We started Upfirst for a simple reason: we needed it ourselves. Running a small law practice, Gene faced a frustrating reality - he couldn't always answer the phone, but missing calls meant missing clients. Traditional answering services charged $10 per call. The math didn't add up for a small business.


We looked at other virtual receptionist options, but they all fell short - expensive, complicated, or robotic. As founders who previously built SimpleTexting (a texting platform for small businesses which was acquired), we knew how to make technology that actually works for small businesses.


The perfect virtual receptionist would be affordable, sound natural, and work instantly without technical expertise. Most importantly, it would give business owners back the one thing they never have enough of: time.

And so, we built Upfirst - a simple AI receptionist that anyone can set up in minutes. The virtual receptionist we always wanted, now available for your business too.

Gene Sigalov

Co-founder

Felix Dubinsky

Co-founder