Boot camps on the beach, spin classes at dawn, and fitness trackers on nearly every wrist. In Miami, we love a good workout.
But what if your ears could train too? That’s the idea behind AudioCardio, a new-to-Miami startup building sound-based therapies designed to strengthen hearing and reduce tinnitus.
“About a decade ago, my grandfather was suffering from dementia and cognitive decline,” founder and CEO Chris Ellis told Refresh Miami. As he tried to understand what was happening, he began looking into research around hearing loss. What he found surprised him.
“I started doing some information gathering and found studies relating untreated hearing loss to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” he said.
Ellis watched the pattern unfold firsthand. His grandfather, who had spent years working around loud machinery as a hydraulics engineer in the Air Force and in the airline industry, slowly lost his hearing.
“You start losing your hearing. You get frustrated, so then you start to isolate yourself,” Ellis said. “You’re not getting the social connections, and then the cognitive stuff starts to happen.”
AudioCardio founder and CEO Chris Ellis
That experience pushed him to look for a different approach to hearing care. Ellis later teamed up with a scientist from South Korea who had been working on hearing technologies, and together they launched AudioCardio in 2018. The company released its first product in 2021.
Instead of relying on traditional hearing aids, AudioCardio focuses on using sound itself as therapy. The company’s technology delivers specific frequencies designed to retrain the brain’s auditory system.
The first product was a mobile app called AudioCardio, which Ellis describes as a widely accessible entry point.
“We think of the mobile app like your daily vitamin,” he said. “Anyone can access it if they have a smartphone and an internet connection.”
From there, the company expanded into clinical tools as its research progressed and regulatory approvals came through. AudioCardio now offers three main products: the mobile app, an AI-based diagnostic platform, and a clinician-operated therapy system.
“We measure 67 frequency bands,” Ellis explained. “A conventional test measures six frequency bands. So we’re getting a far more comprehensive view of a person’s hearing profile.”
Clinicians can then generate a personalized sound therapy file based on that data. Patients listen to it for about an hour a day for several weeks. The treatment is designed to be passive.
“You actually can’t hear the sound,” Ellis said. “We play it just below the audible level. Once you set it, you can go for a walk, check email, or even fall asleep while it’s playing.”
While Ellis initially expected the product to appeal mostly to older adults, the user base has turned out to be much broader. The company is seeing growing interest from younger users as well as musicians. “More than 40 percent of musicians have ringing ears,” Ellis said.
AudioCardio has raised about $1.5 million from a private investment group and is piloting its technology in clinics across several cities, including Miami. Ellis expects the company to expand clinic partnerships across South Florida over the next year.
For Ellis, Miami has become a natural base for the company and a growing number of its eight employees.
“A lot of finance is moving here. A lot of tech talent is moving here,” he said. “This is just the beginning for Miami.”
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.
Latest posts by Riley Kaminer (see all)