Recently, the world-first smart device that allows high street pharmacies to test and treat hearing problems in 30 minutes bagged $8M funding and also London-headquartered digital health company Oto focused on tinnitus raised a $3.3 million seed investment. Now a New York-based hearing health tech startup, Tuned focused on providing hearing care for all, has picked up $2.5 million in seed funding. The investment round was led by Idealab NY and Elements Health Ventures.
Following successful pilots with companies such as RetailBound and Mishe, Tuned will use the new capital to scale employer adoption and bring comprehensive hearing wellness to the workforce as a specialty healthcare benefit offering.
“Hearing is as critical as any of the senses in providing people with the ability to work, socialise and connect with others. Despite this, millions of people who are impacted by hearing issues but not ready for a hearing aid receive no care options in their benefits package,” said Danny Aronson, Tuned’s CEO and co-founder. “Tuned is not only providing a patient-centric answer to this care gap, but we’re doing it through employer-sponsored benefits, which is how the majority of Americans receive their healthcare.”
“The stigma against hearing care is partly driven by the current industry landscape and partly by the fact that we don’t discuss hearing in the same way we do for concerns such as vision care and mental health,” said Kate McGinley, Tuned’s Chief Growth Officer and co-founder. “Tuned is committed to breaking down healthcare barriers and helping to prioritize hearing wellness for those in need.”
What issue does it tackle?
A recent survey of over 350 working-age adults, conducted by Tuned, showed that the pandemic has led to an increase in hearing issues. Findings show that 1/3 of adults wear headphones for up to eight hours per day, which could lead to hearing fatigue and auditory processing issues. In addition, 50% of respondents experience hearing fatigue and notice a decrease in productivity as a result.
Also, 25% of working-age adults and 15% of school-age children experience hearing issues, from hearing loss to ringing in the ears (Tinnitus), balance issues, Auditory Processing Disorders (APD), and more. This is where Tuned, a digital-first hearing care company comes into the picture.
The first comprehensive hearing health benefit
Founded by Danny Aronson, Ofer Raz, and Kate McGinley in 2020 in New York, Tuned is B2B and is the first hearing benefit for employers built to bring hearing health to everyone. Patients who book via Tuned can take an advanced online hearing health screening, consult virtually with a credentialed audiologist, and receive ongoing personalized care and support. Only charging for actual per session usage, Tuned empowers employers to offer a new form of employee benefit tethered to lifelong holistic hearing care.
Tuned’s benefit serves patients of all ages, including children, by connecting its specialist Doctors of Audiology with patients via an easy-to-use, clinically validated platform. It offers affordable, convenient, and accessible solutions to employees around the world.
