Kara Technologies
Kara Technologies is an Auckland-based AI company that translates English text, audio, and video into sign language video delivered by photorealistic digital human avatars. It serves government, emergency services, education, and media customers with a freemium AI engine (KAT AI) and a paid, human-reviewed tier (KAT Hybrid).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kara Technologies does
Kara Technologies Ltd. is a New Zealand-based developer of AI-powered sign language translation technology, founded in 2017/2018 by Arash Tayebi following his own experience with hearing loss. The company operates from Auckland and targets the systemic inaccessibility of information for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, offering its products to government transit agencies, emergency services, educational institutions, media companies, and individual content creators. Its core proposition is converting English text, audio, or video into signed language video delivered through photorealistic digital human avatars (Kalisha, Ami, Alisha, Hana, and Tūī), with outputs that the company emphasizes are grounded in culturally authentic signing performed by native Deaf language specialists.
The technology stack combines motion-capture data from native Deaf signers, a validated database of 14,000+ ASL signs (with NZSL and Auslan coverage), a proprietary Kara Notation System (KNS) for representing sign language grammar in a machine-readable format, and a patented sign blending engine (patents AU2022379381 and US12062125) that produces fluid transitions between signs. The platform is delivered through two principal products: KAT AI, a near-real-time automated translation engine currently in free public preview, and KAT Hybrid, a human-in-the-loop premium tier in which Certified Deaf Interpreters review and refine AI output. Kara monetizes KAT Hybrid via subscription plans (Ad-Hoc at $72 per minute, Lite at $760 per month for 15 included minutes, Business at $3,000 per month for 120 minutes, and custom Enterprise pricing), with 12-month minimum commitments on the Lite and Business tiers. The company also offers API access and embedded integrations, including a live deployment inside the Auckland Transport mobile app and an emergency alert system developed with the Australian Red Cross's Humanitech program.
Kara's go-to-market combines product-led growth via the KAT AI free preview, direct enterprise sales for KAT Hybrid, and community-led adoption through co-design with the Deaf community and participation in CoSET (Coalition for Sign Language Equity in Technology). It has raised funding from Soul Capital, Investible, Startmate, Icehouse Ventures, Flying Kiwi Angels, Quidnet Ventures, Te Pae ki te Rangi Investment Fund, Callaghan Innovation, and Humanitech, and has been recognized at the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards (Highly Commended 2022, winner of Best Hi-Tech Solution for the Public Good 2024).
Kara Technologies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kara Technologies
- Legal name
- Kara Technologies Ltd.
- Website
- https://kara.tech
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kara Technologies is an Auckland-based AI company that translates English text, audio, and video into sign language video delivered by photorealistic digital human avatars. It serves government, emergency services, education, and media customers with a freemium AI engine (KAT AI) and a paid, human-reviewed tier (KAT Hybrid).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kara Technologies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sign Language Translation Software
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Voice Cloning, Dubbing & Audio Generative Media (HDAAAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Translation, Language Accessibility & Reading Support Tools (e.g., TTS, Captions, Immersive Reader) (EDAFAOAL)
Keywords
Where Kara Technologies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kara Technologies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- KAT Hybrid SaaS Subscriptions: Subscription-based SaaS model with tiered monthly plans (Ad-Hoc at $72/min, Lite at $760/month, Business at $3000/month) providing AI-assisted sign language translation reviewed by Certified Deaf Interpreters. Revenue is recurring monthly based on plan tier, with overage charges for usage beyond included minutes.
- KAT Hybrid Per-Minute Usage: Ad-hoc pricing at $72 USD per minute of translated sign language video. Customers pay per transaction based on content duration without committing to a monthly subscription.
- KAT AI (Kara Auto Translate): AI-powered automatic translation currently offered free during public preview (5 translations per week per user). Expected to transition to commercial paid access with pricing to be determined. Also available via API for organisations integrating into their own systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ad-Hoc per-minute pricing for one-off translations at $72 USD per minute |
| Subscription | Monthly | Lite subscription at $760 USD/month with 15 included minutes and reduced per-minute overage rate |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business subscription at $3000 USD/month with 120 included minutes |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise custom pricing for large-scale organisational deployments |
| Freemium | Monthly | Free public preview tier with 5 AI translations per week |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Kara Technologies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kara Technologies develops AI-powered sign language translation technology that converts English text, audio, and video into signed-language animations delivered by photorealistic digital human avatars. Its two flagship products are KAT AI, a near-real-time automated translation engine, and KAT Hybrid, a premium human-in-the-loop service combining AI with Certified Deaf Interpreter review for nuanced content. The platform is built on a proprietary Kara Notation System, a patented sign blending engine, and a motion-capture sign language database.
Product overview
Kara Technologies offers a dual-product platform for AI-powered sign language translation: KAT AI provides automated near-real-time translation of English to ASL for short-form content like alerts and updates, while KAT Hybrid adds Certified Deaf Interpreter review for longer, more nuanced content requiring cultural accuracy. Both products are powered by proprietary motion capture technology and the Kara Notation System (KNS), delivering translations through customizable digital human avatars. The company also provides custom avatar creation services for enterprise clients seeking personalized digital humans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KAT: Kara Auto Translate - AI-powered sign language translation system that converts English text into sign language animations using digital avatars. Currently in late stages of development with free user trials (5 free AI translations per user per week).
- KAT Hybrid
- KNS (Kara Notation System)
Products and services
- KAT AI (Kara Auto Translate) AI-powered on-demand translation engine that converts English text into American Sign Language video animations in near real-time (under a minute). Designed for short-form, fast-moving content such as public service announcements, transport updates, emergency alerts and automated notifications. Sold directly via kara.tech with freemium access and API integration for enterprise customers.
- KAT Hybrid (Human in the Loop) Premium human-in-the-loop translation service combining the KAT AI engine with Certified Deaf Interpreter review. Delivers accurate, culturally appropriate, and emotionally nuanced ASL translations for longer or more complex content including educational modules, brand videos, tutorials, product explainers, customer support messaging, and public announcements. Sold via tiered SaaS subscriptions (Ad-Hoc, Lite, Business, Enterprise).
- Digital Human Sign Language Avatars High-fidelity photorealistic sign language avatars that deliver expressive, natural signing with accurate facial grammar and emotional nuance across devices and platforms. Includes named avatars (Kalisha, Ami, Alisha, Hana, Tui) and offers custom avatar creation for enterprise clients requiring specific appearance attributes.
- KAT AI API Access API access to the KAT AI translation engine, allowing organisations to integrate sign language translation directly into their own platforms, products, and customer-facing systems. Targeted at technology companies, platform operators, and government digital services needing embedded accessibility.
Quantifiable outcome
- First live trial in the Southern Hemisphere of AI-generated NZSL translations from dynamic live transport alerts in a real transport authority app (Auckland Transport Western Line)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kara Technologies
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Kara Technologies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
Kara Technologies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Auckland TransportflagshipAuckland Transport partnered with Kara Technologies to deploy AI-powered NZSL train disruption notifications on Auckland's Western Line via the AT mobile app. This is one of the first real-world live trials in the Southern Hemisphere of dynamic AI-generated signed language from live operational alerts. The project involved co-design with the Deaf community, NZSL database development, avatar creation (named Tui), and accessibility-focused iteration on visual design, grammar, and delivery. The live trial runs for three months.
- Humanitech (Australian Red Cross)coreHumanitech, the innovation arm of the Australian Red Cross, selected Kara Technologies for its grant programme encouraging companies to create solutions for widespread societal issues. Kara used the grant to develop a sign language emergency announcement system for Australian emergency services, involving pre-recorded NZSL clips spliced together dynamically for SMS attachment. Kara was accepted into the first round and completed all necessary phase one work, with surveys conducted across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, and 100% positive feedback from 39/39 Sydney Deaf Festival respondents.
- CoSET (Coalition for Sign Language Equity in Technology)coreCoSET is an advocacy organisation made up of Deaf subject matter experts, Deaf industry leaders, and sign language interpreters from several countries, advocating for the rights and needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in the technology sector for AI and Sign Languages. Kara Technologies holds active membership with two Deaf employees in significant leadership and representative roles. Kara co-authored the SAFE AI Guidance paper with the Interpreting SAFE AI Task Force, endorsing principles of Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Ethical AI in sign language technology.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kara Technologies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hand Talk: Brazilian startup offering AI-powered sign language translation avatars (Hugo and Bia) for Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and ASL via web and mobile. Direct peer: same avatar-based AI translation model, same Deaf-community co-design ethos, same target of making digital content accessible to Deaf users at scale.
- SignAll: Hungarian-origin startup building computer-vision-based sign language recognition and translation using multiple cameras and gloves-free tracking. Direct peer: focuses on the same English-to-sign translation problem space, although SignAll historically emphasized recognition of signed input rather than Kara's text-to-sign avatar output.
- Signapse: UK-based AI startup generating photo-realistic sign language videos from text for transport, broadcast, and public information use cases. Direct peer: nearly identical product architecture (text-to-signed-video avatars), overlapping target customers (UK rail/transit authorities), and similar pricing models per minute of generated video.
Emerging players
- SLT (Sign Language Translator) / sign.mt: Open-source and startup projects offering web-based text-to-sign-language translation across multiple sign languages including ASL, BSL, Libras, and others. Emerging peer: shares the text-to-sign use case but uses 3rd-party signing avatars rather than proprietary MoCap data; useful comparison for Kara's data/avatar quality differentiation.
- Avaturn: Developer of customizable 3D avatar creation APIs used in games, apps, and metaverse applications. Emerging peer: comparable photorealistic digital human technology stack and API-first distribution model, though focused on general avatars rather than sign language specifically. Useful proxy for avatar rendering and customization IP.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft (Azure AI / Accessibility): Microsoft has shipped AI accessibility features across Azure Cognitive Services and Microsoft 365 (live captions, translated captions, accessibility checker) and invests broadly in accessible communication. Broad incumbent: not specialized in sign language avatars but represents the largest potential platform competitor that could bundle a 'good enough' sign language feature into Teams or Azure.
- Google (Live Transcribe / Project Relate): Google's accessibility AI efforts include Live Transcribe (speech-to-text for Deaf users), Project Relate, and ongoing sign language research. Broad incumbent: serves overlapping end users (Deaf and hard-of-hearing) via different modality (captions vs. signed avatars); key strategic threat if it ships avatar-style output.
- Meta (AI Research on Sign Language): Meta AI has published research on sign language recognition and translation (e.g., content moderation tools for signed video). Broad incumbent: significant R&D resources and the ability to deploy at scale across Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp, but no commercial sign language avatar product today.
Others
- MotionSavvy / Dimension (legacy): Early pioneer in sign language recognition hardware/software (gesture-recognition tablet). Others: defunct/legacy peer that validates the historical market interest in AI sign language translation and illustrates the execution risk that pure recognition-first approaches have struggled with, reinforcing Kara's avatar-output differentiation.
- Epic Games (Unreal Engine / MetaHuman): Provider of the Unreal Engine and MetaHuman digital human toolkit that Kara uses for its avatar pipeline (Kara received Epic Mega-Grants and Unreal Development Grants). Others: enabling infrastructure/technology partner rather than competitor, but represents a benchmark for the rendering fidelity and tooling Kara's avatars must match.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kara Technologies social profiles
Digital presenceKara Technologies compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Kara Technologies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kara Technologies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Kara Technologies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kara Technologies M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kara Technologies
What does Kara Technologies do?
Kara Technologies develops AI-powered sign language translation technology that converts English text, audio, and video into signed-language animations delivered by photorealistic digital human avatars. Its two flagship products are KAT AI, a near-real-time automated translation engine, and KAT Hybrid, a premium human-in-the-loop service combining AI with Certified Deaf Interpreter review for nuanced content. The platform is built on a proprietary Kara Notation System, a patented sign blending engine, and a motion-capture sign language database.
Is Kara Technologies a public or private company?
Kara Technologies is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kara Technologies founded?
Kara Technologies was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kara Technologies based?
Kara Technologies is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Kara Technologies make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. KAT Hybrid SaaS Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are KAT Hybrid Per-Minute Usage and KAT AI (Kara Auto Translate).
Who are Kara Technologies's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hand Talk, SignAll and Signapse. Emerging players are SLT (Sign Language Translator) / sign.mt and Avaturn. Broad incumbents are Microsoft (Azure AI / Accessibility), Google (Live Transcribe / Project Relate) and Meta (AI Research on Sign Language). Others are MotionSavvy / Dimension (legacy) and Epic Games (Unreal Engine / MetaHuman).
Does Kara Technologies have an API?
Yes. Kara Technologies offers API access for integrating their AI translation technology into external systems. The AI translation page mentions 'Request API Access' for organizations looking to include AI translation in their systems. Details on API type, auth method, rate limits, and versioning are not publicly documented.
What industry is Kara Technologies in?
Kara Technologies's product category is Sign Language Translation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAFAK, Voice Cloning, Dubbing & Audio Generative Media, with a secondary code of EDAFAOAL, Translation, Language Accessibility & Reading Support Tools (e.g., TTS, Captions, Immersive Reader). Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7371.