Proof of Usefulness Report

smileML

Analysis completed on 1/30/2026

+147
Proof of Usefulness Score
Gaining Momentum

smileML is a verifiable startup that participated in the Techstars Air Force Accelerator (2019), granting it a baseline of technical credibility and problem validation. However, the submission contains significant red flags: the claim 'most people have used my product' is demonstrably false for a two-person B2B team, and the project name 'SilentForge' contradicts the provided URL and description. The project appears to be stalled or in a zombie state with no verifiable recent traction, revenue, or active user growth since its 2017/2019 origins. While the on-device privacy-centric technology is innovative, the poor quality of the response and exaggerated claims heavily penalize the final score.

Ready to Compete for $150k+ in Prizes?

Move this data into a HackerNoon blog draft to become eligible for your share of $150k+ in cash and software prizes

View All Reports

Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+65.0
Audience Reach Impact+5.0
Technical Innovation+75.0
Evidence Of Traction+20.0
Market Timing Relevance+50.0
Functional Completeness+5.0
Subtotal+38.75
Usefulness Multiplierx0.95
Final Score+147

Project Details

Project URL
Description
At smileML, our mission is to help people be understood and understand others by taking the guesswork out of communication. We leverage emotion recognition to help individuals and teams communicate effectively during virtual meetings and face-to-face interactions.\n\nsmileML is backed by Techstars and is dedicated to improving communication in a safe and secure way. Most emotion recognition runs on the cloud, but we understand the cloud is not always an option for many users due to security risks and privacy concerns. That's why we've developed technology that runs on-device and never sends video or images to the cloud. Our dedication to privacy keeps your information safe while helping you become a better communicator.\n\nsmileML’s sales analytics tool, SaleSpot, helps sales teams improve their communication with customers and identify winning strategies by analyzing sentiment and body language during video calls.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Growing utility with room for optimization
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline