Microsoft Hires Sequoia-Backed Cove AI Team
Microsoft acquires Cove’s AI collaboration team, planning to integrate their technology into existing products.
San Francisco: Microsoft has hired the team behind Cove, an AI startup that made a digital collaboration board. Cove was working on a tool that let people use AI to plan projects and create different content blocks.
Cove was started by three people who used to work on Google Maps. Stephen Chau, Andy Szybalski, and Mike Chu raised $6 million from investors to build their software. They wanted to make AI easier to use by putting it on a big digital canvas instead of just using chat boxes.
Their software had a big whiteboard where people could plan trips or work on projects. It could read information from websites, PDFs, and pictures to help the AI create better results. Cove had to compete with other companies like Miro and TLDraw that make similar tools.
Microsoft is shutting down Cove’s service on April 1. The company is giving back money to customers and letting them save their data. Cove’s founders told customers they are excited to keep making AI tools at Microsoft. They will use their ideas to improve Microsoft’s products.
Microsoft already added AI to its Whiteboard product in 2023. Tech companies often buy smaller startups to get new ideas and talent. When this happens, the startup’s service usually stops so the company can focus on building new things.