Sony Innovation Fund invests in what3words

The Venture Capital arm of Sony, the Sony Innovation Fund, has invested in what3words. It joins Daimler, SAIC Capital, Alpine Electronics Inc, and Intel Capital who all backed the company earlier this year.

Sony is a global leading player in consumer and professional electronics, including car audio, gaming, entertainment and financial services. The Sony Innovation Fund leverages the company’s technological know-how to engage with innovative startups in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence with the aim of building a better future.

Toshimoto Mitomo, Senior Vice President of Sony Corporation said: “what3words has solved the considerable problem of entering a precise location into a machine by voice. The dramatic rise in voice-activated systems calls for a simple voice geocoder that works across all digital platforms and channels, and can be written down and spoken easily.”

The funding will allow what3words to focus on further developments in the automobility space, including voice input for navigation.

‘Sony has been a relentless innovator for over 70 years. We are delighted to receive investment from this fund that will help us accelerate’, said Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words.

If you haven’t yet used what3words’ latest voice input feature, download the free app for iOS or Android and try it out.