DeafTawk

What DeafTawk does

DeafTawk operates a two-sided online sign language interpretation platform that connects deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with certified sign language interpreters through HD video calling on iOS and Android applications, supported by a B2B web portal for enterprise clients. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Singapore as DeafTawk Private Limited, the company addresses communication barriers for a global deaf population cited at 466 million, with localized operations in Pakistan (Islamabad), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sri Lanka (Colombo), and Puerto Rico (San Juan). The platform supports 8+ sign languages including American, British, Chinese, Pakistani, Singaporean, and Malay, and reports 45,000+ registered users, 2,400+ interpreters (1,100+ certified), 2 million+ cumulative minutes of interpretation, and an average of 750 calls per day.

The technology stack comprises a dual-app ecosystem — a Subscriber App for end users and an Interpreter App for the supply side — backed by a B2B portal at b2b.deaftawk.com and adjacent Live Interpretation and Content Interpretation services for events, conferences, webinars, and pre-recorded media. Leadership includes Co-founder/CEO Ali Shabbar (14 years across corporate and development sectors), Co-founder/CTO Wamiq Hassan (described as the first deaf computer engineer in Pakistan with prior experience at Apple, Nokia, and Samsung), and Co-founder/COO Abdul Qadeer (ex-Askari Bank, Easypaisa). The company has stated that an AI model is being developed to augment interpretation, but the deployed service today is human-mediated. Intellectual property position is undisclosed with no patents or trademarks on file in the data.

DeafTawk's business model is a multi-stream marketplace. Consumer revenue is usage-based via the Subscriber App's pay-as-you-go billing; enterprise revenue is quote-based subscription for ongoing accessibility and event interpretation; live and content interpretation are priced as professional services; and interpreter earnings are structured as transaction fees on the supply side. The company explicitly does not publish pricing. Go-to-market blends product-led growth through the consumer apps, enterprise field sales via the B2B portal, and community-led expansion through accelerator partnerships (Accelerating Asia, ScaleX, Parallel18, MassChallenge) and a telecom channel partnership with Dialog in Sri Lanka. Capital sources to date are a 2019 $200,000 round from Accelerating Asia, a 2021 GuarantCo grant (PIDG), and accelerator participation; revenue is not publicly disclosed and is estimated under $1M annually.

Name

DeafTawk

Legal name

DeafTawk Private Limited

Website

https://deaftawk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DeafTawk operates a two-sided mobile and web platform providing real-time sign language interpretation, connecting 45,000+ deaf users with 2,400+ certified interpreters across 8+ sign languages, with B2B enterprise services for events and accessibility compliance across five countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sign Language Interpretation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)

Keywords

• Sign language interpretation
• Accessibility technology
• Video interpretation services
• Deaf communication platform
• Language services

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DeafTawk Subscriber App: Deaf users pay for access to real-time sign language interpretation services via mobile app, connecting them with qualified interpreters through HD video calls
2. B2B Enterprise Services: Businesses and organizations pay for interpreter services for events, seminars, conferences, and ongoing accessibility needs
3. Live Interpretation Events: On-demand interpretation services for events, webinars, and conferences requiring inclusive communication
4. Interpreter Earnings Platform: Interpreters earn income by providing sign language interpretation services through the DeafTawk platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DeafTawk provides on-demand, real-time sign language interpretation services through mobile applications that connect deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with certified sign language interpreters via HD video calling, available 24/7 across 8+ sign languages. The company also offers B2B enterprise solutions including live interpretation for events and conferences, multi-lingual content interpretation, and a dedicated web portal for organizations seeking accessibility services for the deaf community.

Product overview

DeafTawk operates as a unified platform providing real-time sign language interpretation services connecting the global deaf community (466 million people) with qualified sign language interpreters. The core offering consists of two mobile applications: the DeafTawk Subscriber App for deaf users and the Interpreter App for sign language interpreters. These are complemented by Live Interpretation (for events/conferences) and Content Interpretation (for audio/video/text content) services. The company also offers a B2B Web Portal for enterprise clients and runs the Innovation Challenge Futuremakers acceleration program for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Services are available 24/7 in 8+ languages including American, British, Chinese, Pakistani, Singaporean, and Malay sign languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innovation Challenge Futuremakers: Pakistan's first fast-track acceleration program for entrepreneurs with disabilities, jointly initiated by DeafTawk and Sightsavers, funded by Standard Chartered Foundation.

Products and services

• DeafTawk Subscriber App Mobile application for deaf and hard-of-hearing users providing 24/7 real-time sign language interpretation. Users sign up, connect with qualified interpreters via one-click HD video calling, and communicate with doctors, teachers, employers, and the general public.
• DeafTawk Interpreter App Mobile application for sign language interpreters to offer their services and earn income by connecting with deaf individuals globally. Provides a platform for interpreters to receive calls and process payments seamlessly.
• Live Interpretation Service On-premise interpretation service for events, seminars, and conferences to make them inclusive for deaf attendees. Provides qualified sign language interpreters for in-person gatherings.
• Content Interpretation Service Multi-lingual interpretation service covering audio, video, and text content. Includes interpretation for videos, webinars, and other pre-recorded or broadcast content.
• DeafTawk B2B Web Portal Business-to-business web platform enabling organizations to access sign language interpretation services for events, customer accessibility, and inclusive communications. Provides signup and login access for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000+ deaf users connected with interpreters globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SightsaverscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2023Jointly initiated the Innovation Challenge Futuremakers program with Sightsavers, an international organization working to prevent avoidable blindness and promote disability inclusion. Sightsavers funds the acceleration program for entrepreneurs with disabilities.
• ScaleXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScaleX is a Silicon Valley-based accelerator connecting Pakistani founders with global markets. Being part of their Cohort 1, ScaleX provided DeafTawk with key industry linkages through its vast network and personalized coaching sessions to improve business cases for global market catering.
• DialogcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDialog is a leading telecom company in Sri Lanka. DeafTawk provides sign language interpretation services in Sri Lanka in partnership with Dialog to serve the growing population of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who face communication barriers.
• Accelerating AsiacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDeafTawk participated in the prestigious Accelerating Asia accelerator program which provided both investment and partnership opportunities, enabling expansion of operations in Singapore.
• Government Agencies and Businesses (Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships established in Denmark with government agencies and businesses to ensure the deaf community is included in all aspects of daily life, providing interpretation services in Europe.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sorenson Communications: Largest US provider of Video Relay Service (VRS) and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, with a deep interpreter pool and FCC-certified relay infrastructure. Directly comparable to DeafTawk in service model and target user, but with much larger scale and US-centric operations.
• Convo Communications: Provider of on-demand sign language interpreting and VRS/VRI services for the deaf community. Competes head-to-head with DeafTawk's mobile-app-based interpretation model and serves both consumers and enterprises.
• ZVRS (Z Video Relay Service): US-based VRS and VRI provider connecting deaf and hard-of-hearing users with interpreters via video. Overlapping technology stack (HD video calling) and user base make it a direct competitor in on-demand sign language interpretation.
• Purple Communications: VRS, VRI, and on-demand interpreting service for the deaf community, offering mobile and desktop video access to sign language interpreters. Directly comparable to DeafTawk's app-based consumer interpretation offering.

Emerging players

• SignAll: AI-focused sign language translation startup building automated sign-to-text and text-to-sign systems. Overlaps with DeafTawk's AI interpretation roadmap and represents the technology-driven competitive frontier in this space.
• Ava: Live captioning platform for accessibility in meetings and group conversations, used by deaf and hard-of-hearing professionals. Comparable as a tech-enabled accessibility communication tool, though focused on captioning rather than sign language interpretation.

Broad incumbents

• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest provider of spoken-language interpretation and translation services globally, offering phone, video, and on-site interpreting to enterprises and governments. Comparable as an on-demand interpretation platform, though focused on spoken languages rather than sign.
• Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD): Non-profit organization providing a range of services for the deaf community, including VRS, interpreting, and accessibility consulting. Overlaps with DeafTawk in mission and service mix but operates on a non-profit model at larger US scale.
• Google Live Transcribe / Project Relate: Google's accessibility products providing real-time speech-to-text transcription and communication tools for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Adjacent broad incumbent whose AI-powered accessibility tools overlap with DeafTawk's communication-access mission.
• Microsoft Translator / Azure Cognitive Services: Microsoft's cloud-based translation and accessibility services, including live captioning and speech translation used in enterprise communications. Relevant as a broad incumbent building accessibility and real-time translation capabilities that overlap with DeafTawk's space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/deaftawk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCx3hsKVWFJ1UF7hgaR2K_9g
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/DeafTawk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deaftawk-private-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/deaftawk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DeafTawk