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LifeOmic Acquires Conversational AI Startup Bavard

NEW YORK –LifeOmic said Thursday that it has acquired Bavard, a startup maker of "conversational" artificial intelligence technology. Terms were not disclosed.

Salt Lake City-based Bavard builds enterprise-grade digital assistants to help companies personalize customer support through natural-language processing. "Bavard" is a French word meaning talkative or chatty.

LifeOmic, an Indianapolis-based company offering whole-genome sequencing services as well as secure, cloud-based bioinformatics platforms, is integrating the Bavard technology into its web and mobile applications.

"Our customers are our number one priority, and this acquisition ensures we're able to offer the best support possible," LifeOmic CEO and Founder Don Brown said in a statement. "They can now engage with a platform that responds 24/7 and is powered by thousands of data points to provide personalized suggestions when they need it most."

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