Microsoft hires the team of Sequioa-backed AI collaboration platform, Cove

The squad down Cove, a Sequioa-backed startup that was moving connected an AI-powered collaboration board, has joined Microsoft, according to an email sent to customers informing them that Cove’s work is shutting down.

Cove was founded successful precocious 2023 by Stephen Chau, Andy Szybalski, and Mike Chu, who worked connected Google Maps features similar Street View. The startup raised $6 cardinal successful a effect round from Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil, Homebrew, Adverb, Scott Belsky, and Lenny Rachitsky successful 2024.

Its instrumentality was an infinite whiteboard that fto users usage AI to make antithetic blocks for tasks similar travel planning. The founders felt that the chat interface for AI was not editable, and a canvas provided much flexibility erstwhile going successful antithetic directions with prompts.

Cove besides allowed users to usage a built-in browser, PDFs, and images to springiness much discourse to its AI, which could make caller cards, tables, and lists.

The startup competed with the likes of  Miro, TLDraw, and Kosmik.

Image Credits: CoveImage Credits:Cove

The institution said successful an email to customers that the full Cove squad is joining Microsoft and the merchandise volition unopen down connected April 1, and each idiosyncratic information volition beryllium deleted. Cove mentioned that it has refunded each subscriptions for March and is offering a data export process.

“When we started Cove, we acceptable retired to reimagine however radical collaborate with AI. As exemplary capabilities person accelerated, our condemnation successful that ngo has lone grown stronger. We’re thrilled to proceed this enactment astatine Microsoft AI, wherever we’ll person the accidental to prosecute an adjacent bigger vision,” the institution said successful a blog station connected its site.

In addition, the institution said that “the ideas down it [Cove] volition unrecorded on” wrong Microsoft. Notably, Microsoft added Copilot to its ain collaboration product, Whiteboard, successful 2023.

TechCrunch reached retired to Microsoft to recognize however it plans to integrate Cove’s exertion wrong its ecosystem, but did not instantly perceive back.