Emerging Networking And Unified Communications Vendors To Know In 2021

As part of CRN’s Emerging Vendors for 2021, here are 13 hot networking and unified communications startups, founded in 2015 or later, that solution providers should be aware of.

The New Generation Of Networking And Unified Communications Companies

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020, forcing millions of people to work from home, communications and collaboration applications and the IT networks they ran on became a lifeline for many businesses and organizations.

While established IT vendors like Microsoft and Cisco Systems continue to play an outsized role in this segment of the IT industry, startup companies are developing many of the most innovative technologies in the networking and unified communications space including Network-as-a-Service, private LTE/5G wireless networks, data connectivity and network-based applications.

As part of CRN’s Emerging Vendors for 2021, here are 13 hot networking and unified communications startups, founded in 2015 or later, that solution providers should be aware of.

Alkira

Founded: 2018

Top Executive: Amir Khan, Founder, CEO

Startup Alkira emerged from stealth in 2020 with its consumption-based Cloud Services Exchange, a unified, on-demand offering that lets cloud architects and network engineers build and deploy a multi-cloud network in minutes.

Ananda Networks

Founded: 2018

Top Executive: Adi Ruppin, Co-Founder, CEO

Ananda Networks aims to rebuild corporate networks to meet distributed workforce and edge computing needs. The Ananda Secure Global LAN service helps customers create their own private networks, connecting users, devices and cloud services.

Celona

Founded: 2019

Top Executive: Rajeev Shah, Co-Founder, CEO

Celona provides a fully integrated offering for building enterprise private mobile networks. The company’s platform provides everything from SIM cards to mobile core technology for building private LTE or 5G networks to power applications.

For2Fi

Founded: 2017

Top Executive: Andrew Gregoire, CEO

For2Fi is bringing high-speed wireless 4G LTE service to hard-to-reach businesses and those that need immediate telecommunications and internet connectivity. The startup provides wireless, managed LTE and satellite offerings through the channel.

Geoverse

Founded: 2017

Top Executive: Roderick Nelson, CEO

Next-generation connectivity provider Geoverse designs, deploys and operates private LTE networks for business customers. The company’s private 5G/LTE wireless network lets users and devices roam across public carrier networks seamlessly and securely.

Infiot

Founded: 2018

Top Executive: Parag Thakore, CEO

Infiot brings a new approach to edge networking and connectivity. The startup provides a cloud-delivered, wireless edge service that converges remote network connectivity using SD-WAN, zero trust network access, edge compute and predictive insight.

NetFoundry

Founded: 2016

Top Executive: Galeal Zino, Co-Founder, CEO

NetFoundry’s SaaS platform is accessed via APIs, SDKs and DevOps tool integrations, enabling businesses to connect applications without the cost and complexity of VPNs, custom hardware and private circuits.

Pidj.co

Founded: 2020

Top Executive: Erik Drumm, CEO

Pidj.co’s marketing and customer engagement platform empowers organizations to connect with customers in real time via automated and two-way text messages on their mobile devices.

Turing Video

Founded: 2017

Top Executive: Jerry Zhong, Co-Founder, President

Turing Video provides business intelligence and insight using AI-enabled analytics, improving workplace safety and security, aiding in risk mitigation and boosting operational efficiency in the grocery, hospitality, financial and education spaces.

Ultatel

Founded: 2016

Top Executive: Amr Ibrahim, Founder, CEO

Ultatel develops the cloud-based Clarity UC phone offering, providing voice, video, fax, SMS and audio-conferencing capabilities in one affordable system. The system’s 40-plus features allow users to seamlessly operate across single and multiple locations.

UX2D

Founded: 2020

Top Executive: Brian Russell, President

UX2D’s SaaS-based content management system provides simplified scalability for digital signage networks, helping businesses maximize the benefits of digital signage. The system deploys and updates digital signage content, including video and high-resolution images.

Vcinity

Founded: 2018

Top Executive: Harry Carr, CEO

Vcinity’s data connectivity platform resolves the challenges of working with geographically dispersed data regardless of distance, volume, application or network capacity. Vcinity integrates compute, networking and storage operations, enabling mission-critical, distributed data applications globally.

Zammo.ai

Founded: 2019

Top Executive: Alex Farr, Founder, CEO

Zammo.ai’s AI-powered voice computing system is a no-code SaaS platform for building voice applications and chatbots that automate business through voice commands and can be deployed with one click across all conversation channels.