audibene
audibene is a Berlin-based, direct-to-consumer hearing care retailer that sells modern, near-invisible hearing aids to individual consumers, primarily baby boomers, across 8 countries. It combines online customer acquisition, Zoom-based inside sales, Salesforce CRM, and a network of partner audiologists for fitting and trials.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What audibene does
audibene is a privately held direct-to-consumer hearing care retailer founded in 2012 in Berlin by Dr. Marco Vietor and Paul Crusius. The company sells modern, near-invisible hearing aids to individual consumers — primarily baby boomers experiencing hearing loss — through a digitally enabled, multi-step customer journey that begins with online registration for a free hearing test, continues with telephone and Zoom-based consultation by an inside sales team, and culminates in a four-week at-home trial followed by purchase. Approximately 70% of customer consultants work from home office using Salesforce CRM as the operational backbone, while the physical hearing test and fitting steps are executed by a network of independent partner audiologists (Partnerakustiker) rather than audibene-owned clinics.
The company's core technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary: Zoom for video communication, Salesforce CRM for pipeline management, and online marketing as the primary customer acquisition channel. The differentiating element of the offering is the "dual expert consultation" process — combining remote sales advisory with on-the-ground audiologist fitting — rather than any unique hardware or software IP. audibene does not manufacture hearing aids and does not disclose proprietary patents, AI models, or data flywheels in the available data.
Revenue is generated through transactional hearing aid sales, with the company serving consumers in 8 countries via 11 office locations in Berlin, Mainz, Miami, Denver, Toronto, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, Utrecht, Bern, and Seoul. The business model is asset-light relative to traditional hearing aid chains because audibene does not operate its own clinical fitting infrastructure at scale, depending instead on partner audiologists for in-person service. The company employs approximately 1,200 people from 45 nationalities and reports several thousand new customer registrations per week, but no revenue, ARR, or unit-economics figures are disclosed in the source material, leaving financial scale to be triangulated rather than directly stated.
audibene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- audibene
- Legal name
- audibene
- Website
- https://karriere.audibene.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- audibene is a Berlin-based, direct-to-consumer hearing care retailer that sells modern, near-invisible hearing aids to individual consumers, primarily baby boomers, across 8 countries. It combines online customer acquisition, Zoom-based inside sales, Salesforce CRM, and a network of partner audiologists for fitting and trials.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
audibene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hearing Care Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices (CRACANAL)
Keywords
Where audibene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
audibene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Hearing Aid Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of hearing aids. Customers register online, receive consultation from sales team, take trial hearing aids for 4 weeks with ongoing support, and purchase the optimal hearing aid upon completion of the trial period.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
audibene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
audibene sells modern, near-invisible hearing aids to individual consumers through a guided journey that begins with online registration, continues through telephone/video consultation by inside-sales advisors, then proceeds to in-person hearing testing and fitting by partner audiologists, and concludes with a 4-week at-home trial after which the sales consultant closes the purchase. Revenue is generated primarily through the sale of hearing aids, with several thousand new customers registering weekly through online marketing channels.
Product overview
audibene is a hearing aid retailer and acoustic consulting company operating as a direct-to-consumer model combined with a network of partner acousticians. The company functions as a platform connecting modern, active individuals with hearing problems to hearing aids through online marketing, telephone sales consultations, and partner acoustic stores. The core offering consists of hearing aids sold through a guided customer journey from initial registration to final purchase, supported by CRM-based sales teams using Zoom for video communication. The company operates across 8 countries with offices in Berlin, Mainz, Miami, Denver, Toronto, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, Utrecht, Bern, and Seoul.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hearing Aid Sales (Hörgeräte)
Quantifiable outcome
- Several thousand new customers register weekly through online marketing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use audibene
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
audibene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature1 record
audibene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Partnerakustiker (Partner Audiologists)coreNetwork of partner audiologists (Partnerakustiker) who perform precise hearing tests on audibene customers and fit appropriate hearing aid models for trial. The dual expert consultation model combines sales advisor guidance with professional audiologist fitting for faster and more efficient hearing outcomes compared to traditional audiologists. Partners are located throughout the markets audibene serves.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
audibene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- hear.com: Closest direct peer: a Berlin-headquartered online hearing care platform that combines tele-consultation with a partner-audiologist network to sell hearing aids, very similar to audibene's hybrid DTC model. Operates across multiple countries and shares the same category, customer base, and go-to-market approach.
Broad incumbents
- Amplifon: Global leader in hearing care retail with thousands of physical stores across Europe, the Americas, and APAC. Overlaps directly with audibene's value chain (hearing aid distribution) and serves the same end customer, but operates predominantly through owned retail rather than digital-led acquisition.
- Miracle-Ear: Large US franchised hearing aid retailer with hundreds of physical locations. Targets the same Baby Boomer demographic and sells hearing aids through assisted consultations, but relies on a traditional storefront model rather than audibene's digital-first funnel.
- Sonova: Global hearing aid manufacturer (Phonak, Unitron) with growing owned retail (e.g., Boots Hearingcare in the UK). Comparable because it controls the upstream product and increasingly the downstream retail channel that audibene relies on.
- WS Audiology: Hearing aid manufacturer behind brands including Signia, Widex, and formerly audibene-affiliated retail platforms. Comparable as both a key supplier to audibene and a direct retail competitor in the broader hearing care value chain.
- Demant: Owner of Oticon, Bernafon, and Philips Hearing Solutions, with growing retail network. Comparable as a hearing aid supplier and increasingly as a vertically integrated retail competitor in audibene's served markets.
- GN Hearing (ReSound): Hearing aid manufacturer behind ReSound, Beltone, and Jabra Enhance, with a mix of wholesale and own-brand retail. Comparable both as a potential upstream supplier and as a retail-side competitor pursuing DTC online channels.
- Costco Hearing Aid Centers: Operates in-store hearing aid centers inside Costco warehouses, offering hearing aids at lower price points with on-site audiologists. Comparable as a high-volume, value-oriented hearing aid retail competitor in the US, where audibene is also present.
Emerging players
- Eargo: US-based DTC hearing aid company that sells own-brand, nearly invisible hearing aids online and via tele-consultation. Comparable as a digital-first hearing aid challenger, but focuses on self-fit OTC-style devices rather than audibene's audiologist-led trial model.
- Lexie Hearing: DTC online hearing aid retailer that sells subsidized Bose-powered devices directly to consumers. Comparable in digital-first customer acquisition and direct-to-consumer go-to-market, though focused on a lower price point and US market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
audibene social profiles
Digital presenceaudibene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
audibene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
audibene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
audibene M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about audibene
What does audibene do?
audibene sells modern, near-invisible hearing aids to individual consumers through a guided journey that begins with online registration, continues through telephone/video consultation by inside-sales advisors, then proceeds to in-person hearing testing and fitting by partner audiologists, and concludes with a 4-week at-home trial after which the sales consultant closes the purchase. Revenue is generated primarily through the sale of hearing aids, with several thousand new customers registering weekly through online marketing channels.
Is audibene a public or private company?
audibene is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was audibene founded?
audibene was founded in 2012. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is audibene based?
audibene is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does audibene make money?
One revenue line is on record: hearing Aid Sales.
Who are audibene's main competitors?
hear.com is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Amplifon, Miracle-Ear, Sonova, WS Audiology, Demant, GN Hearing (ReSound) and Costco Hearing Aid Centers. Emerging players are Eargo and Lexie Hearing.
Does audibene have an API?
No public API is recorded for audibene.
What industry is audibene in?
audibene's product category is Hearing Care Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACANAL, Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices.