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3 minute read
Summary
On this episode of Modern Workpulse, Collab Collective’s Craig Durr explores one of the most intriguing players in the UCaaS market—Wildix, a European-based communications provider serving nearly 2 million users across 145 countries. Despite its scale and 20-year profitability, Wildix remains largely unknown outside Europe, representing the quiet rise of regional UCaaS vendors built on local market understanding and data sovereignty.
Recorded on location in Venice, Italy, during Wildix’s first analyst event, Craig unpacks the company’s unique approach to cloud communications, partner ecosystems, and AI-driven innovations that deliver measurable value to verticals like healthcare, retail, and education.
Their discussion covers:
- The Rise of Regional UCaaS Players: How Wildix exemplifies the success of regionally focused vendors adapting to local languages, regulations, and markets
- Innovation Rooted in Focus: From the first fully browser-based PBX to AI receptionists saving millions in operational costs
- Partner-Driven Growth: Why Wildix’s 100% channel model and 97% partner retention rate underpin its consistent success
- Vertical and AI Solutions: Examples like x-hoppers with AI theft detection and XPS deployments in clinics and retail
- A European Strategy for Global Markets: Bringing a localized, human-centered understanding to North America—where Wildix grew 45% in annual recurring revenue
Transcript
Craig Durr: Here's a question, what if I told you there's a UCaaS platform serving close to 2 million end users across 145 countries that you've probably never heard of?
It's a company that's been profitable for 20 years, and they're currently growing at over 30% annually. And they're the only European vendor in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for UCaaS vendors. But unless you're really deeply embedded into the European market, chances are you never even heard of them.
I'm Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of the Collab Collective, and this is your modern Workpulse.
Craig Durr: Okay, that quote was from Jason Uslan, Wildix’s Chief Commercial Officer and a veteran who spent over a decade at RingCentral before joining this really fascinating company.
And here's what intrigues me—Wildix isn't an anomaly, they're emblematic of a larger trend we don't talk about enough in the UCaaS space; the rise of regional players who've built their businesses on understanding local market dynamics, data sovereignty requirements, and the specialty needs of businesses that don't really fall into that one-size-fits all approach of some of these mega vendors.
So let's learn more about Wildix. To do so, I'm gonna go on a trip. Guess what? I'm gonna bring you along with me. Are you ready? How about we take a trip to Venice, Italy. Let's go.
Craig Durr: Okay, I am here in Venice, Italy, and this is a perfect place for Wildix's first analyst event. Theme: masks come off in Venice because Venice is built upon secrets. And you know, they want me to believe that Wildix is probably the UCaaS industry's best kept secret.
Now, founded by two brothers, Steve and Dimitri, just north of here, about 100 kilometers, they built the first cloud-based PBX—100% browser based from day one. 20 years later, they have a 100% channel model with about a 97% retention rate among their partners. So there's something impressive here that I'm really interested in exploring.
And here's what fascinates me, they say they're not trying to be everything to everyone. In fact, they're trying to focus on the 90% of the businesses that keep the economy running. They have a lot of clients in hospitals, schools, clinics, retail, and they have vertical solutions that they believe deliver specific value to these retail spaces. They have x-hoppers, which have AI theft detection built in for UCaaS and sales teams. They have XPs. In fact, they have one clinic that said they deployed their AI receptionists in 65 locations with something like 9 million euros in savings in a couple of months. Pretty impressive.
Craig Durr: But here's a bigger question, what can we learn from regional UCaaS players like Wildix?
Craig Durr: Here's what it is: I think these companies have learned something that the giants forget—that a two-hour drive here changes everything. It changes language, regulations, negotiation styles.
You know, in a place like this, partners just aren't part of the distribution model—they are the business model. See, that is what is really catching my attention.
So of course, Italy is their strongest market, followed by places like the UK or France, but North America had a 45% annual recurring revenue growth last year. And I think what they're trying to do is not be like RingCentral or Zoom. In fact, I think their strategy is, let's bring that same European understanding to markets like America, work with local distribution exclusively, understand local nuances, have solutions that bring real results for customers that 90% they talked about before. It's something that's intrigued me, and it's got me keeping an eye on them.
Craig Durr: Well, so they say the masks are going to come off right? There's some mysteries here, like how am I wearing the same clothes throughout this entire video, and who is Wildix, and what does it mean to be a regional player? So light to their theme, masks are coming off in Venice, and we will see and learn more. And I'll bring more back to you here on this channel in a little bit.
Hey, I'm Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of the Collab Collective. Take care.
