Upptalk

Upptalk was a proprietary communications service and software application that originated under the name Yuilop. Founded in Barcelona in November 2010 by Jochen Doppelhammer, a former chief executive of mobile virtual-network operator simyo, the service combined cloud-based telephone numbers, voice-over-IP calling, SMS, instant messaging, and social communication features. Its central proposition was that users could communicate through an internet-connected application while also reaching ordinary mobile and landline telephone numbers, even when the recipient did not use the application. The service assigned users a virtual mobile number that was not tied to a physical SIM card or a particular carrier. Through the Yuilop.me feature, numbers could be accessed from internet-connected devices and could receive calls and text messages originating from conventional telephone networks. The number service was available in selected markets including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. Users could also communicate with other members through free in-network calls, chats, and messages. Unlike many early consumer VoIP products, Yuilop attempted to make some off-network communication available without requiring users to purchase conventional calling packages. Calls and SMS messages to external mobile and landline numbers were generally funded through a virtual-credit system. Credits could be earned through referrals, promotional offers, surveys, application downloads, shopping or trial activities, usage-related actions, and voucher codes distributed through the company’s social-media channels. An iOS release also introduced the option to purchase credits. In some markets, including the United States, certain national calls and messages did not require credits. The application supported Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry OS. In addition to calling and SMS, it offered one-to-one and group chat, emoticons, photo sharing, location sharing, and voice communication. The company positioned the product against services such as Skype, Viber, and Google Voice, while emphasizing the ability to connect application users with conventional telephone subscribers. It reported approximately five million users during its operating period. Yuilop attracted outside investment, with publicly described investors including Nauta Capital, Shortcut Ventures, Bright Capital, and the Spanish government. The business later entered insolvency proceedings in 2014. The brand was subsequently known as Upptalk, but the communications service was discontinued in 2017 and its domain was eventually abandoned. Reference material also describes a later intention to reposition the company as an education-technology business, although the former communications product itself is no longer active. Accordingly, Upptalk is best documented as a defunct consumer VoIP and mobile-communications brand rather than as a currently operating enterprise SaaS company.

Upptalk began as Yuilop, a Barcelona-based mobile communications venture founded in November 2010 by Jochen Doppelhammer, who had previously led simyo. The company entered the market during a period when smartphones, mobile data, and app-based messaging were weakening the traditional distinction between telephone operators and internet communication services. Yuilop’s answer was a cross-platform application that combined VoIP calling, instant messaging, SMS, and virtual telephone numbers. Its most distinctive feature was the ability to provide a cloud-accessible mobile number. Through Yuilop.me, users in selected countries could obtain a number that was not connected to a physical SIM card or a single network operator. The number could be used from internet-connected devices and could be reached by ordinary telephone calls and SMS. This gave the product a hybrid character: it was an internet application for users, but it also maintained links to the conventional public switched telephone network. Communication between Yuilop users was free and unlimited. The company also sought to make communication with non-users accessible through a virtual-credit model. Calls and text messages to external mobile and landline numbers consumed credits, while credits could be earned through referrals, promotional offers, surveys, trials, shopping-related activities, usage actions, and promotional vouchers. Users could also purchase credits in at least one iOS version. The number of credits required varied according to the destination, and some national calls and messages, particularly in the United States, were described as requiring no credits. The product expanded beyond basic telephony. Its messaging environment supported group conversations, emoticons, photo sharing, location sharing, voice chat, and conventional calling. Versions were made available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry OS, helping the service pursue a broad international audience. It was reported as available in more than 200 countries, with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel, and Mexico among the named markets. The company reported approximately five million users and competed in a field that included Skype, Viber, and Google Voice. Yuilop obtained external backing from investors and public-sector sources. Publicly cited participants included Nauta Capital, Shortcut Ventures, Bright Capital, and the Spanish government. Reference material reported approximately nine million dollars in funding by July 2013, although the available material does not provide a complete financing history or a detailed breakdown by round. The business later encountered financial difficulty. It entered insolvency procedures in 2014, and the communications service was ultimately discontinued in 2017. The brand became associated with the Upptalk name, but the service did not remain a functioning consumer VoIP platform and its website domain was eventually abandoned. A later description from 2020 presented Upptalk as transitioning toward education technology, with an emphasis on learning technology and content. The available record does not establish the scale, product portfolio, or commercial continuation of that later direction. The documented legacy of the brand therefore remains its earlier Yuilop communications platform and its attempt to bridge app-based communication with ordinary telephone networks.

1. 2020Reported education-technology transition

   Reference material described a shift toward education technology, although details of the resulting business are limited.

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2. 2017Communications service discontinued

   The Upptalk/Yuilop communications service was discontinued, and the associated domain was later abandoned.

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3. 2014Insolvency proceedings

   The company entered insolvency procedures, interrupting the development of its consumer communications business.

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4. 2013International scale and reported funding

   The service was reported to have approximately five million users, and reference material described about nine million dollars in funding by July.

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5. 2010Yuilop is founded in Barcelona

   Jochen Doppelhammer founded the company in November 2010, initially launching the service under the Yuilop name.

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A freemium mobile communications service that combined internet calling and messaging with access to ordinary mobile and landline numbers, using promotional virtual credits to support off-network communication.

• Yuilop mobile applicationMobile communications software2010

  The core application provided VoIP calling, SMS, instant messaging, voice chat, group chat, photo sharing, and location sharing. Users could communicate free of charge within the Yuilop network and could also contact ordinary mobile and landline numbers through a virtual-credit mechanism. The application was distributed for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry OS.

• Yuilop.meVirtual telephone number

  Yuilop.me provided a cloud-based virtual mobile number in selected markets. The number was not tied to a SIM card or a specific mobile operator and could be accessed from internet-connected devices. It could receive conventional calls and SMS, connecting the application environment with the public telephone network.

• Yuilop virtual creditsFreemium communications payment system

  Virtual credits supported calls and SMS messages to mobile and landline destinations outside the Yuilop network. Users could earn credits through referrals, promotional offers, surveys, trials, shopping activities, usage, and voucher codes; at least one iOS release also allowed credit purchases. Credit requirements varied by destination.

• 2017End the consumer communications serviceStrategy

  The Yuilop communications product had faced insolvency proceedings in 2014 and was later operated under the Upptalk name.

  What changed. The communications service was discontinued in 2017, and the associated domain was subsequently abandoned.

  Aftermath. Later reference material described a possible transition toward education technology, but provides limited information about the scale or continuity of that activity.

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• 2020Upptalk is described as transitioning toward education technology

  Later reference material characterized the organization as pursuing an education-technology direction focused on technology and learning content, separate from its discontinued communications service.

  Other
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• 2017Upptalk communications service discontinued

  The former Yuilop service, by then associated with the Upptalk name, was discontinued. The related domain was later abandoned.

  Other
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• 2014The company enters insolvency proceedings

  Reference material states that the company entered insolvency procedures in 2014, marking a major setback for the Yuilop communications business.

  Bankruptcy
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• 2013Yuilop reports approximately five million users

  The service was described as having reached approximately five million users across a broad international footprint and several mobile operating systems.

  Other
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• 2013Yuilop raises additional funding

  Public reference material reported that the company had raised approximately nine million dollars by July 2013 from investors including Nauta Capital, Shortcut Ventures, Bright Capital, and the Spanish government.

  Other
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• 2010Yuilop launches a cross-platform free-calling and messaging service

  The Barcelona-based company introduced a mobile communications application offering internet calling, messaging, and access to virtual telephone numbers.

  Product launch
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1. Upptalk