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View Winners → Local Monrovia Business Pitch Their Innovative Idea on Shark Tank
Business Mar 13, 2019
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Steve Berkson and Roger Anderson of Jolly Roger Telephone Company. – Courtesy photo / Monrovia City Managers Update
Telecommunication veterans Steve Berkson and Roger Anderson know a thing or two about telemarketers and scammers and what a nuisance their unsolicited calls are. After a particularly terrible experience with a telemarketer, Berkson and Anderson banded together and founded Jolly Roger Telephone Company. Rather than waste your time ignoring or talking to a telemarketer, Jolly Roger patches the caller through to a robot, which will then have a conversation. The following phrases will respond to the caller: “Did you wash my leggings?” “I’m making dinner, you gotta wait.” “I’m having trouble concentrating cause you sound exactly like someone I went to high school with.”
And not only do these bots have conversations, Jolly Roger records the phone call for you to playback for a laugh. The company can even publish some best recorded calls on their YouTube page.
This past Sunday, Berkson and Anderson appeared on Shark Tank, a nationwide reality television series where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and/or companies to a panel of five investors, or “sharks.” Jolly Roger Telephone Company caught the interest of two sharks and even received an offer for $400,000.
In the end, Jolly Roger did not walk away with a deal, but now millions of people know they are no longer alone in their fight against telemarketers and scammers.
You can learn more by visiting their website at JollyRogerTelephone.com or their features on New York Times, NBC’s Today Show. You can also watch their Shark Tank pitch on ABC.
