fonea is now rednea: the story behind the name

fonea is now rednea. Since 18 September 2026 our company, our product and our website all carry the new name. It is the same team, the same AI phone assistant and the same service our customers know. Only the name is new.

I want to explain where the name comes from, why we made the change now, and what it says about where we are going.

In short: fonea, the Swiss AI phone assistant for small and medium-sized businesses, has been called rednea since 18 September 2026. The company behind it has not changed. Same team, same product, same phone numbers, same contracts. Founded by Semir Jahic and José Vicente Ruiz Cepeda, profitable, with customers in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. The name rednea combines red (the colour of Switzerland), rede (Swiss German dialect for speaking) and nea (new).

What does the name rednea mean?

rednea is three small words in one.

• red stands for Switzerland. It is the colour of our flag and of our home market.
• rede means to speak in Swiss German dialect.
• nea stands for new. A new way for businesses to be there for their customers.

Swiss, spoken, new.

What does rednea look like?

Our customers already know the mark. Three rising bars, like a signal, or a voice getting louder. They are centred on one axis and rounded at the ends. The mark stays exactly as it was.

What is new is the word. The first three letters, red, are set in our red. The last three, nea, in dark blue. That way the logo carries the idea behind the name: the red of Switzerland, and speaking. rednea is always written in lowercase, even at the start of a sentence.

Depending on where it is used, the logo comes in several variations: stacked, the mark on its own, light on a dark ground, a quieter version for dense pages, an app icon and a single colour.

The typeface and the colours stay too. We set everything in Inter, bold for headlines. The colours are a warm red we call Tomato Jam, a blue that is almost black, a slate blue, silver and white. The red is our accent and the red of Switzerland. We use it sparingly, so it stands out where it matters.

Calm, clear and friendly. That is how rednea looks, and it is how rednea should sound on the phone.

Why did fonea change its name?

I am a serial founder based in Switzerland, and I saw the gap on the phone. fonea started as a test. A side project, something for the Swiss market.

It grew quickly. Today we are profitable, with dozens of customers across German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Along the way it turned out that we can do so much more for the local market. We can connect companies better to their customers.

Over the last four to five months I have spoken to hundreds of businesses. The need is clear: companies need to be where their customers are. Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, chat. You name it.

It starts with the phone. That is where we launched, and delivering great voice agents is our core competency. But it goes beyond that. We are ready to take that on, with a solution that is built for the Swiss market and with its needs in mind: Swiss German, data protection and local customer support.

With this rebrand we are going from side project to a serious business with ambitions.

Who is behind rednea?

Two founders who build the technology themselves and have built companies before.

I am Semir Jahic, founder and CEO. I have worked in tech for almost 20 years: an IT apprenticeship in Switzerland, a degree in industrial engineering at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, then an MSc in Technology & Business at UCL in London. I worked at Salesforce and at several international startups in London, the US and Switzerland. Today I live in Lachen SZ.

My co-founder José Vicente Ruiz Cepeda is our CTO. José is a serial founder and Fulbright Scholar with a Master's in Computer Science and Machine Learning from top US universities. He built multiple tech ventures before rednea, and today he architects the platform behind it.

We build the product ourselves, we talk to our customers ourselves, and the company pays its own way. There is more about us on the About rednea page.

Is rednea only for Switzerland?

No. The new name is a testament to our roots and to our core market, but it does not limit us to Switzerland. The red of the Swiss flag, with its white cross, is a sign of quality that goes far beyond our borders. We already support our first international customers in Spain and the US, and more countries will follow.

In this early growth phase, though, our focus stays on Switzerland.

Who does rednea work for?

Physiotherapists, dentists, car garages, medical equipment manufacturers, health clinics. We help them be available for their customers, support their operations and work more efficiently, with authentic Swiss German voice agents.

Switzerland is international, so our assistants also speak every other major language: German, French, Italian, English, Spanish and many more.

Where does rednea store data?

Our commitment is local too. All persistent data is stored in Switzerland, and we follow the Swiss Data Protection Act (FADP), the GDPR and local regulations.

In our conversations with hundreds of businesses, this has come across as a key requirement. We are doing everything technically and operationally possible to meet the high bar in Switzerland and to give our customers confidence.

What changes for customers?

Nothing you need to act on. Your phone numbers, your contract, your price, your login and your contacts all stay the same. Links to fonea.ch and fonea.ai redirect automatically to the new addresses.

We have put the details on one page: what changes and what stays the same.

I am excited to see how rednea will grow and support Swiss businesses with AI-powered agents.

Semir Jahic, founder of rednea

Key Takeaways

• fonea is now rednea. The new name has applied since 18 September 2026.
• The company is the same, with the same team, product, contracts and phone numbers.
• rednea combines red (Switzerland), rede (Swiss German dialect for speaking) and nea (new).
• The mark with the three bars, the colours and the typeface Inter stay. What is new is the word: red in red, nea in dark blue.
• The rebrand marks the step from side project to a serious business with ambitions.
• rednea is profitable, with dozens of customers across German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
• Founded by Semir Jahic (CEO, almost 20 years in tech, Salesforce, UCL London) and José Vicente Ruiz Cepeda (CTO, serial founder, Fulbright Scholar, Master's in Computer Science and Machine Learning).
• The phone is the start and the core competency. Companies need to be where their customers are: voice, SMS, WhatsApp, chat.
• The focus stays on Switzerland, with first international customers in Spain and the US.
• All persistent data is stored in Switzerland, in line with the FADP and the GDPR.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to fonea?

fonea was renamed. Since 18 September 2026 fonea has been called rednea. It is the same company with the same team, the same AI phone assistant and the same customers. Only the name and the web addresses changed: fonea.ch is now rednea.ch and fonea.ai is now rednea.ai.

Is rednea the same company as fonea?

Yes. rednea is the new name of fonea. The company behind it is unchanged and based in Lachen SZ, Switzerland. The founders, the team, the product and all customer contracts are the same.

What does the name rednea mean?

rednea combines three words. The word red stands for Switzerland, the colour of the Swiss flag. The word rede means to speak in Swiss German dialect. The ending nea stands for new. Together the name describes a new, Swiss way for businesses to speak with their customers.

Did the logo change?

The mark with the three rising bars stayed the same, and so did the colours and the typeface Inter. What is new is the word rednea. The letters red are set in red, the letters nea in dark blue. rednea is always written in lowercase.

Why did fonea rebrand to rednea?

fonea started as a side project for the Swiss market and grew quickly into a profitable business, with dozens of customers across German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. The new name marks the step from side project to a serious business with ambitions. The phone is the start and the core competency. The goal is to connect companies better to their customers across every channel, with a solution built for the Swiss market.

Who is behind rednea?

rednea was founded by Semir Jahic and José Vicente Ruiz Cepeda. Semir Jahic is CEO. He has worked in tech for almost 20 years, studied at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and at UCL in London, and worked at Salesforce and several international startups. José Vicente Ruiz Cepeda is CTO. He is a serial founder and Fulbright Scholar with a Master's in Computer Science and Machine Learning from top US universities. rednea is profitable and based in Lachen SZ, Switzerland.

Do fonea customers need to do anything?

No. Phone numbers, call forwarding, contracts, prices and logins stay exactly the same. Old links to fonea.ch and fonea.ai redirect automatically to rednea.ch and rednea.ai.

What does rednea do?

rednea is an AI phone assistant for businesses. It answers calls around the clock, answers common questions, books appointments, takes messages and forwards important calls. It speaks Swiss German, German, French, Italian, English, Spanish and many more languages. Typical customers are physiotherapy and dental practices, health clinics, car garages and other small and medium-sized businesses.

Where does rednea store customer data?

All persistent data is stored in Switzerland. rednea follows the Swiss Data Protection Act (FADP) and the GDPR.