Bye bye blurry video calls: Here’s a WebRTC startup that offers close to HD video quality using any device

Find out how they are building the next generation of web communications.

Immersed in a disruptive communications technology called Web Real Time Communications, or WebRTC, Temasys provides a full stack Platform-as-a-Service solution based on the new standard for video, audio, and data interactivity. WebRTC is about placing communication into the context of the user experience, communicating using video, audio and chat functions, or even exchanging peer-to-peer data through a web browser, or with any internet-connected device. Temasys’ developer tools and cloud-scale infrastructure allow anyone to build applications that boast significantly higher quality of video versus existing conferencing and video tools.

This startup company claims that it is able to offer close to HD-quality video conferencing, at only a quarter of the bandwidth compared to other applications in the market. ​Temasys aims to help bring new applications to life, powered by WebRTC.

Chip Wilcox, CEO of Temasys explained that their company participates in the standards committee and the working group that defines the technology itself, among 40+ others. Industry bodies like W3C and the IETF are working to formalize a WebRTC 1.0 standard. Beyond its participation, the company claims to be one of eight companies creating the very DNA of WebRTC, contributing to an open source implementation of the standard used by Chrome, Firefox and Opera. “We are the only B2B WebRTC company in Asia, and certainly the only one that is a startup,” he said.

Recently, the company announced that Citrix, an American multinational software company, has licensed Temasys’ WebRTC plugin for use with GoToMeeting Free - the no-cost voice, video and screen-sharing communications service. This plugin will enable Citrix to extend WebRTC to GoToMeeting Free users on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Apple’s Safari browsers. According to web analytics firm Net Applications, Internet Explorer and Safari together account for over 63.2% of the desktop and 45.4% of the mobile and tablet browser market share as of January 2015.

However, more than all the company highlights, they believe that what they can bring to the customer is more important. Chip explained that their solution solves a very fundamental real-time communications problem faced by end-users and the ecosystem as a whole – the lack of WebRTC support on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Apple’s Safari browsers. Temasys helps by providing the only commercial-grade solution to make WebRTC work on Internet Explorer and Safari.

To Chip, WebRTC could very well be the future of peer-to-peer communication, with global players moulding or adopting the technology. WebRTC is building clout – and is expected to be on over two billion unique devices by end-2016, and on over six billion devices by 2019 according to analyst Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis.

So what sets Temasys apart? What they have proposed is to let businesses embed real-time communication features within their core platforms and applications, allowing these businesses to retain control their customers and end-user interaction, in a manner consistent with their own branding and user experience. With Temasys’ solutions, telco, VoIP and over-the-top-content (OTT) businesses can extend their infrastructures, which are often built on legacy technologies. It also allows developers of web and mobile apps to keep their users engaged, with real-time interactivity.

“WebRTC is a truly disruptive technology, and we are seeing a positive shift in its adoption globally. With Temasys' support, businesses, application developers and conferencing companies can now extend their enterprise-grade WebRTC services to customers, providing near HD level video quality, along with streaming, at a fraction of the bandwidth usually needed. Ultimately the conversation won’t be so much about providing the front-end support which allows WebRTC to be embedded into any browser, app or device, but rather, it would be around providing back-end infrastructure support, making it possible to scale to hundreds of millions of users. That’s what Temasys offers,” said Chip.

Temasys’ claims their solutions are vital to support video conferencing, with use cases including in contact centres, HR, visual collaboration and distance learning. While in other sectors, like healthcare, Temasys’ solutions can be a tool to help experts in multiple locations participate in sharing and viewing images. Moreover, Temasys states that they could also provide real time communications connectivity for solar-powered, satellite-connected emergency medical services, like what they did with Philippines Red Cross to help the people affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

Temasys’ footprint

Temasys Communications was founded in 2012 by Tom Preststulen and Bill Lewis. The company had a capital restructuring round in 2013 and their management team is now helmed by Chip, 47, as CEO and Dr. Alex Gouaillard, 37 as CTO. Chip, originally from the USA, has over 25 years of experience with an international track record in leadership, general management, planning, product and operations management. Alex, a Frenchman, is regarded as one of the pioneers of WebRTC. Alex attends the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), and is a member of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). The company also contributes to other initiatives to support adoption of WebRTC, like the WebRTCInWebKit collaboration alongside Ericsson Research, Igalia, and other global players, with the end goal of making the technology more accessible to iOS focussed developers.

When Temasys started, it was established as a Video as a Service (VaaS) business, using what was then a leading edge technology from Vidyo (NJ, USA). In August 2012, Temasys transformed its business, embracing WebRTC, and began to develop enterprise-grade solutions with this technology.

They received seed funding from their founders, friends and family members. Temasys was also awarded a Development Grant by IDA, and received incentives against expenses to support WebRTC technology development totalling about S$300,000.

Currently, they have raised about US$3m (S$4m) in funding and are targeting to raise another US$5 to 10m (S$6.2 – 12.4m) to support market expansion and growth acceleration. Moving forward, Chip said they will continue to bring ‘best-in-class’ WebRTC functionality to the masses with the ability to interoperate with older VoIP systems, new features and easy-to-use add-ons and plugins for popular content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. They will also continue to work with key customers on innovative projects and custom implementations, helping to showcase new and innovative use cases in different verticals, from financial services to social business, and others. 

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company Name: Temasys
Founders: Tom Prestulen, Bill Lewis and Dr. Alex Gouaillard
Website: https://www.temasys.com.sg/
Total Funding at hand: USD3M
Source of funding: Seed Funding, Technology Development Grants
Major investors: IDA, WebRTC Technology Development
Start of operation: 2012

For startups wanting to be featured, send your message to Lee Anne Babierra at research@charltonmediamail.com