A decade ago even companies at the forefront of new technologies with great stories rarely strayed from the private markets for their capital. But there are a few which continue to get support, albeit at much less generous valuations, in the public market.
Nuance is one such company which still commands a fair amount of respect.
Speech recognition is a technology that has been around for decades, but early applications were a well-publicized flop. Processor speeds have advanced tremendously, high-capacity memory costs have plunged, and the technology itself has been refined. Now voice driven technology works well at viable cost levels. Just as important is the fact that the market isn't limited to the desktop anymore. Another long-term market driver is miniaturization.