# Ari Rabban

> Ari Rabban is the CEO and co-founder of Phone.com, a Newark-based cloud communications company built around the practical needs of small businesses. After beginning his career in law, earning an MBA at Carnegie Mellon, and working at Bell Labs/Lucent and early VoIP companies, Rabban helped launch Phone.com in 2006. He has spent nearly two decades translating enterprise communications tools into services that smaller firms can use, while mentoring founders and serving New Jersey's technology community. Phone.com joined Ooma in December 2025 in a cash acquisition valued at approximately $23.2 million.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Phone.com
- **Organizations:** Phone.com, Ooma, TechUnited:NJ, New Jersey Technology Council, Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, TechLaunch, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, US Pharma Lab, VocalTec Communications, Lucent Technologies / Bell Labs, pulver.com, Surf&Call Solutions, TrulyGlobal
- **Education:** BA in Economics and LLB, Tel Aviv University, MBA in Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Phone.com and led it for nearly two decades as a cloud communications provider focused on small and midsize businesses., Guided Phone.com through its approximately $23.2 million cash acquisition by Ooma, completed in December 2025., Named a New Jersey regional finalist for the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Practiced law in Tel Aviv before deciding to move into technology and entrepreneurship.
- **1995-1997** — Earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University.
- **Late 1990s** — Worked in strategy at Lucent Technologies / Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey.
- **Before 2006** — Held senior roles at VocalTec Communications, pulver.com, Surf&Call Solutions, and TrulyGlobal.
- **2006** — Co-founded Phone.com and became its CEO.
- **2012** — Joined the board of the New Jersey Technology Council, now TechUnited:NJ.
- **2013** — Phone.com moved to Newark's NJIT Enterprise Development Center and announced a combined $2 million investment from ff Venture Capital and a New Jersey EDA fund.
- **2013** — Named a New Jersey regional finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award and a Garden State Entrepreneur Excellence Award finalist.
- **2024** — Phone.com and Onvego introduced an AI-assisted receptionist product designed for small businesses.
- **2025** — Phone.com launched ProSIM, bringing a business line into a phone's native cellular experience through a partnership with Tango Networks.
- **2025-12** — Ooma completed its acquisition of Phone.com for approximately $23.2 million in cash, subject to working-capital adjustments.
- **2026** — Continued leading Phone.com and speaking publicly about small-business communications after the Ooma acquisition.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Phone.com and led it for nearly two decades as a cloud communications provider focused on small and midsize businesses.
- Guided Phone.com through its approximately $23.2 million cash acquisition by Ooma, completed in December 2025.
- Named a New Jersey regional finalist for the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award.
- Named among GetVoIP's Top 20 Most Influential People in VoIP in 2012.
- Named to ROI-NJ's 2021 Technology Power List.
- Served on the board of the New Jersey Technology Council / TechUnited:NJ and mentored founders through TechLaunch and other programs.
- Co-inventor on a patent application for personalized web pages incorporating multimedia communications capabilities.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Featured by BINJE discussing why a separate, portable business number still matters for small companies.
- **2026-06** — Appeared on NJBIZ Conversations during the 2026 Jersey City Summit.
- **2025-12** — Phone.com became part of Ooma after the acquisition closed; Rabban described the transition as a new chapter.
- **2025-04** — Discussed Phone.com's ProSIM launch and the integration of unified communications with native cellular calling in a TalkingPointz interview.
- **2024-08** — Discussed Phone.com's collaboration with Onvego on an AI-assisted receptionist for small businesses.

## Links

- Website: https://www.phone.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arirabban
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/arabban
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sbdsdj91yVhrA9w2uoX8w

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ari-rabban
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26