Navigating the world of hearing aids can feel like stumbling through a maze without a map. Jeff Cummins knows this all too well. After grappling with severe hearing loss himself and enduring the bewildering process of selecting hearing aids, Jeff recognized a glaring gap in the audiology industry: the lack of accessible, user-friendly tools to guide individuals through their hearing aid journey.
Fueled by his own experiences and a desire to make a difference, Jeff set out on a mission to revolutionize audiology. With Immersive Hearing Technologies, Jeff aims to transform how we approach hearing aid selection, empowering individuals to take control of their auditory health with confidence and clarity. By creating a platform that fosters open communication between audiologists and patients, Jeff dreams of making the daunting process of choosing hearing aids as smooth and seamless as a walk in the park.
We asked Jeff, co-founder and CFO of Immersive Hearing Technologies, a few questions about his journey, inspirations, and predictions for the future of hearing aid technology.
How did you become interested in audiology?
JC: My interest in audiology comes from my use of hearing aids. I always had fairly poor hearing and ringing in my ears from genetics and loud noise exposure. Just before my 40th birthday, I contracted shingles in my head, and it took out most of the hearing in my right ear. That was enough to leave me with severe hearing loss. I have been wearing hearing aids for about 12 years now. A decade ago, my daughters had tiny little voices so I always wanted the best hearing aids I could afford. This led me to stay at the forefront of technology as a consumer.
What challenges did you identify that drove you to co-found a company to address them?
JC: In the past, you had to purchase hearing aids on trust. You either believed your audiologist, or you didn’t. And you made a choice on what device to buy from a brochure and a recommendation. More often than not, if a person decides to acquire hearing aids, they would say, “I can’t afford the most expensive, but I don’t want the least expensive; give me something in the middle.” You didn’t have much to go on. Our software allows you to listen to how the hearing aids will help you. It also will allow you to hear different levels of technology so you can select the right devices for you.
In addition, starting to use hearing aids is challenging. You hear things you aren’t used to, like who knew your fork made a sound when it hit the plate, and going into loud places can be overwhelming. It takes your brain a while to adjust to all these new sounds. Your audiologist will make adjustments over a few visits that help program the devices to your hearing loss and preferences. You have to wear them in challenging situations and then explain to your audiologist the problems you are having. This can be challenging because you don’t know how the hearing aids work, and you don’t know what changes can be made to improve the situation. So it is hard to explain when you go back for your next appointment. This slow feedback loop is not good and often turns into trial and error. Our software allows you to have a conversation with your audiologist while in the “virtual” challenging situation, greatly increasing your ability to communicate about this complex situation. The audiologist can make changes to the devices from immediate feedback. It is very cool.
Hearing aid technology will continue to improve and be able to help more and more people. The devices will improve at identifying the sounds people want to hear, like people's voices, and the things we don’t want to hear, like restaurant background noise or a car driving by.
Tell us about your team: Who’s on it, and how did you meet?
JC: Dr. Matthew Neal is a world-renowned expert in virtual acoustics, earning an MS and PhD in using virtual reality audio techniques to recreate listening in some of the most famous concert halls around the world. After coming to UofL [University of Louisville] as a research scientist, he conducted research for a major hearing aid manufacturer, Sonova. After deciding to focus on research commercialization, he participated in UofL’s LaunchIt program and was then awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation I-Corps grant and another technology transfer grant through UofL. Neal has completed over 150 interviews with audiologists and patients in the customer discovery phase. Combined with Neal’s strong industry relationships, his diverse technical expertise and strong leadership and communication skills make him one of the few people in the world who can bring this technology to market.
Dr. Pavel Zahorik is an internationally respected expert in psychoacoustics and auditory perception. He provides technological and industry expertise, as well as strong industry relationships. Dr. Zahorik is an advisor and board member for the company
Lane Miller is an acoustic engineer who worked in audio system analysis and design for Dolby. He is a gifted software developer with significant acoustic experience.
I bring complementary expertise to the table, with a successful track record as a founder and executive in scaling companies from initial stages to $65 million in revenue. I have been in business development and finance roles in startup and fast-growth companies for the last 25 years. Over the years, I have developed a network that helps get things done. My firsthand experience as a hearing aid user provides unique insights into the customer experience, enhancing the team's ability to empathize with and solve user problems. I have experience with a medical device software startup and other early-stage companies bringing products to market.
Matthew and I were introduced when he was evaluating the commercial potential for our application because I was an entrepreneur and hearing aid user. Matthew let me listen to the demonstration, and there was an immediate “wow” moment for me, much like the response we get from audiologists who listen to the demo. I knew I wanted to be a part of this endeavor. We developed a relationship and realized we would make a great team to bring this technology to market.
Where do you see audiology headed in the future?
JC: Hearing aid technology will continue to improve and be able to help more and more people. The devices will improve at identifying the sounds people want to hear, like people's voices, and the things we don’t want to hear, like restaurant background noise or a car driving by. They can then isolate those things and make it much easier to understand conversations. It will take less effort to listen and allow more brain power for thinking, which is nice. There is also the potential to slow cognitive decline as we age, which has been linked to hearing loss. Immersive’s demonstration tool will allow more people to “hear” the difference as well. We will be able to help more people understand how the devices work and how they can help.
The new over-the-counter hearing aids will introduce more people with mild to moderate hearing loss to the assistive technology. This will help more people live a better life sooner and not miss out on important things.
I think the old folks’ stigma will go away in the near future as well. Not only do hearing aids help me hear, but I take my phone calls on them and use them for earbuds. Pretty convenient, really.
What does success look like for Immersive Hearing Technologies in the short term and long term?
JC: In the short term, Immersive Hearing Technologies is seeking product market fit. We are optimizing the MVP of our hearing aid demonstration with new compelling content and working through the processes around the use of the application. We are looking for forward-thinking, innovative audiology clinics that are looking for better ways to provide hearing aids and improve their patient's outcomes. These clinics would use our product for free and provide feedback on ways to improve it. We are also looking for an audiologist to join the team soon. Success would mean we can get early users that prove the value proposition and help us finalize our product to scale in the market.
In the long term, we want every person with hearing loss to have an opportunity to listen to how hearing aids will help them. We will create an efficient and useful tool that helps hearing care professionals do their jobs better. Long-term success is building a profitable, successful company by creating a solid value proposition for a product that helps people.
Find out more about Immersive Hearing Technologies at immersivehearingtech.com. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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