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HEARGLASS changes life for the hearing impaired:

Problem: world is growing deafer while hearing aids (“HA”s) underperform

  • 36MM Americans suffer from disabling hearing loss
  • 33% over 65 and 67% over 75 suffer from hearing loss

Today’s HAs: sound distorted, ambient noise poorly filtered, tuning requires audiologist and batteries an expensive nuisance

HEARGLASS: disruptive wearable device that incorporates full audio spectrum HiFi HAs into eyeglasses, allowing for a directional hearing experience superior to traditional HAs. Bluetooth/WiFi capabilities allow for hands-free music streaming, telephony, voice-activated commands and on-the-fly setting changes

Key complaints with today’s HAs

  • Distortion from truncated audio spectrum
  • Hard to hear amid ambient noise
  • Limited/no user tunability
  • Expensive and nonrechargeable batteries
  • Missed audio lost forever
  • High ~$4K avg cost + batteries and loss

HEARGLASS Solution

  • Preserves full HiFi audio spectrum
  • Directional mic
  • Easy user tuning, also remote-tunable
  • Rechargeable battery packs
  • Patented “What?” button replay
  • Direct, retail, and subscription service/sales models

Target Markets:

  • Begin with dissatisfied HA owners, early adopters, and music lovers
  • NIH estimates 28.8MM US adults could benefit from using HAs
  • Worldwide HA sales in 2015 exceeded $20Bn, with 500MM people hearing impaired

Sales/Marketing Strategy:

  • PR, digital marketing channels and influencer endorsement
  • Multichannel distribution/service opportunities
  • OEM technology licensing for 3rd party product incorporation
  • Partnering opportunities with eyeglass/HA and healthcare industries, AR/VR OEMs

Primary Competitors Ripe for Disruption: 6 high-end HA makers with relatively stagnant technology and costly distribution.

  • Speaker, mics and batteries sacrifice performance when miniaturized in today’s “smaller-is-better” HA trend
  • Glasses have ample space for powerful hardware and batteries,; better sensors, Bluetooth/WiFi, telephony, other capabilities
  • HEARGLASS offers superior audio range/quality, telephony, Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity, and new market opportunities

Key Team:

  • Peter Sprague: Chairman – National Semiconductor, Aston Martin, Advent Corporation and Wave Systems
  • Janet Baker: Founder Dragon Systems, developed speech recognition dictation technology, in Apple Siri, etc
  • Nolan Bushnell: Atari, Inc. and Chuck-E-Cheese founder, author of “Finding the Next Steve Jobs”
  • Wayne Boyle: Turtle Beach Dir. of Engineering; 28 years inventing solutions for complex audio problems
  • Jason Chang: Private equity investor Bateleur Capital, investment banking Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley

Company Profile:
hearglass.com
Industry: Wearable Computing
Founded: 2014

Contact:
Peter Sprague, Chairman
peter@sprague.com
+1.917.667.4773

HEARGLASS Status:

  • Working Prototypes Rev. 4
  • Initial User Feedback Positive
  • Patents issued/Pending
  • Seeking Capital: $4-7MM
  • Angel/Institution Investors
  • UOP: Advanced R&D, S&M

Team:

  • Peter Sprague
  • Janet Baker, Ph.D.
  • Nolan Bushnell
  • Wayne Boyle
  • David Berten, J.D.
  • Jason Chang
  • Jan Dauman,Ph.D.
  • Peter Frishauf
  • Rasmus Holm-Jorgensen
  • Mary Howard
  • Andrew Resnick Au.D