Mobivox

About Mobivox

Mobivox operated as a Canadian mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application and services provider, positioning itself in the market with a unique offering that blended VoIP with Interactive Voice Response (IVR). The company was founded in 2005 by Eric Reiher, Christian Varin, and Stephane Marceau, initially under the name VoxLib before beginning operations as Mobivox in Montréal in the spring of 2007. A significant milestone was achieved in October 2007, when the firm secured an $11 million investment from a consortium of venture capital funds, including IDG Ventures, Skypoint Capital, and Brightspark.

The company's business model focused on providing low-cost international calling without the need for users to download software or acquire special hardware, a direct challenge to services like Skype at the time. Mobivox generated revenue by offering competitive rates on international calls to non-users while calls between Mobivox users were free. The service worked with any existing mobile or landline phone. In 2008, the company shifted its strategy to also include white-labeling its platform to other service providers, seeking to achieve scale more rapidly by partnering with established players.

Mobivox's service was accessible through local access numbers in over 40 countries and was distinguished by its voice-activated user interface, dubbed "VoxGirl". Key features included an in-the-cloud contact book, instant conferencing for up to nine participants, group calling, and a "Call Me" button that could be embedded on websites or in emails to initiate calls without revealing the user's phone number. The platform also offered the ability to transfer calls from a mobile to a home phone, import contacts from services like Gmail and Skype, and send call credits to others. In September 2009, Mobivox ceased its independent operations when its assets were acquired by Sabse Technologies Inc., a U.S.-based VoIP company co-founded by Hotmail's Sabeer Bhatia.