ZVRS

What ZVRS does

ZVRS, legally operated by CSDVRS, LLC and consolidated with sister brand Purple Communications under parent ZP Better Together, LLC, is a federally certified Video Relay Service (VRS) provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices in Clearwater and Rocklin. The company enables deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with hearing parties via real-time video interpreters, operating in a regulated market governed by FCC conditional certification and the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund. ZVRS does not generate end-user revenue; eligible users receive the service and videophone devices at no cost, with costs reimbursed through per-minute compensation paid out of the TRS Fund (contributed by US telecommunications ratepayers and administered by Rolka Loube). The company has 251-500 employees and currently maintains CEO Sherri Turpin.

The product portfolio centers on two videophone brands — Z5 (ZVRS) and P3 (Purple) — delivered as mobile apps (iOS and Android), desktop apps (macOS and Windows), TV-based devices (OneVP on Nvidia hardware; Meta Portal), and a browser-based platform (CloudVP) requiring no software download. Supporting modules extend the core service: sivo (multi-party video so deaf user and hearing party can see each other alongside the interpreter), Click2Call browser extension, POP smart light notification device (enhanced in 2025 to also function as a room light), Live Captions (speech-to-text via OS-level features plus Hearing Carry Over), E911 Geolocation, Picture-in-Picture, and Text Alerts. The enterprise stack adds ZP for Zoom (Zoom App Marketplace integration), CART real-time captioning (via 1CapApp), Video Remote Interpreting, Scheduled Virtual Interpreting, and Onsite Interpreting — collectively marketed to employers and public-facing organizations for ADA Section 504 compliance. Distribution is omni-channel: direct self-serve account registration on zpbettertogether.com, Apple App Store and Google Play, Zoom App Marketplace, browser-based access, and enterprise sales through dedicated account managers.

The business model is structurally a regulated utility: free service to users, revenue from the FCC TRS Fund on a per-minute basis for relay calls, plus a smaller mix of fee-based enterprise interpreting and captioning services. Geographic reach is US-domestic for core service with international calling to 45+ countries permitted as long as one party is in the United States. The company maintains active community, social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook for both ZVRS and Purple brands), and educational outreach aimed at the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, with a Spanish-language VRS offering extending reach to a sub-segment of eligible users.

Name

ZVRS

Legal name

CSDVRS, LLC

Website

https://zvrs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ZVRS provides FCC-certified Video Relay Service and accessibility technology (Z5 and P3 videophones, CloudVP, OneVP, ZP for Zoom, CART, VRI) that enables American Sign Language users to make and receive phone calls via video interpreters, funded by the federal TRS Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clearwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund Compensation: ZVRS receives compensation from the federal TRS Fund administered by Rolka Loube when users make VRS calls with a ZVRS video interpreter. The service is free to eligible deaf and hard-of-hearing users, with costs covered by the government-mandated TRS Fund supported by telecommunications ratepayers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ZVRS provides Video Relay Service (VRS) that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) to make telephone calls via qualified video interpreters through proprietary videophones (Z5, P3, OneVP), browser-based software (CLOUDVP), and mobile apps. The company also offers Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), CART Captioning, Scheduled Virtual Interpreting (SVI), Onsite Interpreting, and workplace accessibility solutions (ZP for Zoom, Meta Portal, Apple Suite). All VRS services are provided at no cost to eligible users, funded by the FCC Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund.

Product overview

ZVRS (operated by CSDVRS, LLC, a division of ZP Better Together, LLC) provides Video Relay Service (VRS) and accessibility technology for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States. The product portfolio centers on two videophone brands — Z5 (ZVRS brand) and P3 (Purple brand) — offered as mobile apps, desktop software (macOS/Windows), TV-based devices (OneVP, Meta Portal), and a web browser platform (CLOUDVP). Supporting the core VRS platform are add-on accessibility features including Live Captions (real-time speech-to-text), sivo (shared video between deaf user and hearing party), Click2Call (browser-based number detection and calling), POP (smart light notification device), Text Alerts, E911 Geolocation, and Picture-in-Picture. Enterprise and workplace interpreting services include CART Captioning, Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Scheduled Virtual Interpreting (SVI), Onsite Interpreting, and ZP for Zoom (ASL interpreter integration into Zoom meetings). All VRS products and services are free to eligible users, funded by the FCC Telecommunications Relay Service Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Video Relay Service (VRS)

Quantifiable outcome

• VRS calls available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability5 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ApplecoreTechnology or IntegrationZP Better Together offers the Z5 and P3 apps on Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Mac). Apple devices are referenced as supported endpoints for VRS and accessibility features. Live Captions are available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Apple Safari browser is supported for CloudVP.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle services are integrated into ZP's OneVP device (Nvidia hardware). Customer consents to Google account activation, Google Terms of Service, Google Privacy Policy, and Google Play during OneVP setup. Google Chrome is the recommended and required browser for Live Caption functionality on CloudVP.
• Nvidia CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationNvidia Corporation manufactures the OneVP device, which ZP distributes as part of its videophone product line. OneVP includes Nvidia's operating system and software license agreement. Customer accepts Nvidia's software license and privacy policy during device activation.
• Zoom Video CommunicationscoreTechnology or IntegrationZP offers 'ZP for Zoom,' an app listed in the Zoom App Marketplace that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing Zoom meeting participants to invite ASL interpreters directly into meetings on demand. Supported for Zoom Meetings (not Zoom Webinars).
• FCC (Federal Communications Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZP Better Together (CSDVRS, LLC) is conditionally certified by the FCC to provide video relay services. The FCC provides funding through the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund administered by Rolka Loube. ZP must comply with FCC rules and guidelines, including URD (User Registration Database) requirements.
• FCC TRS User Registration Database (URD)coreOthersCentralized database established by the FCC in 2013 to ensure VRS is only used by eligible users. ZP collects required information from customers (name, address, phone number, last 4 SSN, date of birth) for verification before registering with the URD.
• Telecommunications CarrierscoreOthersVRS calls are funded through the TRS Fund contributed by telecommunications ratepayers. ZP text alerts are supported across major carriers including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint, Nextel, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Cincinnati Bell, U.S. Cellular, and others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Convo Communications: FCC-certified VRS provider offering relay services and interpreting solutions to deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers and businesses, directly competing for the same user base and TRS-funded minutes as ZVRS.
• GlobalVRS: FCC-conditionally certified VRS provider offering video relay services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, directly comparable in regulatory standing, target market, and service offering to ZVRS.
• Hands On Video Relay Services: FCC-certified VRS provider offering video relay service with a focus on deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers; competes directly with ZVRS in the TRS-funded relay market.
• Sorenson Communications: The largest FCC-certified VRS provider in the US, directly competing with ZVRS for compensated relay minutes under the same TRS Fund regulatory framework. Sorenson also offers hardware endpoints and interpreting services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Emerging players

• CaptionCall (Sorenson): Captioning telephone service for people with hearing loss, now part of Sorenson; competes with ZVRS's CART captioning and accessibility offerings for the hard-of-hearing population that does not use ASL.
• Ava (Ava.me): AI-powered live captioning and accessibility service for group conversations, including for deaf and hard-of-hearing users; represents the AI-driven competitive threat to traditional human-interpreted VRS offerings like ZVRS's.

Others

• Zoom Video Communications: Hosts the 'ZP for Zoom' app in its App Marketplace; Zoom's built-in live captioning and language interpretation features overlap with ZVRS's workplace accessibility offering, making it both a partner and a partial substitute.

Broad incumbents

• Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD): A large non-profit organization providing a range of deaf and hard-of-hearing services including interpreting, VRS-adjacent offerings, and social services; overlaps with ZVRS in accessibility technology and ASL interpretation workforce.
• Microsoft (Teams Accessibility): Microsoft Teams integrates live captions, transcription, and (in some markets) interpreter support for accessibility, providing a free or low-cost alternative to VRS for in-meeting communication, especially for the ZP for Zoom/enterprise use case.

Regional players

• SignVideo / Sign Solutions (now part of Sorenson): UK-based video relay and BSL interpreting service with comparable technology stack and service model; useful as a geographic comp showing the international VRS market structure, though it competes in a separate regulatory regime.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zvrs
• Facebookfacebook.com/like.zvrs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csdvrs-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/zvrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 ZVRS