Fortell raises $163M for AI-powered hearing aids
Fortell, a startup building AI-driven hearing aids, just landed $163 million from investors including Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, and Antonio Gracias. The company’s devices use artificial intelligence and a custom-designed chip to analyze sounds around the user in real time, lower background noise, and boost what matters — versus the usual approach of making everything louder. The hearing aid industry is mostly run by five entrenched players, with little innovation so far.
- Fortell raised $163 million from major venture capital firms
- Device uses AI to filter sounds in real time
- Custom chip designed by ex-Google TPU engineer
- Industry is dominated by five companies controlling 97% of market
- Insurance typically doesn’t cover hearing aids
Sources covering this
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