Amazon's Alexa Fund joins $35 million funding round for the makers of the Ecobee smart thermostat - CNET

To that end, Steve Rabuchin, Vice President of Amazon Alexa, called Ecobee "instrumental" in the development of the Alexa Skills Kit, the set of open-source tools that allow third-party developers to put Alexa to work.

"We've been impressed with Ecobee's innovative smart home technologies and their ability to improve the everyday lives of homeowners," said Rabuchin. "We're excited to see what the future holds for this growing company and the new voice experiences they'll bring to Amazon Alexa customers."

The $35 million marks Ecobee's largest fundraising haul to date, and brings their venture capital total up to $51 million.