As a journalist, I often find conference calls a pain. Some of the dial-in numbers are long enough to rope a steer. Others require you to install special software. A Sterling, VA-based startup wants to change all that.
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has invested $100,000 in Speek Inc., a simple and groundbreaking alternative to conference calls for both web and mobile users.
CIT President and CEO Pete Jobse said, “For businesses looking to cut travel costs, and small businesses whose budgets do not allow for travel, Speek offers an alternative solution to connecting people remotely in a more personal way than is currently on the market. Their innovative solution is changing this marketplace, and those are the types of companies in which we invest.”
Conference calling is a $3.2 billion market, generating over 56 billion minutes of usage. Traditional conference call providers offer services that are expensive for small business users, rely on long phone numbers with PINs and lack easy-to-use web interfaces, and often require software downloads.
As a SaaS web-based product, Speek requires no downloads, and is more affordable than the competition. It let’s users connect via a personal link instead of a phone number and pin. Speek offers a “conference table” visual experience that allows participants to see who is on the call and who is currently talking. Additional features include note taking, file sharing and muting certain speakers.
The mobile experience offers the ability to seamlessly join a conference call with a “click” or a simple text message.
Here’s a video showing how it works:
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Tags: conference calls, financing, Speek, Virginia CIT GAP funds
