At CASA25’s now-infamous Fight Club session, the rules were simple:

Don’t talk CPaaS. Talk customers. Talk outcomes. Talk impact.

And Vonage’s Marc Marchal de Corny did exactly that.

In a punchy, practical session, Marc showed what happens when we stop obsessing over technology—and start focusing on what users actually need. From fighting fraud to speeding up onboarding, the message was clear: real-world use cases, measured by real-world results, are what drive adoption. Everything else is noise.

From the First SMS to Today’s Identity Crisis

Marc started with a throwback: the first SMS in 1992. Since then, we’ve created amazing apps, connected billions of devices… yet we’re still authenticating users the same way—via SMS and one-time codes.

But the world has changed.

Fraud is now a $10 trillion industry.

Threats like synthetic identity fraud, social engineering, and OTP interception are everywhere. Yet many businesses still rely on the same outdated flows.

It’s time for something better.

Enter Network APIs: Invisible, Instant, Secure

Vonage’s answer? Network APIs, embedded within their Verify platform. These APIs work silently in the background—using mobile network data to authenticate users without them ever leaving the app, typing a code, or even noticing.

Two standout use cases showed the power of this approach.

Use Case 1: Sumeria (formerly Lydia) – Reducing Fraud, Not UX

Sumeria is France’s leading neobank. Like Revolut, they rely heavily on phone numbers as identity. But that made them vulnerable to account takeover attacks—and created friction in the onboarding process.

What they needed:

✅ Stronger security

✅ Seamless UX

✅ Lower drop-off rates

What Vonage delivered:

• 🔐 99% reduction in account takeover fraud
• 🚀 22% drop in sign-up abandonment
• ⚡ 3–5x faster user authentication
• 📱 6 million users verified via silent authentication

Crucially, this wasn’t just about swapping SMS for a new API. It was about rethinking the experience, eliminating interruptions, and restoring trust at scale.

Use Case 2: Cabify – Don’t Make Me Wait

For Cabify (the Uber of Latin America and Southern Europe), the challenge wasn’t fraud—it was speed. Travelers arriving at airports needed a ride now, and any delay in sign-up meant lost customers.

With Vonage’s network API-powered flow, Cabify:

• 🕐 Reduced onboarding time by 50%
• 🔐 Decreased OTP sharing and fake accounts
• 📈 Increased sign-up completions
• 🌍 Reached 50M+ users globally

Fast, secure, and invisible—the authentication just happened, in seconds.

Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This (Yet)?

An audience member nailed the big question:

If the benefits are this obvious, why aren’t all enterprises using this already?

Marc’s answer was honest:

“The use cases have always been there. What’s been missing is the operators’ ability—or willingness—to deliver at scale.”

But let’s be clear—this is not just a supply-side issue.

Even when the APIs are available, adoption takes time. Because switching is not just a technical decision—it’s a strategic transformation. It means:

• Updating customer journeys
• Rethinking identity models
• Aligning with compliance and legal
• Getting buy-in from risk, procurement, and CX teams
• Proving ROI to business stakeholders

And that means we, as an industry, have to do more than just ship APIs.

We need to:

• Talk benefits, not backend systems
• Explain outcomes, not architectures
• Guide customers through the entire change journey—not just integration

From CPaaS to Intelligent Engagement

What Marc gave us wasn’t a product pitch. It was a live case study in intelligent engagement.

It’s not about replacing SMS. It’s not about voice vs. data. It’s not even about CPaaS.

It’s about delivering value faster—for both the business and the end user.

Whether it’s signing up for a neobank, hailing a cab, or verifying identity across channels, the winning strategy is always the same:

• Invisible tech.
• Seamless UX.
• Measurable results.

That’s intelligent engagement in action.

And that’s what the future of this industry needs more of.

Final Word: It’s Time to Work Together

If we want network APIs—and intelligent engagement more broadly—to go mainstream, we need a new playbook.

It’s not enough to build great tools.

We need to embed them into outcomes.

To work across teams, not just tech stacks.

And to support customers every step of the way, from idea to implementation.

Because in the end, it’s not about what we can build.

It’s about what users actually need.

And that’s where the real fight is.

Welcome to CPaaS Club, the underground movement transforming the way we communicate. Just like Tyler Durden, I’ve got rules for this club. But the first rule of CPaaS Club? Don’t talk about CPaaS. Why? Because no one cares about acronyms. They care about solving problems, and that’s what we’re here for.

Rule #1: Don’t Talk About CPaaS

Look, CPaaS—Communication Platforms as a Service for those still clinging to jargon—powers the messages you get from your bank, the video calls you make to your team, and the chats you have with customer service. But when you’re pitching to clients, forget about the term. Talk about how you can revolutionize their customer engagement or scale their operations seamlessly.

Rule #2: Solve Real Problems

Before you think about platforms, APIs, or any of that jazz, think about the customer’s pain points. Are they struggling with employee communication? Can’t handle customer queries efficiently? Solve these issues, and you’ve won half the battle.

Rule #3: Show, Don’t Tell

Would Tyler Durden tell you how great Fight Club is? Nah, he’d let you experience it. Give your customers a demo, a trial, something tangible. Let them feel the thrill of streamlined communication like a well-placed right hook.

Rule #4: Focus on the End User

At the end of the day, it’s not just about the companies you’re selling to; it’s about their customers. Delight the end user, and you’ll have raving fans, not just customers.

Rule #5: Make It Scalable

Imagine Fight Club on a global scale. Your CPaaS solution should be the same. Make sure that it can grow along with the business, from a scrappy startup to a multinational conglomerate.

Rule #6: Stick Together

Just like Fight Club brought together a community, CPaaS Club is about collaboration. We’re all in this to grow, adapt, and break from the constraints of outdated communication methods.

So, if you’re still thinking of leading with “CPaaS” in your pitch, don’t. Instead, be the Tyler Durden of communication solutions: disruptive, innovative, and focused on the experience rather than the label. And remember, the first rule of CPaaS Club is—you guessed it—don’t talk about CPaaS.

Welcome to the club. Now let’s break some rules and transform communication as we know it.

The Fight Continues at CASA23

Ready to step out of the basement and into the big league? Join us at CASA23, happening this September 18-20 in Amsterdam. It’s the place to meet fellow rebels, visionaries, and disruptors from the CPaaS Club.

Think of it as Fight Club, but for communication solutions. Break out sessions, insider strategies, best practices, and yes, maybe a few surprises that even Tyler Durden would appreciate. Come for the tech, stay for the revolutionary ideas that will take the CPaaS industry from $16 billion to over $100 billion by 2030.

So, if you’re ready to break the first rule and actually talk about CPaaS—by focusing on real-world solutions, of course—then gear up and meet us in Amsterdam.

Welcome to the next level of the CPaaS Club. See you at CASA23!

Ready to commit? Get your tickets here.

Let’s disrupt the status quo, together.