Inference Solutions

About Inference Solutions

Inference Solutions, founded in 2005 by Callan Schebella, established itself as a key provider of Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA) technology. The company originated as a spinoff from Telstra Research Laboratories in Australia before relocating its headquarters to San Francisco. Schebella, who served as CEO, has a career background rooted in voice automation and machine learning.

The company's core offering was the Inference Studio platform, a code-free, browser-based environment that enabled businesses to design, deploy, and manage their own IVAs. This platform was designed for non-technical users, featuring a drag-and-drop interface and a library of pre-configured tasks to streamline development. It supported omnichannel communications, including voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and web-based chatbots, and offered multilingual capabilities in over 125 languages. A key feature was its open architecture, allowing integration with conversational AI services from major providers like Google, Amazon, and IBM, giving clients flexibility in their technology stack.

Inference Solutions operated on a B2B model, primarily selling its platform through a network of telecommunications carriers and contact center software providers like AT&T, Telstra, and Broadsoft (now part of Cisco). This strategy allowed them to reach a broad market, from small businesses to large enterprises and government organizations. The business generated revenue through a monthly fee per virtual agent, with pricing based on the agent's skillset rather than minutes used, a model intended to simplify cost forecasting for clients. By 2020, the company had sold over 6,000 IVAs to more than 550 customers.

A significant milestone occurred on November 18, 2020, when Five9, a prominent provider of intelligent cloud contact centers, acquired Inference Solutions for approximately $172 million. The acquisition was a strategic move for Five9 to enhance its AI portfolio and automation capabilities, integrating Inference's IVA technology as a self-service option within its contact center platform. Prior to the acquisition, Five9 had already been a reseller of Inference's solution for about two years, establishing a compatible partnership and a shared customer base that included brands like Chick-fil-A and Windham Hotels.