InnoCaption announced on July 7 in Irvine, California, that it has surpassed 30 million captioned phone calls, marking the 10th anniversary of its flagship mobile captioning application, while unveiling a leadership transition to support the company's next phase of growth.
Over the past decade, the company said its active user base has expanded 44-fold, serving hundreds of thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing users while broadening its portfolio beyond captioned calling into AI-powered accessibility services.
More than 50 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss, and the global population with hearing loss is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. As voice communication increasingly shifts to smartphones, internet-based calling and video conferencing, accessibility technologies are becoming a growing part of digital communication infrastructure.
"Reaching 30 million captioned calls is about much more than a number," said Joseph Lee, founder and co-CEO of InnoCaption. "Every one of those calls represents a conversation that helped someone connect with family, speak with a doctor, interview for a job, or simply participate more fully in everyday life."
AI expansion broadens accessibility platform
Over the past two years, InnoCaption has expanded its platform through the acquisition of CaptionMate, which supports captioning in more than 100 languages; the introduction of AI-powered text-to-speech capabilities; and the launch of InnoCaption Video, a video-calling application designed for accessibility.
The company said these investments reflect the growing role of AI in making digital communication more accessible across multiple platforms.
Leadership transition prepares next stage of growth
As part of the transition, founder and co-CEO Joseph Lee will become Chairman of the Board, focusing on long-term strategy and governance, while co-CEO Joe Duarte will assume the role of Vice Chairman, continuing his advocacy for accessibility and the company's mission.
Chief Operating Officer Paul Lee has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, taking responsibility for daily operations, product strategy and business expansion. Since joining InnoCaption in 2020, he has led several major initiatives, including the redevelopment of the company's flagship application, the CaptionMate acquisition and the rollout of AI-powered text-to-speech technology. He will also remain on the Board of Directors.
The company also promoted Cristina Duarte to Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. She will continue overseeing regulatory engagement, including relationships with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), while serving as a Board Observer.
"As advancements in AI technology continue to reshape what is possible for us to deliver, we see an enormous opportunity to make conversations even more accessible, natural, and inclusive," incoming CEO Paul Lee said.
Building on a decade of accessibility innovation
Founded in 2007, InnoCaption pioneered one of the first smartphone-based captioned phone services, later becoming an early provider of both live-stenographer and fully automated captioning technologies. Today, its services are available across iOS, Android and web platforms through the FCC-certified Telecommunications Relay Service program.
Looking ahead, the company said it will continue investing in AI-driven accessibility technologies that reduce communication barriers for people with hearing loss or speech disabilities.
