Tomorrow night is showtime for VerbalizeIt– makers of a translation app that adds live bilingual interpreters to Skype voice and video calls – as multi-billionaire Mark Cuban and other investors decide whether to bank on the app during ABC’s hit reality series Shark Tank.
VerbalizeIt’s Ryan Frankel and Kunal Sarda spent an hour pitching to “The Sharks.” Their segment, which airs May 17 at 9 p.m. PT, will be edited down to some eight minutes. According to Frankel, “The Sharks got excited when we brought up Skype. They saw it as a great platform for VerbalizeIt – both in terms of the technology itself and in terms of the reach and popularity of Skype.”
The company has seen significant growth over the last several months. They’ve gone from four to six translation languages, and from a community of 2,000 interpreters to over 5,000 bilingual (and trilingual) experts, many specialized in specific industries such as medical, legal and financial translation.
VerbalizeIt is also finding a way to give back, providing language interpretation for the Skype in the Classroom initiative.
Frankel concludes, “None of our success would be possible without Skype. The ease of use, quality of the calls and nearly universal familiarity with Skype has helped VerbalizeIt become what it is today.”
Find out more on the Skype blog post.
Steve Clarke
Microsoft News Center Staff