Friday, February 13, 2009

The Pitch

New search engine Yamli touts Arabic search and keyboard

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Yamli/Language Analytics LLC
Headquarters: Cambridge
Employees: 2
Founded: 2007
Web: www.yamli.com
E-mail: habib@yamli.com
Phone: 617-395-8513
The Pitch: Yamli is seeking $500,000.

PITCHING THE TECHNOLOGY
Language Analytics LLC’s product is a website called Yamli. Yamli is an Arabic-language search engine, with two main products: Smart Arabic Keyboard and Arabic Search. According to the company, the Arabic-language segment of the Internet is the fastest-growing in the world. Smart Arabic Keyboard is a transliteration engine allowing users to type Arabic script using Latin characters. The company says about 60 to 80 percent of Arabic-speaking Internet users have difficulty typing in Arabic, and instead type Arabic phonetically in a non-standard manner. Smart Arabic Keyboard users can type however they like and the software converts their input to Arabic script in real time. The company has made the Smart Arabic Keyboard API available for free, and it is used by sites such as Maktoob.com. Yamli’s Arabic Search expands a search query to Latin and Arabic characters, maximizing the relevant search results.

PITCHING THE PEOPLE
Who is on the management team? Habib Haddad and Imad Jureidini, co-founders, both formerly of Mok3 Inc. (now Everyscape Inc.)

Have executives been involved in a cashout prior to this venture? No.

Who is on the board of advisers? Georges Harik and Aydin Senkut, angel investors.

PITCHING THE BUSINESS
How much money is being sought? Language Analytics is seeking $500,000.

What partnerships, collaborations or affiliations are already in place? The company says its API is being used by Arabic web portal company Maktoob Inc., Arabic newspaper Annahar and TV station ART-TV.

List any federal or state grants, contracts or awards received: Yamli won the best web technology category in the 2008 Pan Arab Web Awards, according to the company.

What’s the market size being pursued? Language Analytics estimates its market potential at about $150 million a year.

Who are the likely competitors, direct or indirect? The company listed Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc., Maktoob, and search portals Onkosh.com and Ayna.com as competitors.

Is the company profitable? No.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Language Analytics' market potential. The correct market potential for the company is estimated at about $150 million a year.