Making video meetings easier for millions of users

Digital meetings and video conferences can be challenging when participants use different technology platforms or join from physical meeting rooms. Incompatible solutions place demands on both organisers and users, often leading to delays and security issues.

Oslo-based Synergy Sky integrates digital meeting room solutions from other providers, such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom and Cisco Webex. It also optimises physical meeting rooms used for video conferencing. According to the founders, it is currently the only provider without its own meeting platform, making it a partner rather than a competitor.

The company has an extensive customer list of around 500 organisations, including well-known names such as Société Générale, Ericsson, Dell, Storebrand and Tieto.

When the company received its first innovation loan from us in 2015, it was already generating solid revenue, but needed capital to strengthen its product and market development internationally. A grant for an innovation contract a few years later enabled the company to develop its communications platform further.

'The funding from Innovation Norway has undoubtedly enabled us to expand globally,' says Ståle Reitan, founder and CEO of Synergy Sky.

The NOK 21 million innovation loan they received in 2021 is supporting further international growth. By commercialising the solution, they can help millions of existing systems work across video platforms. Our loan is key to both the scale of the project and the pace of delivery.

'Synergy Sky has used several of our services and demonstrated a strong capacity for innovation and delivery. The company is already a leading global player, which enabled us to grant it a loan to scale up further,' says Benjamin Bækkelund Haskel, financing advisor at Innovation Norway Oslo Viken.

The company is less concerned with helping businesses increase their Return on Investment (ROI) than with reducing their Waste of Time (WOT).

'On average, companies spend 12 minutes setting up a video conference. NAV, for example, has more than 1,000 meeting rooms. They could save a great deal by using more efficient video conferencing solutions,' says Reitan, before elaborating.

- With Synergy SKY CONNECT, users get a simple interface that makes it easier to communicate from a physical meeting room with large digital audiences in different countries. This avoids delays and wasted time, reduces travel costs and makes better use of expensive premises.

Most of its customers are in the US, England and Scandinavia. Synergy Sky has built a reseller network of 60 partners that sell the company’s products to their customers. Microsoft and Cisco also act as distributors, selling through their own partners. The Oslo-based company has sales offices in the US, the UK and Sweden, with more planned.

The pandemic has been challenging, as businesses have made less use of physical meeting rooms and securing new sales has been difficult. Now that the pandemic is subsiding, the market is considered to have significant growth potential.