HandsUp

What HandsUp does

HandsUp is the first dedicated sign language interpreting agency in Greece, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Kallithéa, Athens. The company delivers a portfolio of accessibility services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, including in-person and online Greek Sign Language (GSL) interpretation, interpreter consultancy and supervision, accessible website development, professional subtitling, lip-reading, acoustic description for visually impaired audiences, deaf awareness training seminars, and the HandsApp tablet application that enables self-guided museum and venue navigation through professional sign-language video content. Its revenue model is project-based professional services with direct enterprise sales supplemented by community-led referrals and a retail channel partnership (Praktiker Hellas).

The business is built around a curated network of certified GSL interpreters who are members of the Association of Greek Sign Language Interpreters (AGSLI-SDENG). Founder George Stathis holds the presidency of AGSLI-SDENG and serves as Secretary General of the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (EFSLI), giving the firm influence over professional standards and direct access to the certified interpreter pool. Customer logos span banking (Alpha Bank, Eurobank), telecommunications (COSMOTE, Nova), government (gov.gr, US Embassy, OAKA), retail (Praktiker Hellas), cultural institutions (Museum of Cycladic Art), media (Akis Petretzikis), sports (Stoiximan Super League), and CPG (Mythos Beer), indicating broad but event-driven project revenue.

HandsUp's technology footprint is limited and service-oriented: HandsApp is a tablet application with pre-recorded interpreter videos; the firm contributed GSL content as a research partner to the EU Horizon 2020 AiD project on AI-driven sign language avatars (in collaboration with Cyprus University of Technology), but does not develop or operate proprietary AI systems. The company is structured as a private social enterprise, has received no disclosed external funding, and has been recognized with three consecutive Hellenic Responsible Business Awards (2019, 2020 Silver, 2021 Gold) for social entrepreneurship.

Name

HandsUp

Legal name

Hands Up Agency

Website

https://hands-up.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HandsUp is the first sign language interpreting agency in Greece, providing Greek Sign Language interpretation, accessible websites, subtitling, and the HandsApp venue-navigation tablet application to government, cultural, corporate, and event-based clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sign Language Interpretation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (54193), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB), Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Sign language interpretation
• Accessibility services
• Deaf community services
• Interpretation agency
• Communication accessibility

Headquarters

HQ city

Kallithéa

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Sign Language Interpretation Services: Professional sign language interpretation services for events, conferences, seminars, speeches, cultural events, and governmental functions. Services provided both in-person and online through certified interpreters.
2. Accessibility Consulting: Consulting and supervision services for professional and trainee Greek Sign Language interpreters, including reflective practice, feedback, peer mentoring, and case study analysis.
3. Digital Accessibility Solutions: Services including accessible website development, video accessibility, subtitling, and the HandsApp tablet application for museums and exhibitions.
4. Educational Seminars: Deaf awareness training seminars conducted by deaf instructors with simultaneous interpretation, providing information about deafness, culture, and community.
5. Event Promotion Services: Promotion and advertising services for events to deaf organizations and associations, including sign language video creation and subtitling.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HandsUp is a Greek sign language interpreting agency that provides accessibility services connecting deaf and hearing people through professional interpretation. The company sells interpretation sessions and accessibility consulting to organizations, government entities, and corporations that need to communicate inclusively with deaf audiences.

Product overview

HandsUp is the first Sign Language Interpreting agency in Greece, founded in 2017, offering a comprehensive portfolio of accessibility services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The core offering includes Sign Language Interpretation services (online and in-person), complemented by GSL Interpreter Consultancy for professional development. The company provides accessibility solutions including Accessible Website services, Subtitling Service, Acoustic Description Service, and Lip-Reading Service. HandsApp serves as a dedicated tablet application for museum and venue navigation. Additional services include "Sign" Your Advertisement! for promotional content accessibility and Informative – Educational Seminars for deaf awareness training. Together, these services enable equal access across events, digital platforms, cultural institutions, and educational environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Museum collections made accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• WASLI (World Association of Sign Language Interpreters)coreOthersOfficial member of WASLI, the global association for sign language interpreters. Membership provides legitimacy and connection to international interpreter community.
• EFSLI (European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters)coreOthersCompany founder serves as Secretary General of EFSLI. Active participation in European interpreter community and conferences.
• AGSLI-SDENG (Association of Interpreters of Greek Sign Language)coreOthersAll HandsUp interpreters are certified members of AGSLI-SDENG. Company founder serves as President of the association.
• Museum of Cycladic ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration making museum collections accessible to deaf visitors. Includes guided tours in sign language, staff training, and HandsApp deployment for the visitor guide application.
• LOATA (Greek LGBT PwD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to create official and politically correct LGBTI+ terminology vocabulary in Greek Sign Language.
• SKEP (Σωματείο Κοινωνικής Παιδαγωγικής)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Hop on Inclusion project and Mythos Beer universally accessible campaign. SKEP is an innovative Online Disability Awareness Hub.
• BBDOmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency for Mythos Beer 360 universally accessible campaign. HandsUp provided sign language interpretation for campaign materials.
• Black LightmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Mythos Beer universally accessible campaign, contributing to inclusive communication approach.
• Praktiker HellascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPraktiker offers HandsUp sign language interpretation services to retail customers. Customers can book interpretation appointments through Praktiker website.
• Olympic Brewery (Mythos Beer)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for universally accessible 360 campaign, first of its kind in Greece, providing sign language interpretation for all campaign materials.
• Cyprus University of TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupervision and guidance for Horizon 2020 AiD application project, which aims to create AI-powered communication solutions for deaf individuals.
• Hellenic Federation of the DeafcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration for deaf community accessibility initiatives and interpreter services.
• National Foundation of the DeafcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for deaf community initiatives and accessibility services.
• Faros (Lighthouse) of Blind People GreeceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Braille edition of poetry collection 'Ek Vakcheias Monogenesi', supporting accessibility for visually impaired individuals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZVRS: Major US video relay and sign language interpretation provider, serving both consumer and enterprise markets. Directly comparable in combining interpreter services with accessibility technology infrastructure, though at much larger US scale.
• Convo Relay: US on-demand video sign language interpretation platform for businesses and deaf consumers. Comparable to HandsUp in combining VRI technology with certified interpreter networks, but with a stronger product-led / SaaS orientation.
• Sorenson Communications: Largest US provider of sign language interpretation and video relay services, serving deaf and hard-of-hearing customers and enterprise clients. Directly comparable in mission and service model to HandsUp, but operating at significantly greater scale in a much larger market.
• Purple Communications: US-based provider of Video Relay Service (VRS) and on-site sign language interpretation for businesses and government. Closely aligned with HandsUp's model of providing certified interpreters and accessibility solutions to enterprise and public-sector clients.

Emerging players

• InterpreterNow: UK provider of on-demand BSL video interpreting for businesses, healthcare and public services. Comparable in combining on-demand interpreter access with digital delivery, but focused on British Sign Language and operating in the UK only.
• SignAll: Technology company building automated sign language translation via computer vision. Comparable to HandsUp's exploration of accessibility technology (e.g., HandsApp, AiD project) but takes a pure-tech / AI approach rather than human-interpretation-led services.

Regional players

• SignVideo (UK): UK-based provider of on-demand British Sign Language video interpretation for businesses and public services. Directly comparable service offering to HandsUp but operating in a different geography and language (BSL vs Greek Sign Language).

Broad incumbents

• AMN Healthcare Language Services (Stratus Video): US healthcare-focused interpretation and language access provider, offering video, phone and sign language interpreting. Overlaps with HandsUp's interpretation services but is anchored in healthcare rather than cultural/public-sector work.
• LanguageLine Solutions: Global leader in spoken-language interpretation and translation, also offering sign language services. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across many languages and modalities including ASL, but with a much larger portfolio and primarily healthcare/government focus.
• CyraCom: Large US provider of language access services including interpretation and translation across healthcare, government and business. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering multi-language interpretation infrastructure, but not specialized in sign language the way HandsUp is.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HandsUp.InterpreterAgency
• Xx.com/HandsUp_Agency

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 HandsUp