InnoCaption
InnoCaption provides an FCC-certified mobile app that delivers real-time captioned phone calls for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States, combining live stenographers with AI speech recognition and funded through the federal Telecommunications Relay Service fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What InnoCaption does
InnoCaption is a privately held, FCC-certified provider of real-time captioned telephone service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in the United States. Its core product is a mobile app available on iOS and Android that captions live phone calls via two interchangeable modes: live stenographers and automated speech recognition (AI), with automatic AI fallback when stenographers are unavailable. A patented One Number System links users' existing phone numbers to the service through call forwarding, allowing them to retain their regular number while receiving captions, transcripts, captioned voicemail, and two-sided captions on demand.
The company's technology stack combines a 24/7 human stenographer network with ASR-driven captioning, extended into InnoCaption Video (a standalone captioned video-calling app launched in May 2026), InnoCaption Web (browser-based captioned calling and desktop caption streaming), and the InnoCaption Bot, which joins Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex meetings to provide AI captions with speaker identification. InnoCaption holds at least ten granted U.S. patents covering its captioning methods and the One Number System, and its go-to-market is product-led: end users self-serve-download from the App Store or Google Play, with demand generation through social media, content, conferences, advocacy organizations, and referrals from audiologists and hearing-care professionals. The company has expanded adjacent segments including workplace accessibility, veterans, and correctional facilities, and acquired competitor CaptionMate in November 2024.
InnoCaption operates on a non-traditional revenue model: the service is offered at no cost to end users, with all reimbursement flowing from the FCC-administered Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) fund as compensation for minutes of service delivered. The company is led by co-founder and co-CEO Joe Duarte and chairman/co-founder Joseph Lee, with Cristina Duarte serving as director of regulatory affairs. Revenue, funding history beyond a single $1.8M round in 2016, and ownership details are not publicly disclosed. The company has been recognized on the Inc. 5000, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Fast Company, and Stevie Awards lists.
InnoCaption firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- InnoCaption
- Legal name
- InnoCaption
- Website
- https://innocaption.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- InnoCaption provides an FCC-certified mobile app that delivers real-time captioned phone calls for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States, combining live stenographers with AI speech recognition and funded through the federal Telecommunications Relay Service fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
InnoCaption industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications Relay Services
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Telephone Call Centers (56142)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation) (HDAAAFAL)
Keywords
Where InnoCaption is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
InnoCaption business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- FCC Telecommunications Relay Service Funding: InnoCaption is certified by the FCC and funded through the federally administered Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) fund. The service is provided at no cost to individuals with hearing loss in the United States. There is no direct revenue from end users.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free service for individuals with hearing loss |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
InnoCaption product offering
Product offeringCore offering
InnoCaption provides a free mobile application that delivers real-time captioning of phone calls for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States. The service combines live stenographers and automated speech recognition (AI) so users can switch between caption modes before or during calls, with call forwarding enabling them to keep their existing phone number. The platform extends to video calls (InnoCaption Video), browser-based calling (InnoCaption Web), and a bot (InnoCaption Bot) that captions video conferences on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex.
Product overview
InnoCaption offers a suite of accessibility products for deaf and hard of hearing individuals centered around real-time captioning. The core offering is the InnoCaption mobile app, which provides call captioning through either live stenographers or AI-powered automated speech recognition. The One Number System allows users to keep their existing phone number via call forwarding. InnoCaption Video extends captioning to video calls with the same AI technology. InnoCaption Web provides a browser-based interface for desktop calling and video conference captioning via the InnoCaption Bot. The products work together: the mobile app serves as the primary interface, while InnoCaption Web enables larger-screen viewing and video conference integration, and InnoCaption Video offers a dedicated video calling experience. All services are free for individuals with hearing loss, funded through the FCC Telecommunications Relay Service fund.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- InnoCaption Video: A mobile app designed to make video calls accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community, providing real-time captioning on video calls with cross-platform compatibility between iPhone and Android.
Products and services
- InnoCaption Mobile App A free mobile app providing real-time captioning of phone calls for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States. Offers dual caption modes through live stenographers and AI speech recognition, call forwarding to keep existing phone numbers, two-sided captions, call transcripts, captioned voicemail, and AI fallback when live stenographers are unavailable. Funded by the FCC through the Telecommunications Relay Service fund.
- InnoCaption Video A standalone video calling app that combines real-time AI-powered captioning with video calling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Features real-time captions that stay always onscreen in a dedicated window, two-way captions visible to both parties, and cross-platform compatibility between iPhone and Android. Hearing friends and family can also download the app to join captioned calls.
- InnoCaption Web A web-based portal that allows users to make and receive captioned calls from a computer browser, stream captions from their phone onto a larger desktop screen, and join video conferences with captions through the InnoCaption Bot. Includes three-way calling, text-to-speech, and transcript management capabilities.
- InnoCaption Bot An AI-powered bot that joins video conference meetings (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex) to provide real-time captions with speaker identification. Available only with AI caption mode. The bot joins meetings via a shared call link or meeting URL provided by the user.
- InnoCaption Bridge A business phone solution that extends InnoCaption's captioning capabilities to enterprise and business phone systems for organizations that need accessible phone communication.
Quantifiable outcome
- 96 percent hearing loss user successfully making phone calls
Companies that use InnoCaption
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
InnoCaption technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability5 records
Feature9 records
InnoCaption partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)coreFCC certification and funding through the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) fund. InnoCaption is an authorized IP Captioned Telephone Service provider regulated and audited by the FCC. The service is funded by a federally administered fund, allowing it to be offered free to individuals with hearing loss.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
InnoCaption competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sorenson Communications: Largest FCC-certified provider of IP Captioned Telephone Service and video relay service in the United States. Directly comparable business model (TRS-funded captioned calling for deaf and hard of hearing users) and serves the same regulatory and end-user market as InnoCaption.
- Hamilton CapTel: FCC-certified captioned telephone service provider operated by Hamilton Relay. Offers captioned phone calls to deaf and hard of hearing users across the US, directly competing with InnoCaption for TRS-funded minutes and users.
- CaptionCall: FCC-certified provider of captioned telephone service for people with hearing loss. Direct competitor in the IP CTS market with overlapping funding mechanism and similar captioned-phone use cases.
- ClearCaptions: FCC-certified provider offering captioned telephone service and mobile app for deaf and hard of hearing users. Competes head-to-head with InnoCaption in the same TRS-funded captioned calling category.
- CaptionMate: Pre-acquisition direct competitor in the IP captioned telephone service space; acquired by InnoCaption in November 2024. Historically operated a similar TRS-funded captioned calling service for deaf and hard of hearing users.
Emerging players
- Ava: Real-time captioning app focused on accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing users, with emphasis on group conversations and meetings. Targets an overlapping user base and use cases (accessibility captioning) but does not rely on TRS funding.
- Otter.ai: AI-powered meeting transcription and live captioning service used across enterprise video meetings. Competes in adjacent transcription and accessibility use cases but does not target the FCC-funded deaf/hard-of-hearing segment specifically.
Broad incumbents
- Apple: Provides system-level Live Captions across iPhone, iPad, and Mac for FaceTime, phone calls, and media. A broad platform incumbent whose native captioning features sit adjacent to InnoCaption's app-based captioning service.
- Google: Android Live Caption and Pixel call captioning features ship on-device accessibility captioning for phone and video calls. A broad platform incumbent whose built-in features compete indirectly with InnoCaption's app.
- Microsoft: Microsoft Teams offers built-in live captions and transcription across meetings, positioning it as a broad workplace accessibility incumbent. Adjacent to InnoCaption's video conferencing captioning via InnoCaption Bot.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
InnoCaption social profiles
Digital presenceInnoCaption compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
InnoCaption financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
InnoCaption leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
InnoCaption funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
InnoCaption 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 InnoCaption
What does InnoCaption do?
InnoCaption provides a free mobile application that delivers real-time captioning of phone calls for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States. The service combines live stenographers and automated speech recognition (AI) so users can switch between caption modes before or during calls, with call forwarding enabling them to keep their existing phone number. The platform extends to video calls (InnoCaption Video), browser-based calling (InnoCaption Web), and a bot (InnoCaption Bot) that captions video conferences on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex.
Is InnoCaption a public or private company?
InnoCaption is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was InnoCaption founded?
InnoCaption was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is InnoCaption based?
InnoCaption is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does InnoCaption make money?
One revenue line is on record: FCC Telecommunications Relay Service Funding.
Who are InnoCaption's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sorenson Communications, Hamilton CapTel, CaptionCall, ClearCaptions and CaptionMate. Emerging players are Ava and Otter.ai. Broad incumbents are Apple, Google and Microsoft.
Does InnoCaption have an API?
No public API is recorded for InnoCaption.
What industry is InnoCaption in?
InnoCaption's product category is Telecommunications Relay Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAFAL, Contact Center Speech AI (agent assist, IVR automation). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.