Two Cambridge graduates who quit their day jobs to develop a predictive keyboard powered by artificial intelligence are set to become multimillionaires after their company was bought by tech giant Microsoft.
SwiftKey was set up in 2008 by Jon Reynolds and Dr Ben Medlock. Today their app is used on 300 million devices every day.
The company has also worked with Cambridge-based Professor Stephen Hawking, helping the scientist and author to upgrade his communications, applying predictive language software to his system and enabling him to speak faster and continue to give lectures.
The deal is said to be worth STG174 million ($A356.01 million).
Dr Medlock studied computer speech and sciences at Cambridge. The pair used his knowledge of natural language patterns and artificial intelligence to create the SwiftKey system, which predicts what users are typing based on their previous writing habits - finishing words for them so they can write faster.
It started as a side project as both men worked full-time elsewhere following their graduation. Mr Reynolds was a civil servant, working on the sale of the High Speed 1 Channel Tunnel rail line.
After founding the company, the pair's first SwiftKey app launched on the Android platform in 2010, supporting seven languages, and quickly took off.
It has been downloaded from the Google Play App Store more than 10 million times, and has topped the download rankings in 47 countries.
The app was described as a "revolution" in typing and communication, being named Best Startup Business at the 2012 Guardian Innovation Awards, and coming third in the 2014 Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 - a list of Britain's best private technology companies.
Today the app supports more than 100 languages, has been incorporated into many apps as the default keyboard, and is pre-installed on many smartphones as the default typing tool.
The company employs more than 160 staff, with offices in the US and South Korea, in addition to its London headquarters.
The app was launched on iPhone in 2014, and it was downloaded more than a million times in the US alone in its first time on the iOS App Store.
Since its launch, SwiftKey says its predictive technology has saved users nearly two trillion keystrokes on their devices and more than 23,000 years of combined typing time.
In a joint statement on their website on Wednesday, Mr Reynolds and Dr Medlock said: "We're excited to announce an important milestone on SwiftKey's journey. As of today, we have agreed to join the Microsoft family.
"Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is to enhance interaction between people and technology. We think these are a perfect match, and we believe joining Microsoft is the right next stage in our journey.
"Eight years ago we started out as two friends with a shared belief that there had to be a better way of typing on smartphones. We've come a long way since then."
The statement added: "Our number one focus has always been to build the best possible products for our users. This will not change. Our apps will continue to be available on Android and iOS, for free. We are as committed as ever to improving them in new and innovative ways.
The statement paid tribute to the "invaluable input" of SwiftKey's users: "Their energy, honest feedback and eagerness to share our products have been the driving force behind our growth ... We never would have come this far without you."
