Konnekt
Konnekt Pty Ltd designs and sells a purpose-built captioned video phone for seniors, people with hearing loss, dementia, and disabilities, combining a 15-inch touchscreen appliance with Skype-based video calling, optional real-time captioning, and remote-managed personalisation, distributed directly in Australia and via channel partners across the UK, USA, Europe, and New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersChelsea, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Konnekt does
Konnekt Pty Ltd is an Australian private company, founded in Melbourne circa 2015 by John Nakulski and Karl Grimm, that designs, manufactures, and supports a purpose-built video calling appliance aimed at seniors and people with hearing loss, dementia, or physical disabilities. The core product, the Konnekt Videophone, is a 15-inch touchscreen appliance running a simplified firmware on Skype infrastructure, featuring one-touch calling with personalized contact buttons, auto-answer for trusted carers, large buttons, loud speakers, caller blocking, backup-number dialing, and remote configuration that allows Konnekt staff to make all setup and personalization changes without a home visit. A second variant, the Konnekt Captioning Videophone, adds real-time multilingual speech-to-text captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
The company monetizes through a hybrid model: a one-time hardware purchase (priced comparable to or less than a new iPhone, including installation) combined with a recurring monthly service subscription covering connectivity, software updates, and remote support, plus an optional captioning add-on from $5 per month for eligible customers. Distribution is direct-to-consumer in Australia with professional in-home installation, and via four regional channel partners internationally — Just So Care in the UK/Ireland/Israel, ESSI in the USA/Canada, bildfon in Europe (CEE/MEA), and a partner in New Zealand. Konnekt supplements consumer sales with healthcare-provider referral channels (audiologists, home care agencies, aged care facilities) and embeds the product into government reimbursement programs including Australian Home Care Packages, NDIS, EnableNSW, SWESA, and US VA/Medicare/Medicaid.
Konnekt operates with 11-50 employees from headquarters in Chelsea, Victoria, plus a regional office in Adelaide, and appears to be bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding. Strategic posture is narrow and deep: a single-product family sold into a clearly defined accessibility niche rather than a horizontally scaled consumer electronics play.
Konnekt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Konnekt
- Legal name
- Konnekt Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://konnekt.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Konnekt Pty Ltd designs and sells a purpose-built captioned video phone for seniors, people with hearing loss, dementia, and disabilities, combining a 15-inch touchscreen appliance with Skype-based video calling, optional real-time captioning, and remote-managed personalisation, distributed directly in Australia and via channel partners across the UK, USA, Europe, and New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Konnekt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessibility Communication Devices
- NAICS
- Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (33421), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology Assistance & Digital Support for Seniors (HSABAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards) (HDACAFAL), Technology & Digital Skills for Seniors (Devices, internet safety, telehealth) (EDAAAMAH)
Keywords
Where Konnekt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chelsea
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Konnekt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Device Sales: One-time upfront payment for the physical Videophone hardware device. Price is comparable to or less than a new iPhone, includes installation.
- Monthly Service Subscription: Recurring monthly payment for the Videophone service including internet connectivity, remote support, software updates, and ongoing personalization. Higher pricing tier for international/overseas calling capabilities.
- Captioning Service: Optional captioning feature available from $5 per month for eligible customers (government-funded programs). Real-time captions for both phone and video calls.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Videophone with monthly service |
| Subscription | Monthly | Captioning Videophone with captioning service |
| Hybrid | Monthly | International calling tier |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Konnekt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Konnekt designs, sells, and supports purpose-built captioned videophone hardware devices for seniors, people with hearing loss, individuals with dementia, and people with disabilities. The Videophone features a 15-inch touchscreen with one-touch photo-based calling, loud speakers, auto-answer capability for trusted carers, and optional real-time captioning across multiple languages. Customers purchase the hardware alongside a monthly subscription that covers connectivity, remote configuration, ongoing personalization, and software updates, with government funding accepted in Australia and the USA.
Product overview
Konnekt offers a portfolio of purpose-built video calling hardware devices designed primarily for seniors, people with hearing loss, and individuals with disabilities. The core product is the Konnekt Videophone, a dedicated video calling appliance featuring a large touchscreen, one-touch calling, and simplified operation requiring no technical skills. The Captioning Videophone variant adds real-time captioning for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. All products use Skype as the video calling platform and are set up and managed remotely by Konnekt's support team.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Konnekt Videophone: Standard videophone with one-touch calling for seniors, featuring large 15-inch screen, loud speakers, and easy-to-use interface
- Konnekt Captioning Videophone
Products and services
- Konnekt Videophone A purpose-built video calling appliance with a 15-inch touchscreen, personalized photo-based one-touch contact buttons, loud speakers, auto-answer capability for trusted callers, and custom simplified UI requiring no login, password, or menu navigation. Designed for seniors and people with disabilities who cannot use standard smartphones or tablets. Setup and ongoing personalization are handled remotely by Konnekt.
- Konnekt Captioning Videophone A video calling device with built-in real-time captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Combines video calling with live speech-to-text display, loud clear sound, and simplified one-touch operation. Supports both captioned phone calls and captioned video calls in a single device, with captioning available in multiple languages.
Quantifiable outcome
- Research shows 3x/week face-to-face contact with family/friends halves depression risk (Prof Alan Teo study)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Konnekt
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Konnekt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Konnekt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Just So CarecoreUK and Ireland sales and support partner. Manages local sales, installation, and ongoing customer support. Serves UK, Ireland, Spain, and Israel markets. Location: 54 Sun Street, Waltham Abbey EN9 1EJ, UK. Founded by Geoff Hooper's family connection (customer testimonial).
- ESSIcoreUSA and North America sales and support partner. Provides local sales, installation, and customer support services. Location: 1701 Westwind Dr Ste 212, Bakersfield CA 93301, USA. Also handles Canada sales.
- bildfoncoreEurope CEE/MEA sales and support partner. Manages German-speaking and other European markets. Location: Elisenstraße 47 Top 13, A-1230 Vienna, Austria. Markets under 'bildfon' brand in Europe.
- New Zealand PartnercoreNew Zealand sales and support partner. Provides local customer service and support. Location: 169 Sparks Rd, Hoon Hay, Christchurch 8025.
- Home Carers DirectminorAustralian home care referral and information service. Blog partnership for content about caring for elderly parents and time-poor carers. Cross-promotion of Konnekt Videophone for families unable to visit elderly relatives frequently.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Konnekt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CaptionCall: Provides captioned telephones for people with hearing loss, funded through the US FCC ADA program — directly comparable to Konnekt's Captioning Videophone in combining hardware with real-time captioning for the deaf/hard-of-hearing segment.
- GrandPad: Subscription-based simplified tablet for seniors with large buttons, family-managed contacts and 4G connectivity — directly competes with Konnekt Videophone on the same value proposition of tech-light video calling for elderly users.
- Hamilton CapTel: Offers captioned telephone services and devices for hearing-impaired users, with US government program funding — closely mirrors Konnekt's captioning service and serves the same accessibility-first calling market.
- Clarity (Plantronics/Poly): Manufactures amplified phones, captioned phones, and large-button home phones for seniors and people with hearing loss — comparable purpose-built telephony hardware targeting the same accessibility user base as Konnekt.
- Lively (formerly Jitterbug): Senior-focused smartphones and health/safety services from Best Buy's Lively brand — competes with Konnekt in simplifying communication for older adults with large-button interfaces and emergency response features.
Emerging players
- Oscar Senior: Simplified tablet platform for seniors and care facilities with family/caregiver apps — competes with Konnekt Videophone as an alternative form-factor for simplified elderly communication.
- Independa: Provides TV-based video calling and engagement platform for seniors and care facilities — overlaps with Konnekt's family-connection use case but delivers through existing TVs rather than dedicated hardware.
- Care.coach: Avatars and 24/7 virtual companion services for seniors to reduce isolation and support caregivers — competes for the same social-isolation spending but via a service model rather than owned hardware.
- ElliQ: AI-powered companion device from Intuition Robotics for seniors living alone — adjacent competitor targeting loneliness reduction and family connection with voice-first interaction rather than video calling hardware.
Broad incumbents
- Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (captioned/enterprise phones): Major telecom equipment vendor offering enterprise and accessibility-focused phone systems including captioned calling — broader incumbent that overlaps with Konnekt at the communication-accessibility layer across multiple markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Konnekt social profiles
Digital presenceKonnekt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Konnekt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Konnekt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Konnekt 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 Konnekt
What does Konnekt do?
Konnekt designs, sells, and supports purpose-built captioned videophone hardware devices for seniors, people with hearing loss, individuals with dementia, and people with disabilities. The Videophone features a 15-inch touchscreen with one-touch photo-based calling, loud speakers, auto-answer capability for trusted carers, and optional real-time captioning across multiple languages. Customers purchase the hardware alongside a monthly subscription that covers connectivity, remote configuration, ongoing personalization, and software updates, with government funding accepted in Australia and the USA.
Is Konnekt a public or private company?
Konnekt is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Konnekt founded?
Konnekt was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Konnekt based?
Konnekt is headquartered in Chelsea, United States, in the North America region.
How does Konnekt make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Device Sales are the primary driver. The others are monthly Service Subscription and captioning Service.
Who are Konnekt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CaptionCall, GrandPad, Hamilton CapTel, Clarity (Plantronics/Poly) and Lively (formerly Jitterbug). Emerging players are Oscar Senior, Independa, Care.coach and ElliQ. Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (captioned/enterprise phones) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Konnekt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Konnekt.
What industry is Konnekt in?
Konnekt's product category is Accessibility Communication Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABAAAH, Technology Assistance & Digital Support for Seniors, with a secondary code of HDACAFAL, Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards). Its NAICS code is 33421.