Microsoft acquires IIT alumnus' start-up Wand Labs

California-based Wand Labs, founded in 2013 by IIT-Delhi alumnus Vishal Sharma

A California-based start-up founded by an IIT-Delhi alumnus has been acquired by information technology giant Microsoft.

The firm, Wand Labs, develops messaging technology for applications. It was founded in 2013 by Vishal Sharma, who earlier was vice-president, products, at Google.

The terms of the acquisition have not been revealed. It takes Microsoft a step ahead in strengthening its position in combining the power of human language with advanced machines.

“This acquisition accelerates our vision and strategy for ‘Conversation as a Platform’, which Satya Nadella introduced at our Build 2016 conference,” David Ku, corporate vice-president, information platform group, Microsoft, said. India-born Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO) Nadella, during the Build conference in March, told thousands of developers that he envisages a technological future where computer software can learn human language enabling natural conversations with people.

Wand Labs founder Sharma said it was an “exciting time” to be working in the area of semantics and conversation — which Nadella has termed as the core of the future.

“Making experiences for customers more seamless by harnessing human language is a powerful vision which motivates me and my team,” Sharma said, adding Wand’s experience with semantics and messaging are a “natural fit” for the work underway at Microsoft, especially in the area of intelligent agents and cognitive services.

Microsoft executive Ku said Wand Labs’ technology and talent would strengthen Microsoft’s position in the “emerging era of conversational intelligence where we bring together the power of human language with advanced machine intelligence, connecting people to knowledge, information, services and other people in more relevant and natural ways”.

Describing Sharma as an “experienced leader and entrepreneur” in the field of search and knowledge, Ku said, Wand’s expertise around services mapping, third-party developer integration and conversational interfaces makes it a “great fit” to join the Bing engineering and platform team.