An IIT-KGP Startup, Croak.it wants to be the Instagram for Sounds, Launches “Talk Button” for Websites

Croak.it is an interactive online communication using voice-enabled tools available on the web as well as mobile space. What Croak.it is doing is to give people the chance to use their voice and stamp their own individuality in any online interaction, anywhere on the Internet, at just the click of a button.

The start-up, founded by two IIT Kharagpur graduates, allows users to discover, collect and convey thoughts and expressions on-the-go over voice in 30-second audio snippets (called ‘croaks’) with a single click.

Their latest launch, the ‘Talk Button’ for businesses, is a simple tool that allows businesses to let customers interact with the company right on their websites. Use cases include one-click customer care hotlines, voice reviews, interactive consumer surveys, discussion boards, project collaboration platforms etc. The company has already brought on board a handful of paying business-customers and is in talks with several more. “It’s simple, hassle-free, and gives a new dimension to your brand image”, says Srinivasa Teja, the CEO.

Launched in May 2012, Croak.it quickly captured the imagination of the consumer internet market space with its MVP recording over 100,000+ croaks in 10 months. With the launch of the new feature intensive site, Croak.it has seen increasing interactions with the count of croaks recorded soaring past 220,000 by the end of May, 2013.

Croak.it has seen massive uptake in the education sector especially with over 50 schools in the US and in Europe using it regularly as a classroom teaching tool. In Education AppMadness 13, users from the US voted Croak.it into the top 4 best free education iOS apps available. Says Teja, “There’s something inspirational about how voice is allowing people to get free off barriers set by text boxes. We allow people to use the wide plethora of emotions that only voice can give. Why type in English, if you want to speak in your mother tongue? We want people to explore the individualism in their voices.”

With the launch of the updated version, Croak.it continues to be rated 4.8 out of 5 in the Apple App Store. Features that have been added to the consumer service include the ability to create a personalized collections of croaks that can be saved, creation of croaks via uploading of sound files from the computer and mixing with other croaks, among others. People can also follow other users whom they’d like to be updated about. With an eclectic mix of podcasters, RJs, amateur singers and poets, among others, the content is always engaging and a treat to browse through. To bring the best content to the fore, each croak is assigned a score which fluctuates according to activity, helping the best content to bubble up to the Hot and Trending lists.

“We believe in not underestimating the power of serendipity”, says Teja, “Each croak is unique and contains fascinating sounds. Our favorites include one that was the screeching sound of one of those modems in the late 90s, and one of a 4 year old kid promising to teach adults about Croak.it”

Having raised angel funding from Singapore-based corporate angel investor GITPx Investments (GITPx) in 2012, founders Protik and Teja are looking to raise a proper series A in the next few months. Their objective is to expand their business into Europe and the US, enabling people to talk on the internet. Taking on both the consumer web, and with the launch of the Talk Button, the B2B market, Croak.it! aims to be at the forefront of sound technology, and revolutionize the way people interact on the internet.

Croak.it welcomes everyone to connect with them on their Facebook and Twitter page.

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