Deaftouch

What Deaftouch does

Deaftouch is a South African private company, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Randburg (Pretoria area), that builds ICT accessibility infrastructure for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind communities. Its flagship product is the SOLVES platform — a cloud-hosted, open-source, standards-based communication system built on ITU specifications and delivered via server-side software plus native apps for Android, iOS, Mac, and PC, with WebRTC and SIP endpoint interoperability. The platform supports Voice, Video, Real-Time Text, automated Speech-to-Text, and live translation across 120 languages, and is positioned as a full-service accessible call centre solution.

Deaftouch monetizes SOLVES and its product extensions through subscription/managed services contracts sold via direct enterprise field sales to businesses, governments, and disability organizations. The portfolio includes Video Relay Service (VRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Video Remote Assistance for the Blind (VRA), Deaf-to-Deaf call centres, Custom TTY and IPCTS/CART captioning, a Deaf-owned business PBX solution, the SOLVES HIRES recruiting module, and VideoTeleCheck for video-based identity verification and anti-fraud.

The company has 1–10 employees, has not disclosed any funding rounds, named customers, management team, partnerships, or revenue figures. Its stated GTM is global enterprise and government, but the operating footprint is a single South African address with no disclosed international offices, no public pricing, and no customer references in the source data. AI features (ASR, facial recognition, NLP translation) are integrated product features rather than disclosed proprietary models.

Name

Deaftouch

Legal name

deaftouch

Website

https://deaftouch.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deaftouch is a South African private ICT company that builds the SOLVES cloud-based communication platform, providing accessible video, voice, real-time text, and speech-to-text call centre solutions for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind communities, sold via enterprise and government subscription contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessible Communication Software

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (54193), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD), Assistive Vision & Screen Access (Screen Readers, Magnification, Braille Displays/Notetakers) (EDAFAKAD), Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB)

Keywords

• Accessible communication software
• Video relay services
• Cloud call centre platform
• Speech to text transcription
• Accessible recruitment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cloud Communication Services: Service-based cloud solutions providing accessible communication tools including Video Relay Service, Video Remote Interpreting, and call centre solutions. Revenue generated through platform access and communication services for businesses, governments and citizens.
2. SOLVES Platform Licensing: Cloud-hosted platform solutions deployed for enterprise call centres with customizable features including skills-based routing, IVVR, and multi-conference capabilities.
3. SOLVES HIRES Recruitment Platform: Specialized recruiting platform offering video interviews, automated transcription, and career fair hosting capabilities.
4. VideoTeleCheck Identity Verification: Fraud and identity verification platform providing video conferencing infrastructure for remote user authentication.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Deaftouch provides a cloud-hosted, open-source, standards-based accessible communication platform called SOLVES, comprising server-side software and apps for Android, iOS, Mac and PC. The platform delivers Voice, Video, Real-Time Text and Automated Speech-to-Text services for businesses, governments, and organizations, and supports specialized offerings such as Video Relay Service, Video Remote Interpreting, Deaf-to-Deaf Call Centres, Video Remote Assistance for the Blind, and an accessible recruiting product (SOLVES HIRES).

Product overview

Deaftouch offers a unified portfolio anchored by the SOLVES Platform — a cloud-hosted, open-source, standards-based communication platform with server-side software and native apps for Android, iOS, Mac & PC. The platform delivers Video, Voice, Real-Time Text and Automated Speech to Text services primarily for Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. Key products include SOLVES HIRES (a recruiting-specific module with automated video interviews, 120-language translation, and speech-to-text transcription), Video Relay Service (VRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Deaf to Deaf Call Centres, and Video Remote Assistance for the Blind (VRA). Additional offerings include VideoTeleCheck (a modular identity verification platform), Deaf-owned Business PBX Solutions, Custom TTY Solutions, and IPCTS/CART Services. All products are designed for accessibility and inclusion across business, government, and consumer contexts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOLVES: Comprehensive secure, open source, standards-based advanced communication tools comprised of server side software and apps for most major operating systems. Provides Voice, Video, Real-Time Text and Automated Speech to Text Accessible Communications Solution.
• SOLVES HIRES
• VideoTeleCheck

Products and services

• SOLVES Platform Comprehensive, secure, open-source, standards-based advanced communication platform comprising server-side software and apps for Android, iOS, Mac and PC, providing Video, Voice, Real-Time Text and Automated Speech-to-Text services for enterprises and governments.
• SOLVES HIRES Fully accessible Video, Voice, and Real-Time Text recruiting platform enabling live automated video interviews, online career fairs, automated transcription, speech-to-text for hard of hearing candidates, interpreter services, and live translation of 120 languages and dialects.
• Video Relay Service (VRS) International video relay service connecting Deaf individuals with hearing individuals through live sign language interpreters relaying communication in real time.
• Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) On-demand video remote interpreting service connecting Deaf and hard of hearing individuals with sign language interpreters via live video for real-time communication assistance.
• Deaf to Deaf Call Centres Specialized call centre solutions staffed by Deaf agents to serve Deaf-to-Deaf communication needs, providing accessible customer service for the Deaf community.
• Video Remote Assistance for the Blind (VRA) Video-based assistance service providing real-time visual support to blind individuals through trained remote agents.
• VideoTeleCheck Modular, secure, encrypted voice and video communications platform for real-time remote user identity validation and authentication, incorporating facial recognition, GPS verification, speech-to-text, video captcha, and live agent interaction for fraud prevention.
• Deaf Owned Business or Association PBX Solution Private Branch Exchange (PBX) solution tailored for Deaf-owned businesses and associations, enabling accessible communication via video, voice, and text.
• Custom TTY Solutions Custom Text Telephone (TTY) communication solutions enabling text-based telecommunications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing users.
• IPCTS/Cart Services Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IPCTS) and Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) services providing real-time text captions during telephone calls.

Quantifiable outcome

• Decreases recruiting time and increases accuracy saving time and money for hiring organizations.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability8 records

Feature11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft: Microsoft Teams ships live captions, transcription, and accessibility features bundled into a dominant enterprise communications platform. Represents the biggest bundling threat to Deaftouch's enterprise video accessibility value proposition.
• Cisco: Webex and Cisco collaboration suite include accessibility features and is listed as one of SOLVES' interoperability partners. A broad incumbent competing for accessible enterprise communications spend.
• CaptionCall (Ultratec): Captioned-telephone and accessible communications provider with established US telco distribution. Overlaps with Deaftouch's IPCTS/CART and captioned-services offerings as part of a broader accessibility portfolio.

Regional players

• SignVideo: UK-based on-demand British Sign Language video interpreting service for organisations and individuals. Geographically focused regional peer to Deaftouch's VRI in a different market.

Direct peers

• Convo Communications: A major US video relay service provider offering on-demand sign-language interpreting for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. Closely overlaps with Deaftouch's VRI/VRS offerings and enterprise accessibility positioning.
• Hamilton Relay: Operates state-contracted telecommunications relay services across multiple US states, covering deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, and deaf-blind users. Comparable to Deaftouch's relay-services model and government contracting orientation.
• Purple Communications: Long-standing US provider of VRS, IP Relay, and captioned telephone services with deep enterprise/government relationships. Overlaps with Deaftouch's full accessible communications portfolio.
• Z P Better Together (ZVRS): US-based VRS provider with a large interpreter network and direct-to-consumer and enterprise relay offerings. Competes head-on with Deaftouch in the video-relay service category.
• Sorenson Communications: The largest US-based video relay service and interpreting provider for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Most directly comparable to Deaftouch's VRS and interpreting services in global enterprise and government deployments.

Others

• Twilio: Programmable cloud communications platform (voice, video, messaging) that underpins many accessible-communications deployments. Adjacent infrastructure layer that competes for some platform-style enterprise communications customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/deaftouch2
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeafTouch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deaftouchsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Deaftouch