Nagish
Rylo (formerly Nagish) is a New York-based accessibility technology company that provides a free AI-powered mobile app delivering real-time call captioning, live transcription, and sign language translation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled users in the U.S., reimbursed through FCC-certified relay service funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Nagish does
Rylo (formerly Nagish) is a New York-headquartered, U.S.-based accessibility technology company that builds AI-powered communication tools for the Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled communities. Its core product is a free mobile application available on iOS and Android that delivers real-time captioning of phone calls, video calls, conference calls, voicemails, and in-person conversations, powered by proprietary speech recognition and text-to-speech technology supporting more than 50 languages with automatic language-change detection. The company holds FCC certification as a captioned telephone service and IP Relay provider, and its relay service is FDA-cleared, positioning Rylo to be reimbursed through federally administered funds for minutes consumed by eligible users.
The product portfolio spans three primary surfaces: Phone Call Captioning (the core relay service), Live Transcribe (in-person speech-to-text), and Sign (real-time AI sign language translation developed through the October 2025 acquisition of Switzerland-based sign.mt, whose founder joined as Head of Research). Personalization features adjust caption tone, pace, and style per user, and the app integrates with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and Bluetooth headsets. Transcripts are stored locally on-device for privacy.
The business model combines a product-led growth motion (free app via App Store and Google Play, self-serve onboarding) with a sales-led referral channel through an Audiologist Hub. End users pay nothing; revenue derives from FCC TRS reimbursement for relay minutes consumed by eligible users, supplemented by venture capital. The company has raised approximately $85 million across multiple rounds since 2021, led by Canaan Partners and General Catalyst, and was recognized among Calcalist's 50 most promising Israeli startups for 2025. Strategic partnerships include sponsorship of the U.S. Deaf Basketball Teams at the 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics.
Nagish firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nagish
- Legal name
- Rylo
- Website
- https://nagish.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rylo (formerly Nagish) is a New York-based accessibility technology company that provides a free AI-powered mobile app delivering real-time call captioning, live transcription, and sign language translation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled users in the U.S., reimbursed through FCC-certified relay service funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nagish industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessibility Communication Software
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) & Speech/Language Therapy Tech (EDAFAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Numbering, DID, Porting & Carrier-of-Record Services (HDAIAHAK)
Keywords
Where Nagish is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Nagish business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- FCC Reimbursed Relay Services: Free service for eligible users (Deaf, hard of hearing, speech disabled). Reimbursed through federally administered fund. FCC-certified captioned telephone service and IP Relay provider.
- Venture Funding: Company raised $16M in funding led by Canaan Partners to support development and expansion of AI-powered communication tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier for eligible users |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Nagish product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nagish (now Rylo) provides a free AI-powered mobile application that delivers real-time phone call captioning, in-person live transcription, and sign language translation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled individuals. The service is FCC-certified as a captioned telephone and IP Relay provider, with operating costs reimbursed through a federally administered fund so the app is free at the point of use for eligible users.
Product overview
Rylo (formerly Nagish) is an AI-powered communication accessibility platform offering a unified suite of products for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The product portfolio centers on the Rylo mobile app as the primary platform, which provides Phone Call Captioning for real-time transcription of phone conversations and Live Transcribe for in-person interactions. The Sign product, developed through the acquisition of sign.mt, offers AI-based real-time sign language translation. The company positions itself as an FCC-certified captioned telephone service and IP Relay provider, offering its services at no cost to eligible users through federally administered funding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rylo Live Transcribe: Real-time speech-to-text transcription app for in-person conversations
- Rylo Sign
- Rylo Captions
Products and services
- Rylo mobile app Main AI-powered call captioning and live transcription mobile application for iOS and Android; provides real-time captions for phone conversations, video calls, conference calls, and in-person interactions for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled users.
- Phone Call Captioning Real-time call captioning feature that translates spoken words into text during phone conversations; FCC-certified captioned telephone service and IP Relay provider, available at no cost to eligible users.
- Live Transcribe Real-time speech-to-text transcription for in-person conversations that captions spoken dialogue using the device microphone for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
- Rylo Sign AI-powered real-time sign language translation offering that enhances communication accessibility for sign language users, addressing the shortage of ASL interpreters in the US.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports 50+ languages with automatic detection
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Nagish
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nagish technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature7 records
Nagish partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- U.S. Deaf Basketball TeamsminorSponsorship of U.S. Men's and Women's Basketball Teams at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. Supports deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes while demonstrating commitment to accessibility community.
- Dr. Amit Moryossef / sign.mtcoreAcquired sign.mt, a Switzerland-based AI startup specializing in real-time sign language translation. Founder Dr. Amit Moryossef joins as Head of Research to lead AI and sign language research initiatives. Investment planned for R&D to develop new accessibility tools.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nagish competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sorenson Communications (CaptionCall): Sorenson operates CaptionCall, one of the largest FCC-certified captioned telephone services in the US. It is the most direct competitor to Rylo in the federally reimbursed relay category, serving the same deaf/hard-of-hearing population with phone call captioning.
- Hamilton CapTel: Hamilton CapTel is another long-standing FCC-certified captioned telephone service provider. It competes head-to-head with Rylo for the same federally reimbursed users, with established distribution through audiologists and hearing associations.
- InnoCaption: InnoCaption is an FCC-certified captioned telephone app for iOS and Android serving deaf and hard-of-hearing users. It is a direct mobile-first competitor to Rylo, leveraging the same TRS-funded reimbursement model.
- Ava: Ava provides real-time AI-powered live captioning primarily for group conversations and meetings, with a strong focus on the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It overlaps with Rylo's Live Transcribe use case and shares the same accessibility-first target persona.
Emerging players
- Otter.ai: Otter.ai provides AI-powered meeting transcription and captioning for business and consumer use. While not accessibility-first, it competes for the same underlying speech-to-text capability and overlapping segments (e.g., hearing aid users wanting general transcription).
- Hand Talk: Hand Talk provides AI-powered sign language translation (ASL and Libras) via a mobile avatar. It overlaps with Rylo's Sign product (post sign.mt acquisition) and represents a competing approach to AI sign language translation in the accessibility space.
Broad incumbents
- Google Live Transcribe: Google's Live Transcribe, built with Gallaudet University, provides free real-time speech-to-text on Android. As a free, OS-level alternative, it represents the most significant Big Tech competitive threat to Rylo's live transcription value proposition.
- Apple Live Captions: Apple's Live Captions feature delivers on-device, real-time transcription across FaceTime, phone calls, and other apps on iOS and macOS. As an embedded platform capability, it competes with Rylo's call captioning without requiring a separate app install.
- Microsoft Teams Live Captions: Microsoft Teams provides built-in real-time live captions and transcription for meetings and calls. While enterprise-focused, it overlaps with Rylo's captioning capability for workplace and conferencing use cases.
Regional players
- ScribeCanada / Convo Relay: Convo Relay is a US-based video relay service (VRS) provider serving the deaf community with sign-language interpreters. It overlaps with Rylo's accessibility focus and represents a different modality (interpreter-mediated) within the same federally supported relay ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Nagish social profiles
Digital presenceNagish compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Nagish financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nagish leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Nagish subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Nagish funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nagish M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nagish
What does Nagish do?
Nagish (now Rylo) provides a free AI-powered mobile application that delivers real-time phone call captioning, in-person live transcription, and sign language translation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled individuals. The service is FCC-certified as a captioned telephone and IP Relay provider, with operating costs reimbursed through a federally administered fund so the app is free at the point of use for eligible users.
Is Nagish a public or private company?
Nagish is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Nagish founded?
Nagish was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nagish based?
Nagish is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nagish make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. FCC Reimbursed Relay Services are the primary driver. The others are venture Funding.
Who are Nagish's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sorenson Communications (CaptionCall), Hamilton CapTel, InnoCaption and Ava. Emerging players are Otter.ai and Hand Talk. Broad incumbents are Google Live Transcribe, Apple Live Captions and Microsoft Teams Live Captions. ScribeCanada / Convo Relay is listed as a regional player.
Does Nagish have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nagish.
What industry is Nagish in?
Nagish's product category is Accessibility Communication Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAB, AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) & Speech/Language Therapy Tech, with a secondary code of HDAIAHAK, Numbering, DID, Porting & Carrier-of-Record Services. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 4813.