Hands Up Communications
Hands Up Communications is a bootstrapped, Deaf-founder-led language access services company providing on-site, video remote, and over-the-phone interpreting, plus translation and transcription, across 200+ languages to government, healthcare, education, legal, and business clients nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersCedar Rapids, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hands Up Communications does
Hands Up Communications is a private language access services company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a regional office in Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2009 by Joseph Featherstone, a Deaf CEO, the company provides interpreting, translation, and transcription services to connect Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals with businesses, government agencies, healthcare providers, educational institutions, legal entities, and emergency services. The company supports 200+ languages and dialects through a network of thousands of interpreters and operates an additional training and community development arm including a 40-hour medical interpreter certification course, a three-phase internship program, and an annual CEU-earning conference called Silent Weekend.
The company operates across five core service lines: On-Site Interpreting (in-person ASL and spoken language interpretation in Iowa and Florida), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) via a HIPAA-compliant web and mobile platform with on-demand and scheduled connections, Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI) with 24/7 availability and conference calling, Translation Services for written documents across 200+ languages, and Transcription Services including CART, C-Print, and TypeWell. Underlying technology includes a unified customer portal with usage tracking, an Interpret Manager mobile app, conference calling and inbound calling capabilities, and integration with third-party video conferencing tools. The company leverages a network of professional interpreters rather than disclosed proprietary AI/ML systems for language interpretation.
The business model is hybrid, combining usage-based pricing (per-minute/per-call for OPI, per-session for VRI) with professional services pricing (hourly rates for on-site interpretation, project-based fees for translation and transcription, and a flat $250 fee for the medical training course). The go-to-market mixes direct enterprise field sales for government, medical, and large institutional clients with self-serve digital access for OPI and VRI users. The company is independently owned and bootstrapped, with no disclosed institutional investors, and appears to have grown organically from its Iowa roots to a multi-state and national VRI footprint.
Hands Up Communications firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hands Up Communications
- Legal name
- Hands Up Communications
- Website
- https://handsupcommunications.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hands Up Communications is a bootstrapped, Deaf-founder-led language access services company providing on-site, video remote, and over-the-phone interpreting, plus translation and transcription, across 200+ languages to government, healthcare, education, legal, and business clients nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hands Up Communications industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Language Interpretation & Translation Services
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193), Telephone Call Centers (56142)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB), Assistive Reading & Writing Tools (Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, OCR, Dyslexia Support) (EDAFAKAA)
Keywords
Where Hands Up Communications is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cedar Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Hands Up Communications business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- On-Site Interpreting Services: Professional ASL and spoken language interpreters deployed to client locations. Services available in Cedar Rapids, IA and Ocala, FL areas. Pricing based on hourly rates and assignment duration.
- Video Remote Interpreting (VRI): Remote interpreter access via video platform. Provides on-demand and scheduled connections to professional interpreters. HIPAA-compliant portal with usage tracking and multi-party connectivity.
- Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI): Phone-based interpreter access available 24/7 with over 200 languages and dialects. Includes conference calling capabilities. Access via mobile app or dedicated phone number with PIN system.
- Translation Services: Written document translation across 200+ languages and dialects. Professional translators with project managers ensure culturally and linguistically accurate translations. Digital translation memory created for efficient updates.
- Transcription Services: Live captioning and audio/video transcription including CART, C-Print, and TypeWell services. Professional transcriptionists provide real-time captions for live events and transcription of recorded content.
- Medical Interpreter Training Course: 40-hour medical interpreter training course priced at $250. Includes 26 training videos, medical role play files, terminology textbook, quiz files, and two exam attempts. Pass with 75% to receive certificate.
- Internship Program: Structured three-phase internship program bridging classroom learning to real-world interpreting. Phases include Shadowing, Supported Independence, and Launching Pad. Some paid opportunities available in later phases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 40-Hour Medical Interpreter Training Course |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI) |
Go-to-market motion6 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hands Up Communications product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hands Up Communications is a language access services company that connects businesses, government, healthcare, education, legal, and community organizations with Deaf and Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. Its core offerings include On-Site Interpreting (ASL and spoken languages), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) via a HIPAA-compliant platform, Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI) in 200+ languages, written Translation Services across 200+ languages, and real-time Transcription Services (CART, C-Print, TypeWell).
Product overview
Hands Up Communications provides a comprehensive suite of language access services designed to connect Deaf and Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals with the wider world. The company operates a multi-service platform comprising five core interpreting and translation offerings: On-Site Interpreting (in-person ASL and spoken language services in Iowa and Florida), Video Remote Interpreting/VRI (real-time video connection with interpreters via web or mobile), Translation Services (written document translation in 200+ languages), Over the Phone Interpreting/OPI (24/7 phone-based interpretation with conference calling), and Transcription Services (CART, C-Print, TypeWell for live and recorded content). Supporting these core services are the Interpret Manager mobile app and VRI Customer Portal for service access and administration. The company also offers professional development through a 40-Hour Medical Interpreter Training Course, a three-phase Interpreter Internship Program, and the annual Silent Weekend Conference providing CEU credits. Key platform features include conference calling and inbound calling capabilities for business customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- On-Site Interpreting
Quantifiable outcome
- 24/7 language access across 200+ languages
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hands Up Communications
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Hands Up Communications technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Hands Up Communications partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hands Up Communications competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Rev: Rev provides on-demand transcription, captioning, and translation services via a marketplace of freelancers and AI. Overlaps with Hands Up's CART/transcription and translation offerings, particularly for digital-first and self-serve customers.
- Smartling: Smartling provides cloud-based translation management and professional translation services for digital content. Adjacent competitor in the translation services line of business that Hands Up offers, with a stronger technology platform orientation.
- LanguageBridge: LanguageBridge provides on-demand video and phone interpretation for healthcare and business with a focus on emerging multilingual needs. Smaller, regionally focused peer with overlapping VRI/OPI capabilities and similar mid-market customer profile.
Direct peers
- Boostlingo: Boostlingo offers a VRI/OPI platform (Interpret Manager) used by language service companies and direct customers. Hands Up's mobile app appears to leverage Boostlingo's white-label platform, making Boostlingo both a peer and a likely technology partner/competitor for platform deals.
- Sorenson Communications: Sorenson is one of the largest providers of sign language interpreting and Deaf/HoH communication services, including VRI and on-site ASL. Directly comparable to Hands Up's ASL and Deaf-access mission, with much larger scale and historical VC backing.
- Purple Communications: Purple Communications is a long-standing provider of ASL interpreting, VRS, and VRI for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Directly comparable to Hands Up's ASL interpreting services and Deaf-led accessibility positioning.
- CyraCom International: CyraCom provides phone and video interpretation primarily to U.S. healthcare systems, with a large interpreter workforce and proprietary platform. Competes head-to-head with Hands Up in healthcare VRI and OPI, and is one of the dominant HIPAA-focused language services providers.
Broad incumbents
- AMN Language Services (Stratus Video): AMN Healthcare's language services division (built on Stratus Video and Language Connect) provides VRI, OPI, and on-site interpreting to healthcare organizations. Competes with Hands Up for hospital and health system contracts at significantly larger scale.
- Lionbridge (now RWS): Lionbridge, now part of RWS Group, is a global leader in translation, localization, and interpreting services across hundreds of languages. Overlaps with Hands Up's document translation and large-scale language access work but operates at enterprise and global scale.
- LanguageLine Solutions: LanguageLine Solutions is the largest U.S. provider of phone, video, and in-person interpretation across 200+ languages, serving healthcare, government, and legal sectors. Direct overlap with Hands Up's VRI, OPI, on-site, and translation services, but at far greater scale and with PE backing from Teleperformance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hands Up Communications social profiles
Digital presenceHands Up Communications compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Hands Up Communications financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hands Up Communications leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hands Up Communications funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hands Up Communications 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 Hands Up Communications
What does Hands Up Communications do?
Hands Up Communications is a language access services company that connects businesses, government, healthcare, education, legal, and community organizations with Deaf and Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. Its core offerings include On-Site Interpreting (ASL and spoken languages), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) via a HIPAA-compliant platform, Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI) in 200+ languages, written Translation Services across 200+ languages, and real-time Transcription Services (CART, C-Print, TypeWell).
Is Hands Up Communications a public or private company?
Hands Up Communications is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hands Up Communications founded?
Hands Up Communications was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hands Up Communications based?
Hands Up Communications is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hands Up Communications make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. On-Site Interpreting Services are the primary driver. The others are video Remote Interpreting (VRI), over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI), translation Services, transcription Services, medical Interpreter Training Course and internship Program.
Who are Hands Up Communications's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Rev, Smartling and LanguageBridge. Direct peers are Boostlingo, Sorenson Communications, Purple Communications and CyraCom International. Broad incumbents are AMN Language Services (Stratus Video), Lionbridge (now RWS) and LanguageLine Solutions.
Does Hands Up Communications have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hands Up Communications.
What industry is Hands Up Communications in?
Hands Up Communications's product category is Language Interpretation & Translation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAC, Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription), with a secondary code of EDALAGAB, Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7370.