| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless Communication Enterprise Software |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States |
| Area served | North America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand |
| Key people | Bob Zollars (Chairman, CEO) Rob Shostak (Founder, Chairman, CTO) Brent Lang (President, COO) |
| Products | Vocera System Software Vocera Badge Vocera Smartphone |
| Employees | 130 |
| Website | vocera.com |
Contents |
Vocera, Inc. is a wireless communications company headquartered in San Jose, California. It specializes in network-based software systems that provide voice communication for mobile personnel in hospital, retail, hospitality, government, manufacturing and other in-building environments with a dispersed workforce.
Vocera has more than 600 installations in North America, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, ranging in systems with 75 to over 4,000 registered users. Customers include Royal Cornwall Hospitals, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center2, El Camino Hospital3 and the Orange County Public Library.4
Vocera supplies technology for telecommunication via an IEEE 802.11b/g-supported wireless LAN. One of its products is the Vocera Communications Badge, a wearable, hands-free, communication system.
Dr. Robert Shostak, chairman and CTO, was among the original founders of Vocera in 2000. Shostak is a graduate of Harvard University and is one of the principle creators of the Paradox (database) system.7 Brent Lang, president and COO, also was an early member of the Vocera team and played a critical role in developing the company's product strategy and securing venture capital.8 Lang now oversees overall operations, from marketing to manufacturing.
Vocera received venture capital funding from a mix of venture capital firms and corporate investors, including Avalon Ventures, Cisco Systems, GGV Capital (formerly Granite Global Ventures), IDEO, Intel Communications Fund, Motorola Ventures, RRE Ventures, Thomas Weisel Partners, Vanguard Ventures and Venrock Associates, and began shipping products in 2002.
In May 2007, Bob Zollars joined Vocera as chairman and CEO with more than 30 years of experience leading healthcare and technology organizations.9
Vocera recently partnered with Motorola to introduce a new smartphone product, which complements Vocera's wireless, wearable communications badge. It integrates instant voice and data communications with the functionality of a mobile computer.10
On January 10, 2011 Vocera announced the acquisition of Wallace Wireless Inc.[1]
In August 2011, Vocera filed with the SEC to raise up to $80 million in an initial public offering.[2]
Vocera currently has 130 employees and offices in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
The Vocera Communications Badge is one part of a complete wireless Voice over IP communication system developed by Vocera Communications.[3] The badge is used primarily by medical and healthcare facilities and also in retail, hospitality, government and manufacturing settings.[4] It provides a voice-controlled user interface to the Vocera Communications System.
The Vocera Badge is voice-controlled and has the ability to do role-based calling which allows people to call other users or facilities by name or title or function. Weighing less than 2 ounces (53.9 g),[5] it contains a speaker, microphone, wireless radio and an OLED display that shows caller ID, text messages and alerts. The badge can be worn on a lanyard or with a universal clip to attach to the user's apparel or existing lanyard.
1 "http://www.inside-healthcare.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2339&Itemid=118." Inside Healthcare. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
2 "http://www.vocera.com/downloads/md_anderson_9_07.pdf." Case study. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
3 "http://www.vocera.com/products/documents/Achieving_Next_Generation_Clinical_Performance.pdf." Case study. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
4 "http://www.vocera.com/solutions/documents/Orange_Lib_cs_0108.pdf." Case study. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
5 "http://www.vocera.com/downloads/Hardware_ds.pdf." Data sheet. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
6 "http://www.vocera.com/news/documents/BZollars_ModernHealthcare_0609_000.pdf." Modern Healthcare. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
7 "http://www.vocera.com/products/documents/Fast_facts_012709.pdf." Fast facts. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
8 "http://www.vocera.com/news/vocera_press010808.aspx." Press release. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
9 "http://www.vocera.com/news/vocera_press061207.aspx." Press release. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
10 "http://www.vocera.com/news/vocera_press033009.aspx." Press release. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
11 "http://www.vocera.com/about/management.aspx." Fact sheet. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
12 "http://www.vocera.com/downloads/Smartphone_DS.pdf." Fact sheet. Retrieved October 5, 2009.