ProBonoASL
BIPOC-led collective of Black and Brown American Sign Language interpreters providing culturally authentic ASL interpretation, consultation, and trilingual services to the BIPOC Deaf community across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ProBonoASL does
Pro Bono ASL is a BIPOC-led collective of Black and Brown American Sign Language interpreters founded in 2020 in direct response to the Black Lives Matter protests. The organization delivers culturally authentic ASL interpretation to the BIPOC Deaf community across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, with services spanning professional paid interpreting for conferences, theatre, medical, legal, entertainment industry, and government events; volunteer and pay-as-you-can interpreting for protests, funerals, memorial services, small businesses, and qualifying nonprofits; and a consultation line covering Deaf community advisory, accessibility improvements, sensitivity training, and accessibility budget development. The collective also offers trilingual interpretation across Spanish, Haitian Kreyol, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Tagalog, and Mexican Sign Language (LSM). Delivery occurs both in-person and via Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for virtual assignments, with digital presence built on Squarespace.
The underlying technology stack is minimal and human-centric: there is no proprietary software platform, no mobile app, no API, and no AI/ML capability disclosed. The core asset is the human collective — BIPOC interpreters whose lived cultural experiences the organization asserts cannot be formally taught — supplemented by a community partner ecosystem that includes BLD PWR, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, NAMD Advocates, Deaf Latinos y Familias, Courage California, the National Black Deaf Association, SignVote, and Jamii Linguists.
Revenue is generated through three streams: paid professional interpreting at email-negotiated per-event rates, pay-as-you-can volunteer services for qualifying organizations, and donations via Venmo (@ProBonoInterpreters) and CashApp ($ProBonoInterpreters). The organization operates as a worker-led cooperative rather than a traditional corporation, with no disclosed external investors, formal headcount, or incorporated entity structure. Customer segments span community and social justice nonprofits, local and county government entities, Hollywood productions and awards shows, and museums on both coasts.
ProBonoASL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ProBonoASL
- Legal name
- Pro Bono ASL
- Website
- https://probonoasl.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BIPOC-led collective of Black and Brown American Sign Language interpreters providing culturally authentic ASL interpretation, consultation, and trilingual services to the BIPOC Deaf community across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ProBonoASL industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sign Language Interpretation Services
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF), Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
Keywords
Where ProBonoASL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ProBonoASL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Interpreting Services: Paid professional ASL interpreting services for events requiring compensation. Rates are determined based on the scope of the event and negotiated via email. Most virtual assignments accept payment.
- Pro Bono / Volunteer Services: Pay-as-you-can volunteer interpreting services for protests, rallies, funerals, memorials, small businesses, and qualifying nonprofits. Offered at the discretion of the collective.
- Donations: Community donations accepted via Venmo (@ProBonoInterpreters) and CashApp ($ProBonoInterpreters) to support volunteer services provided to the community.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Interpreting Services |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Volunteer/Pro Bono Services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
ProBonoASL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pro Bono ASL is a BIPOC-led collective of Black and Brown American Sign Language interpreters providing paid professional interpreting services and pay-as-you-can volunteer/pro bono interpretation across diverse settings including conferences, protests, theatre, medical, legal, and entertainment events. The collective also offers consultation services covering Deaf community engagement, sensitivity training, sign language instruction, and accessibility budgeting, with both in-person and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) delivery for clients in the Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino county region.
Product overview
Pro Bono ASL is a collective of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) American Sign Language interpreters offering both pro bono and professional paid interpreting services. The organization provides ASL access across diverse settings through Professional Interpreting Services, Volunteer/Pro Bono Interpreting Services, Consultation Services, and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). Their service portfolio spans virtual events, conferences, festivals, concerts, theatre, religious services, academic institutions, medical facilities, entertainment industry events, legal proceedings, trilingual interpretation, protests and rallies, camera-forward news events, pre-recorded videos, museums, and galas. They serve both in-person and virtually, supporting the BIPOC Deaf community in the Los Angeles area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Professional Interpreting Services
- Volunteer/Pro Bono Interpreting Services
- Consultation Services
- Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
Companies that use ProBonoASL
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ProBonoASL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ProBonoASL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Black Lives Matter Los Angeles (BLMLA)coreOngoing partnership for weekly ASL interpretation support for Black Lives Matter movement events and accessibility initiatives.
- BLD PWRcoreRegular ASL interpretation services for organization events; described as having a wonderful ongoing working relationship.
- SignVoteminorCommunity partner organization supporting Deaf accessibility in civic engagement.
- Deaf Latinos y FamiliasminorCommunity partner organization supporting Latino/a Deaf community accessibility.
- National Alliance of Multicultural Disabled Advocates (NAMD Advocates)minorPartner for ADA celebration events and multicultural disability advocacy accessibility.
- Courage CaliforniaminorAdvocacy organization partner for event accessibility support.
- National Black Deaf Association (NBDA)minorNational advocacy organization supporting Black Deaf community accessibility and representation.
- PlantitasminorCommunity partner organization.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ProBonoASL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Language Line Solutions: Largest U.S. language interpretation provider offering ASL alongside spoken languages for healthcare, government, and enterprise customers. Competes on the same RFPs for institutional interpretation contracts where Pro Bono ASL also bids.
- Purple Communications: Major ASL interpreting service and VRI provider owned by ZP Better Together. Direct overlap with Pro Bono ASL in professional interpreting for events, medical, and legal settings; differs in scale and lack of BIPOC-specific branding.
- AMN Healthcare Language Services (Stratus Video): National VRI and in-person interpretation services provider serving healthcare, government, and enterprise. Overlaps with Pro Bono ASL in VRI delivery and large institutional customer base.
- Sorenson Communications: Largest U.S. provider of ASL interpreting services and Video Remote Interpreting, including consumer videophone hardware. Competes with Pro Bono ASL across VRI and enterprise event interpretation, but at much broader scale and without the cultural-affinity positioning.
- CyraCom: Interpretation services provider (now part of AMN Healthcare) offering ASL and spoken-language interpretation, primarily to hospitals and healthcare systems. Competes for the same healthcare and institutional interpreting contracts as Pro Bono ASL.
Others
- Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID): National professional membership and certification body for interpreters. Not a competitor but a key ecosystem reference — Pro Bono ASL explicitly cites RID's Code of Professional Conduct as part of its mission framing.
- National Association of the Deaf (NAD): Premier U.S. civil rights advocacy organization for the Deaf community. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem stakeholder whose advocacy work expands the addressable market for culturally competent interpreting services like those Pro Bono ASL provides.
Direct peers
- Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Nonprofit organization providing ASL interpreting services alongside advocacy and community programs. Similar hybrid paid-plus-mission model to Pro Bono ASL, though without the explicit BIPOC-led framing.
- ASLIS (ASL Interpreter Services): ASL interpreting referral and staffing agency matching clients with freelance interpreters. Closely comparable business model to Pro Bono ASL — both act as intermediaries between interpreter talent and event/institutional demand, differing mainly in cultural-affinity branding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ProBonoASL social profiles
Digital presenceProBonoASL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ProBonoASL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ProBonoASL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ProBonoASL 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 ProBonoASL
What does ProBonoASL do?
Pro Bono ASL is a BIPOC-led collective of Black and Brown American Sign Language interpreters providing paid professional interpreting services and pay-as-you-can volunteer/pro bono interpretation across diverse settings including conferences, protests, theatre, medical, legal, and entertainment events. The collective also offers consultation services covering Deaf community engagement, sensitivity training, sign language instruction, and accessibility budgeting, with both in-person and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) delivery for clients in the Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino county region.
Is ProBonoASL a public or private company?
ProBonoASL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ProBonoASL founded?
ProBonoASL was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ProBonoASL based?
ProBonoASL is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does ProBonoASL make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Interpreting Services are the primary driver. The others are pro Bono / Volunteer Services and donations.
Who are ProBonoASL's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Language Line Solutions, Purple Communications, AMN Healthcare Language Services (Stratus Video), Sorenson Communications and CyraCom. Others are Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Direct peers are Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and ASLIS (ASL Interpreter Services).
Does ProBonoASL have an API?
No public API is recorded for ProBonoASL.
What industry is ProBonoASL in?
ProBonoASL's product category is Sign Language Interpretation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAGAD, Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAF, Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 541930.