What SOL - smart translations does

SOL (СУРДО-ОНЛАЙН / SURDO-ONLAYN) is a Moscow-based SaaS platform that provides real-time remote translation between Russian Sign Language (РЖЯ) and spoken or written Russian. Founded in 2016 and operating with 11-50 employees, the company targets organizations obligated to provide accessibility services to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals under Russian Federal Law 181-FZ. The platform connects end users with human sign language interpreters via a browser-based web service, mobile devices, and dedicated office terminal kiosks, advertising 24/7 availability and interpreter wait times of under three minutes. Technically, the system uses real-time video and audio channels to route sessions between hearing users and a curated pool of interpreters who translate between РЖЯ — which has fundamentally different grammar than written Russian — and spoken Russian; no specialized hardware is required at the client end.

The product portfolio comprises an annual license subscription that grants institutional access to the platform, per-minute billing for individual translation sessions (a differentiator versus the dominant hourly market rate of ~1,500 rubles/hour), and an event translation service for conferences and public events. Customer segments include government agencies, multifunctional service centers (MFC), healthcare facilities, transport hubs, educational institutions, banks, and retail establishments across Russia and CIS. The company is a member of the Skolkovo innovation ecosystem and addresses an end-user population of more than 500,000 deaf individuals in Russia and CIS.

Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (with a contact form for prospective institutional clients), a reseller/integrator partnership program for indirect distribution, and regulatory compliance messaging centered on 181-FZ accessibility mandates. Revenue mechanics rest on a recurring annual license base supplemented by usage-based per-minute fees and episodic event work; no funding rounds, named customers, or audited revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

SOL - smart translations

Website

https://connecta.space

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SOL is a Moscow-based SaaS platform that provides real-time remote Russian Sign Language (РЖЯ) translation services for institutions serving deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals across Russia and CIS, delivered via browser, mobile, and dedicated office kiosks under a license plus per-minute billing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moskva

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual License Subscription: Organizations purchase an annual license subscription that provides access to the SOL sign language translation platform. The subscription enables institutions to equip functional areas with online sign language interpretation services.
2. Per-Minute Translation Services: Usage-based billing where each translation session is charged by the minute, providing a flexible pay-as-you-use revenue stream on top of the license subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SOL is a SaaS platform that provides remote translation between Russian Sign Language (РЖЯ) and spoken/written Russian, connecting deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with human interpreters in real time. The service is sold to public-serving organizations via an annual license subscription and is consumed via per-minute interpretation sessions delivered through office terminals, mobile devices, or a web browser.

Product overview

SOL (Сурдо-Онлайн) is a unified platform for remote translation between Russian Sign Language (RSL) and spoken/written Russian. The product portfolio consists of two offerings: the flagship License Subscription to SOL providing year-round accessibility services for organizations, and Event Translation services for making public and private events accessible to deaf participants. The platform operates through browser-based web services, mobile applications, and dedicated office terminals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Лицензионная подписка на SOL (License subscription to SOL) Flagship annual subscription product that provides any organization or company with remote Russian Sign Language (РЖЯ) interpretation services for one year, enabling accessible communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals at their facilities.
• Перевод мероприятий (Event translation) Sign language translation service for online and offline events into Russian Sign Language, making conferences, presentations, and public or private events accessible to deaf attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wait time reduced to under 3 minutes for interpreter availability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SK (Skolkovo)minorOthersSOL is shown as a participant member of the Skolkovo (SK) innovation community, as indicated by the participant badge on the website. This membership indicates participation in the Skolkovo innovation ecosystem but no specific partnership details are provided.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sorenson Communications: The largest US provider of video relay and sign language interpretation services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Closest comparable in business model: on-demand human sign language interpretation delivered as a service to institutions and end users.
• Convo Relay: US-based Video Relay Service (VRS) and sign language interpretation provider. Comparable offering of real-time, on-demand sign language interpretation delivered over video, with similar institutional and consumer use cases.
• Purple Communications (ZVRS): Major US VRS and sign language interpretation brand. Competes in the same video-remote sign language interpretation space, serving both institutional and consumer customers with similar SLA economics.

Broad incumbents

• LanguageLine Solutions: The world's largest interpretation and translation services provider, covering spoken languages and sign language across phone, video, and on-site modalities. Broader incumbent whose VRI offering overlaps with SOL's institutional interpretation use case.
• CyraCom: US-focused interpretation services provider offering video, phone, and in-person interpretation including sign language. Competes for the same institutional accessibility contracts but operates across a much wider language set.
• Stratus Video (InDemand Interpreting): Video remote interpretation provider heavily focused on healthcare, where SOL also has a vertical. Overlaps in healthcare interpretation workflows and institutional procurement motion.

Emerging players

• Smartcat: AI-powered translation and localization platform with a marketplace of human linguists. While not sign language focused, comparable as a tech-enabled translation SaaS targeting enterprise and institutional buyers.
• Translated (Pieter Levels / Translated.net): Global translation services platform combining AI and human translators. Adjacent SaaS translation model with a marketplace dynamic somewhat analogous to SOL's interpreter network.
• Signer / Hand Talk (sign language AI app): AI-driven sign language translation app focused on Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). Represents the emerging AI-sign-language category that could compete with human-mediated interpretation over time.

Regional players

• Interpreters Unlimited: US-based interpretation services firm offering on-site, phone, and video interpretation across many languages. Comparable institutional B2B/B2G GTM but focused on the US market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 SOL - smart translations