Award Recognizes the 100 “Most Promising” Firms Driving the Future of Technology

Red Herring today announced that SpinVox Ltd, the world’s first voicemail-to-text company for mobile phones and landlines, is a recipient of Red Herring 100 Europe, a selection of the 100 private companies based in the EMEA region that play a leading role in innovation and technology. “Market obstacles remain but our list shows that great companies are being created in Europe,” said Red Herring editor-in-chief Joel Dreyfuss. Red Herring’s lists of top private companies are an important part of the magazine’s tradition of identifying new and innovative technology companies and entrepreneurs. Companies like Google, eBay and Skype were spotted in their early days by Red Herring editors as those that would change the way we live and work. Red Herring’s editorial staff rigorously evaluated more than 700 private companies through a careful analysis of financial data and subjective criteria, including quality of management, execution of strategy, and dedication to research and development. To honor the CEOs of Red Herring 100 Europe companies, Red Herring has invited each CEO to present his or her company at its Venture Market Europe 2006 conference, a forum for technology’s most exciting companies to share their insights on the future of innovation and the entrepreneurial journey. Scheduled for May 8-10, at the Westin Paris, this intimate, three-day conference will explore the trends, technologies and people affecting the IT sphere in the EMEA region. Last year’s optimistic outlook has been revisited and reflected in the 2006 theme “Old World, New Hope - 100 Reasons to Believe in Europe’s Innovative Edge.” SpinVox’s patented technology converts voicemail messages to texts and sends them straight to your mobile phone, as if the caller had sent a text. The message can also be converted to email and sent to your inbox allowing you to keep in touch instantly and discreetly wherever you are. SpinVox has had tremendous success in the UK, working with blue-chip partners to take the service to market. Indeed, customer figures show that 80% of free trial users become paying subscribers and that the service has 97% user-rated accuracy. SpinVox has mass-market appeal as it works on any handset or network, and relies on existing user behaviour (leaving voice messages and receiving texts). The service can be easily integrated into existing operator voicemail platforms or deployed as a stand-alone solution. SpinVox is currently deploying with operators internationally, following findings that the service has a dramatic impact on revenues per user (ARPU), as voicemail becomes more immediate and users can text or call back at the push of a button. Aggregate findings from trials with retailers and operators indicate that that this drives a phenomenal average uplift of 12% in text and voice traffic. Christina Domecq, CEO of SpinVox said; “For SpinVox, this award is yet further indication of the desire for innovation in Europe and demand for such advances in voice in the global wireless industry. We are delighted that SpinVox has once again received pan-European recognition. Voicemail-to-text is a simple idea that entirely changes the way we communicate, making it much easier to stay in touch. Moreover, it does this while positively impacting operators’ core voice and text business; combining voice and text to drive an increase in mobile phone usage.”