless workers have been woefully underserved in terms of technologies that would make their jobs easier, safer, or more productive,” said the company. According to the company, only a fraction of the $300 billion that is spent on business software each year has gone to the deskless workforce, while only 1% of enterprise software funding has gone toward deskless worker solutions. Gartner has estimated that by 2023, a quarter of worker interactions with software will be mediated by voice. “We’re excited by RAIN’s vision and how their voice assistance technology can transform productivity across a wide range of industries and use cases,” said Michael Mahan, a managing director at Stanley Ventures. “We’re thrilled to take the next step in supporting RAIN’s innovation roadmap to develop voice-based solutions for the deskless workforce.” Stanley Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Stanley Black & Decker which invests in early-stage, innovative start-ups.  As new technology emerges, RAIN says it helps brands navigate “what’s now and next.” It is an industry leader in voice and conversational AI. RAIN builds voice technology software, defines voice strategies, and designs conversational experiences. Over the last five years, RAIN has helped dozens of Fortune 500 companies build voice solutions. RAIN serves on the advisory councils for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive