# Agora, Inc. > Clarifo company profile — qualitative business description generated from > the company's filings. Financial statements, charts and ratios are > available on Clarifo (https://www.clarifo.com/fi/companies/Agora, Inc.). ## Overview Agora, Inc. is a U.S.-based software company that provides real-time engagement infrastructure through cloud APIs and SDKs. Its platform is used to add voice, video, live interactive streaming, and messaging capabilities into third-party applications, including both public cloud and on-premise deployments. ## Products & services • Real-time engagement APIs and SDKs • Voice and video calling infrastructure • Interactive live streaming services • Messaging and chat capabilities • On-premise real-time engagement solutions • EasyMob communications products - **Real-time engagement services** (92%) — Cloud-based APIs and SDKs for voice, video, messaging, and live interaction features. - **On-premise solutions and other** (8%) — Software deployed on customer infrastructure and related non-core revenue streams. - Real-time engagement APIs and SDKs - Voice and video calling infrastructure - Interactive live streaming services - Messaging and chat capabilities - On-premise real-time engagement solutions - Easemob communications products ## Customers Agora sells to software developers and organizations that embed communications features into their own products. Its customers use the platform to launch real-time interaction experiences without building telecom-grade infrastructure from scratch. The business serves application builders across consumer internet, education, social, enterprise collaboration, and live-streaming use cases. - **Software developers and app builders** (primary) — Buy APIs and SDKs to integrate voice, video, chat, and streaming into applications. - **Consumer internet platforms** (primary) — Use the platform for social, live interaction, and community features in end-user apps. - **Education and training platforms** (secondary) — Use real-time video and messaging for virtual classrooms and interactive learning. - **Enterprise collaboration customers** (secondary) — Use communications infrastructure to power meetings, support, and workflow apps. - **Live streaming and entertainment apps** (secondary) — Buy low-latency audio/video tools to support interactive broadcasting and events. - Independent software developers building real-time apps - Consumer internet platforms adding voice and video - Live-streaming and interactive entertainment apps - Education and training platforms needing live interaction - Enterprise app builders embedding collaboration features ## Geography Agora is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and operates as a global software platform business. Its reporting highlights both Agora and Shengwang, indicating a dual-market structure with material exposure to China and other international markets. Geography matters because demand, product usage, and currency denomination differ between the U.S.-dollar-based Agora business and the renminbi-based Shengwang business. - Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States - Operates a global developer-facing software platform - Shares revenue exposure across Agora and Shengwang businesses - China is a key market through the Shengwang business - Revenue currency mix differs by business and region ## Strategy The company’s strategic focus is to expand adoption of its real-time engagement platform among developers and application builders. It also emphasizes customer retention and usage growth, as reflected in its active customer and dollar-based net retention metrics, while maintaining optionality through both cloud and on-premise offerings. - **Expand real-time engagement adoption** (medium-term) — More applications using the platform increases usage density and creates recurring developer dependency. - **Improve retention and account expansion** (short-term) — Higher renewal and usage within existing customers supports platform economics and reduces acquisition dependence. - **Support multiple deployment models** (medium-term) — Offering cloud and on-premise solutions broadens addressable use cases and customer preferences. - **Return excess capital** (short-term) — Share repurchases can offset dilution and signal balance-sheet strength to investors. - Grow adoption of real-time engagement APIs and SDKs - Increase usage within existing customer accounts - Serve both cloud and on-premise deployment needs - Use operating metrics to track customer quality and retention - Return capital through share repurchases ## Risks Agora’s results depend on customer adoption and ongoing usage of real-time communications features, which can be cyclical and competitive in software infrastructure markets. The company also faces geographic and currency exposure because parts of the business are denominated in U.S. dollars while Shengwang revenues are denominated in renminbi, and the business may be affected by changes in technology demand, regulation, and customer concentration. - **Usage volatility in a consumption-based model** [high] — Revenue depends on customer activity and application traffic rather than fixed subscriptions. - **Competition from other communications platforms** [high] — Customers can choose alternative APIs, SDKs, or in-house solutions for voice and video. - **China regulatory and geopolitical exposure** [high] — A meaningful part of the business is linked to Shengwang and China-based operations. - **Foreign exchange translation and functional currency effects** [medium] — Agora and Shengwang report in different operating currencies, affecting comparability. - **Customer concentration or large-account churn** [medium] — Developer-platform revenue can be sensitive to the loss of high-usage accounts. - Customer usage can be volatile in usage-based software models - Competition may pressure pricing and customer acquisition - China exposure creates regulatory and geopolitical risk - Currency mix can affect reported performance and comparisons - Platform demand depends on third-party app development activity ## Accounting Agora’s reporting is shaped by usage-based revenue recognition, because revenue must track customer consumption of communication services and related deployments. Investors should also watch operating metrics such as active customers and dollar-based net retention, since they help explain revenue momentum beyond the income statement. Share repurchases, equity-based compensation, and the split between Agora and Shengwang businesses can also affect reported share counts, expense trends, and comparability across periods. - **Revenue recognition timing** — Affects quarterly comparability and growth rates - **Operating metrics** — Helps assess underlying demand trends - **Share-based compensation** — Impacts margins and per-share earnings - **Foreign currency effects** — Affects comparability and reported growth - Usage-based revenue recognition affects quarterly timing - Active customer and retention metrics help explain growth - Share-based compensation affects operating expense lines - Different currency bases affect period-to-period comparability - Equity repurchases change diluted share counts --- *Last updated: 2026-09-28T11:57:37.438793+00:00*