InnoCaption Marks 10 Years with 30 Million Captioned Calls, Announces Next Generation of Leadership

Founder and co-CEO Joseph Lee becomes Chairman of the Board, co-CEO Joe Duarte becomes Vice Chairman of the Board; COO Paul Lee becomes CEO

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InnoCaption, a leader in AI-enabled accessibility technology, today announced it has surpassed 30 million captioned phone calls, marking 10 years since the launch of their flagship call captioning app. Over the past decade, the company has grown its active user base 44x and helped hundreds of thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals communicate with greater confidence. This growth has occurred alongside a significant expansion of the company’s products and services.

Today, more than 50 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss, with the total number of people with hearing loss worldwide projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. At the same time, telecommunication has become increasingly digital, with mobile voice calls, internet-based calling, and video meetings now central to everyday life. InnoCaption has spent the past decade helping ensure that accessibility evolves alongside these technologies by delivering mobile-first solutions that remove barriers to connection.

"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. That's always been our mission."

Over the last two years, InnoCaption has acquired CaptionMate, a call captioning app that offers captions in over 100 languages; added AI-powered text-to-speech features to the InnoCaption app to better serve users who prefer typing to communicate; and launched InnoCaption Video, a video calling app built with accessibility in mind. As InnoCaption celebrates its first decade, it is also announcing a planned leadership transition designed to support its next phase of growth.

Founder and co-CEO Joseph Lee will become Chairman of the Board, focusing on long-term vision, governance, and mentorship. Co-CEO Joe Duarte will become Vice Chairman of the Board, continuing his role as an advocate for accessibility and as a steward of the company's mission.

Paul Lee, currently Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will assume responsibility for the company's day-to-day operations, product strategy, and continued expansion. Since joining InnoCaption in 2020, Paul has led a number of key initiatives including the development of the latest InnoCaption app, which was rebuilt from scratch starting in 2022, the CaptionMate acquisition, and development of AI-powered text-to-speech features. He will also continue serving on the company's Board of Directors.

The company also announced that Cristina Duarte has been promoted to Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, recognizing her leadership in strengthening relationships with external stakeholders including the Federal Communications Commission and InnoCaption’s user community. She will also serve as a Board Observer, taking an active role in InnoCaption’s governance.

"InnoCaption has always been focused on solving real communication challenges," said Paul Lee, incoming CEO. "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. Our focus remains the same as it was ten years ago: using technology to help people connect."

Founded in 2007, InnoCaption pioneered the first captioned phone service designed specifically for smartphones at a time when other companies were focused on landline phone solutions. They were the first provider to offer captioning by live stenographers, then the first to offer fully automated captioning. Today, the company continues to support its community of users through innovative new products and services while remaining fully owned by the Lee and Duarte families.

“Cristina and I have seen how hard Joe and Joseph worked to build this company,” says Paul Lee. “We’ve watched them navigate challenges with grace and been inspired by their commitment to listening to our users and putting their needs first. Now it’s our turn to carry this story forward and to help make the world more accessible for everyone who needs it.”

As it enters its next chapter, InnoCaption plans to continue investing in accessibility technologies that remove barriers to telecommunication and expand access for people with hearing loss or speech disabilities.

About InnoCaption

InnoCaption is an accessibility technology company dedicated to helping people break down barriers to telecommunication in their everyday lives. Available on iOS, Android, and the web, our apps provide best-in-class call captioning to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, as well as advanced text-to-speech features for those who don’t voice for themselves. Because we are FCC-certified and funded through the Telecommunications Relay Service fund, our service is free for eligible users.

Founded in 2007, InnoCaption is based in Irvine, California. Visit www.innocaption.com to learn more.