Palaszczuk Government awards funding to medical team behind new headphones

A team of Queensland doctors has been awarded Palaszczuk Government Ignite Ideas funding to support a revolutionary new type of headphone technology.

Minister for Innovation Leeanne Enoch said today (Thursday) the technology had captured the imagination of music lovers across the country since it was launched in March 2017.

“The Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund is designed to help startups and small-to-medium-sized businesses commercialise market-ready ideas that will help them grow, compete in global markets and create jobs,” Ms Enoch said.

“The Audeara headphones have already generated more than $500,000 in advance sales off the back of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, which is another reason why the Advance Queensland selection panel decided to support the initiative. There is enormous global potential for this product.

“An estimated one-in-six Australians are affected by diagnosed hearing loss, and every individual has their own unique hearing profile.

“Using an innovative technology that makes listening to audio a bespoke experience, the makers of the Audeara headphones have created what they justifiably describe as the ‘perfect sound’,” she said.

The platform uses medical grade audiogram technology to determine an individual’s hearing profile, which is then stored within the headphones. On-board data is retained and used by the headphones’ internal processor to tailor its output, which compensates for any imperfections in the user’s hearing.

The final result is an audio listening experience as rich and full as its creator intended.

Audeara’s round three Ignite Ideas Fund grant of $100,000 will be used to hire two marketing staff and pitch the new technology to large retailers in Japan, Australia and the US.

Audeara co-founder and CEO Dr James Fielding said the business was passionate about shaping the future of music and becoming the world leader in personalised sound.

“The support that Advance Queensland has shown to our incredible startup community made it possible for us to take the plunge from medicine to music,” Dr Fielding said.

“Everyone hears differently, so Audeara tailors the sound to be perfect for you - now and always.

"Our Kickstarter success made it clear people want our technology, and this Ignite Ideas Fundgrant is making it a reality," Dr Fielding said.

The market for high-end, over-ear headphones is conservatively estimated at more than

$4 billion, and is expected to grow at five per cent per annum. The company’s goal is to sell 20,000 units in its first year of operations.

Brisbane-based Audeara is one of 85 innovative Queensland businesses - independently assessed in a highly competitive process - to share in the latest $10 million round of Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding designed to help develop products and create new jobs.

“The Palaszczuk Government has now supported 203 Queensland businesses with $26.5 million in funding (three rounds) through the Ignite Ideas Fund, driving more than a thousand new jobs,” Ms Enoch said.

The Ignite Ideas Fund is part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $420 million Advance Queensland initiative. Visit the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund webpage for more information on the program and its recipients.

ENDS

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