Nagish

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.

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

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

• Accessibility communication software
• Captioned telephone service
• Speech to text transcription
• Sign language translation
• Deaf hard of hearing apps

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Venture Funding: Company raised $16M in funding led by Canaan Partners to support development and expansion of AI-powered communication tools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• U.S. Deaf Basketball TeamsminorOthers · 18 November 2025Sponsorship 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.mtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Acquired 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/RyloHQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ryloHQ

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nagish