Greta App
Greta App operates the Greta mobile app, which synchronizes audio descriptions, SDH subtitles, sound amplification, and sign language with films via sound recognition, serving blind, deaf and hard-of-hearing cinema audiences across DACH and Europe via B2B distributor partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Greta App does
Greta App, legally operating as Greta & Starks GmbH, is a Berlin-headquartered accessibility technology company founded in 2013. It builds and operates the Greta mobile application for iOS and Android, which plays audio descriptions, subtitles/closed captions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH), sound amplification, and sign language videos in synchronization with films via audio fingerprinting against the cinema soundtrack. The app is free for end users and requires only a smartphone and earbuds, with no additional hardware or cinema-side investment, enabling independent cinema access for blind, deaf, hard-of-hearing, and visually impaired audiences.
Greta monetizes through B2B partnerships with film distributors and studios, who engage the company to deliver accessible versions of their catalogs. The platform currently covers 1,000+ films via relationships with 27+ distributors including Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Studiocanal, and Constantin-Film. Distribution is product-led via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, supplemented by partnerships with cinema operators (including Pathé and UGC) across DACH and France, and supported by German public funding from BKM, BMWK, FFA, and regional film funds.
The company's growth orientation is signaled by intent to expand from accessibility into foreign-language subtitles and audio for tourists, expats, and language students across additional European markets, including through the Creative Europe program. With a reported 7-person team and no disclosed funding rounds or revenue, Greta remains a small, mission-driven operator whose scale is anchored in content partnerships and a regulatory tailwind (German public film funding mandates barrier-free versions).
Greta App firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Greta App
- Legal name
- Greta & Starks
- Website
- https://gretaandstarks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Greta App operates the Greta mobile app, which synchronizes audio descriptions, SDH subtitles, sound amplification, and sign language with films via sound recognition, serving blind, deaf and hard-of-hearing cinema audiences across DACH and Europe via B2B distributor partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Greta App industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cinema Accessibility Software
- NAICS
- Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH), Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
Keywords
Greta App business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- B2B Partnerships with Film Distributors: Film distributors engage Greta & Starks to make films fully accessible. The app is free for end users, with revenue generated through partnerships with film distributors and studios who pay to have their content made accessible through the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free consumer app for users with accessibility needs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Greta App product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Greta App, developed by Greta & Starks, is a free cross-platform mobile application (iOS and Android) that enables people with sight or hearing loss to experience fully accessible cinema. The app plays audio descriptions, subtitles/closed captions (SDH) for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, sound amplification, and sign language videos synchronized to films in real time using proprietary sound recognition technology. Films are made accessible through B2B partnerships with major film distributors and studios, with more than 1,000 accessible films currently available.
Product overview
Greta App offers a single unified product — the Greta mobile application — which serves as an accessibility platform for cinema. The app enables people with sight or hearing loss to experience fully accessible films by playing audio descriptions (AD), subtitles/closed captions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH), sound amplification, and sign language videos. Greta synchronizes with films using sound recognition, works cross-platform on Android and iOS devices, and is free of charge. The product primarily serves individuals with disabilities, foreign audiences (tourists, expats, language students), and cinema operators in the DACH region and across Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Greta mobile app Free cross-platform mobile application (iOS and Android) that plays audio descriptions, SDH subtitles/closed captions, sound amplification, and sign language videos synchronized to films via proprietary sound recognition technology. Designed for blind, deaf, hard-of-hearing, and visually impaired cinema audiences, as well as international audiences needing foreign language subtitles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 31.5 million people with sight or hearing loss in Europe and 600 million worldwide can access cinema
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Greta App
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Greta App technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Greta App partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Staatsministerin für Kultur und Medien (BKM)coreGerman federal government ministry providing cultural funding support for accessibility initiatives in cinema
- Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK)coreGerman federal ministry supporting innovative accessibility technology startups through funding programs
- Constantin-FilmcoreMajor German film production and distribution company providing accessible film content through the Greta platform
- dcm Film DistributionmajorFilm distribution company providing accessible content for distribution through Greta app
- DisneycoreMajor entertainment studio providing accessible film content through Greta platform
- Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)minorGerman federal film funding institution that supports film production and accessibility initiatives
- Media - Europe Loves CinemaminorCreative Europe desk program supporting European cinema accessibility initiatives
- LeoninemajorGerman film distribution company providing accessible content for Greta platform
- LucasfilmcoreMajor film studio providing accessible content (including Star Wars franchise) through Greta platform
- MarvelcoreMajor entertainment studio providing accessible superhero film content through Greta platform
- Medienboard Berlin BrandenburgminorRegional film funding body for Berlin-Brandenburg supporting accessibility initiatives
- Neue Visionen FilmverleihmajorGerman art-house film distributor providing accessible content through Greta
- Paname DistributionminorFrench film distribution company providing accessible content for Greta platform
- ParamountcoreMajor Hollywood studio providing accessible film content through Greta platform
- Pathé FilmsmajorFrench film distribution company providing accessible content for Greta platform
- Piffl MedienminorGerman film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta
- Regards NeufsminorSwiss film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta platform
- SNDminorFrench film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta
- SonycoreMajor entertainment studio providing accessible film content through Greta platform
- StudiocanalcoreEuropean film production and distribution company providing accessible content through Greta platform
- TobismajorGerman film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta
- UGCminorFrench cinema chain and distribution company providing accessible screenings through Greta
- Universal Pictures International GermanycoreMajor Hollywood studio providing accessible film content through Greta platform
- Warner BrotherscoreMajor Hollywood studio providing accessible film content through Greta platform
- WeltkinominorGerman art-house film distributor providing accessible content through Greta
- X-VerleihminorGerman film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta
- ZincminorFrench film distribution company providing accessible content through Greta platform
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Greta App competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ava: Ava provides AI-powered real-time captioning for in-person and virtual conversations, serving deaf and hard-of-hearing users on mobile. Like Greta, Ava is a mobile app delivering accessibility overlay (live captions) via the user's own smartphone — directly competing for the same disability user base through a complementary but overlapping accessibility workflow.
- Be My Eyes: Be My Eyes is a free mobile app connecting blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers and AI for visual assistance. It targets the same blind/low-vision mobile-first audience as Greta in disability-focused accessibility, though via volunteer matching rather than content sync.
- 3Play Media: 3Play Media is a professional captioning, transcription, and audio description services provider serving media and enterprise clients. It overlaps with Greta's upstream content workflow (producing AD/SDH assets) and serves overlapping B2B media customers, including studios needing accessible content.
- Otter.ai: Otter.ai delivers AI-powered live transcription and captioning across meetings, with consumer and enterprise mobile apps. It competes with Greta's captioning technology stack and overlaps in deaf/HoH user cases, though anchored to conversational rather than media-synchronized contexts.
- Rev.com: Rev provides AI- and human-powered captioning and transcription services, including caption file formats used in cinema and broadcast. Rev competes for the same captioning/ASR workflows that Greta's content partners require, at the upstream content-production layer.
- Verbit: Verbit offers AI-driven professional transcription and captioning services for media, legal, and education verticals, including live and post-production captioning. Its captioning stack overlaps with the upstream accessibility content production that Greta's distributor partners procure.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Accessibility: Microsoft embeds accessibility (live captions, narrator, audio descriptions) across Windows, Office, and Xbox, including media contexts. As a platform incumbent, Microsoft represents an indirect competitive threat to dedicated accessibility apps like Greta.
- Google Accessibility (Live Captions / Lookout): Google ships Live Captions, Lookout, and Android accessibility features that overlap with Greta's captioning and sound-amplification use cases on consumer devices. As these become richer for media playback, they reduce demand for Greta-style third-party overlays.
- Apple Accessibility: Apple builds native accessibility (VoiceOver, closed captions, sound amplification, hearing health) across iOS, iPadOS, and Apple TV. While not a Greta substitute in cinema, Apple TVs/cinema integrations into native captions erode the addressable role of third-party accessibility overlays over time.
- Disney+ (Walt Disney streaming accessibility): Disney+ ships native audio descriptions, closed captions, and sign language guides across its catalog — including titles that Greta also makes accessible in cinemas. As one of Greta's largest studio partners, Disney's streaming product competes with Greta's distribution-layer value proposition for the same underlying content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Greta App social profiles
Digital presenceGreta App financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Greta App leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Greta App funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Greta App 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 Greta App
What does Greta App do?
Greta App, developed by Greta & Starks, is a free cross-platform mobile application (iOS and Android) that enables people with sight or hearing loss to experience fully accessible cinema. The app plays audio descriptions, subtitles/closed captions (SDH) for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, sound amplification, and sign language videos synchronized to films in real time using proprietary sound recognition technology. Films are made accessible through B2B partnerships with major film distributors and studios, with more than 1,000 accessible films currently available.
Is Greta App a public or private company?
Greta App is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Greta App founded?
Greta App was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Greta App make money?
One revenue line is on record: B2B Partnerships with Film Distributors.
Who are Greta App's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ava, Be My Eyes, 3Play Media, Otter.ai, Rev.com and Verbit. Broad incumbents are Microsoft Accessibility, Google Accessibility (Live Captions / Lookout), Apple Accessibility and Disney+ (Walt Disney streaming accessibility).
Does Greta App have an API?
No public API is recorded for Greta App.
What industry is Greta App in?
Greta App's product category is Cinema Accessibility Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAGAC, Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description), with a secondary code of EDAGALAH, Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning). Its NAICS code is 512199 and its SIC code is 7829.