Colloquis
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Artificial intelligence, Software |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Robert Hoffer, Timothy Kay, Peter Levitan |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Acquired by Microsoft |
| Headquarters | New York and Sunnyvale , United States |
| Products | Interactive conversational agents (e.g., SmarterChild) |
Colloquis, previously known as ActiveBuddy and Conversagent, specialized in creating interactive conversational agents distributed through instant messaging services, operating from offices located in New York and Sunnyvale, California.
History
Established in 2000 by Robert Hoffer, Timothy Kay, and Peter Levitan, the company’s initial goal was to enrich instant messaging platforms with interactive agents. What began as a text-driven adventure game gradually transformed into a versatile platform delivering news updates, weather forecasts, stock market information, movie schedules, Yellow Pages searches, sports statistics, as well as utilities such as calculators and language translators. These capabilities were integrated into SmarterChild, which launched in 2001. SmarterChild showcased swift data retrieval alongside conversational abilities that the firm intended to extend into specialized offerings.
Building on the success of SmarterChild, ActiveBuddy developed branded agents for clients including Radiohead, Austin Powers, and The Sporting News. To strengthen its technological edge, the company secured a patent for its innovations in 2002 and introduced the BuddyScript SDK, enabling developers to create custom agents utilizing its unique scripting language. Due to a decline in advertising budgets during 2001–2002, the business shifted focus toward Automated Service Agents tailored for corporate clients such as Cingular, Comcast, and Cox Communications. Corresponding with this strategic redirection, the company changed its name from ActiveBuddy to Conversagent in 2003 and later adopted the Colloquis brand in 2006. Microsoft acquired Colloquis in October 2006.