Artificial intelligence is often associated with large-scale enterprise systems and complex automation, but for David Duguan, founder and CEO of Voxify, AI is just as critical for small businesses. Based in Austin, Texas, Duguan has built Voxify to help companies manage voice communications, one of their most critical customer touchpoints.
From Ghana to AI Entrepreneur
Duguan’s journey into entrepreneurship started far from AI or telecommunications. Born and raised in Ghana, he grew up in a household that valued resourcefulness and entrepreneurship. Those lessons carried with him through several career pivots, from early ambitions in medicine to biotech to working in startup technology, before he found his focus in AI-powered voice solutions.
The inspiration for Voxify came while Duguan was CTO of another startup, where slow customer support cycles and project delays were a persistent issue. He saw a gap that technology could fill: enabling businesses to handle high call volumes, manage customer inquiries quickly, and deliver consistent, professional responses without overextending staff.
The Voxify Platform
Voxify is designed to bring “smart telecommunications” to businesses of all sizes, particularly small service-based companies. Using AI-powered voice systems, Voxify helps automate call handling, route inquiries, and even manage tasks like capturing email addresses and addresses via voice without the friction often found in traditional systems.
What makes Voxify stand out is its focus on learning and improvement. Each call handled by the system contributes to better responses and more streamlined user experiences, ensuring that small businesses benefit from technology previously accessible mainly to enterprise-scale organizations.
Identifying an Underserved Market
Through more than 200 interviews with prospective users, Duguan and his team discovered just how underserved small businesses are when it comes to communications technology. Despite accounting for nearly half of U.S. GDP, many small companies still rely on manual, time-consuming processes to manage customer interactions. Voxify aims to change that by delivering an affordable and effective AI-driven solution.
The company now handles over 20,000 calls weekly for clients ranging from law firms to cleaning services. Most new customers come through trusted partner channels, like consultants and local business groups, highlighting Voxify’s relationship-driven growth strategy.
Impact First, Revenue Second
Pricing for Voxify is designed with impact in mind, reflecting Duguan’s belief that technology should enable growth rather than create additional burdens. This approach mirrors cost-based models like Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, aiming to give businesses powerful tools without breaking their budgets.
For Duguan, success isn’t just measured in revenue, but in how many businesses see tangible benefits from Voxify’s solutions, whether that means faster responses, higher customer satisfaction, or more time for owners to focus on growth instead of administrative tasks.
Looking Ahead
With AI advancing rapidly, Duguan sees Voxify continuing to refine and expand its voice-driven platform, with a focus on keeping solutions easy to use and impactful for everyday businesses.
For small business owners interested in learning more, Voxify offers resources, along with demos and trial options.
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