Smarty Ears
Smarty Ears is a Dallas-area speech-language pathology technology company founded in 2009 that sells Smarty Ears Online, a HIPAA-compliant web clinical suite, alongside 70+ specialized iOS apps serving school districts, SLPs, parents, and graduate programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersDallas, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Smarty Ears does
Smarty Ears is a privately held, founder-owned speech-language pathology technology company founded in 2009 by Brazilian-American SLP Barbara Fernandes in the Dallas, Texas metro area. The company sells a dual-product ecosystem targeting speech-language pathologists, school districts, parents, and graduate SLP programs: (1) Smarty Ears Online, a web-based comprehensive clinical suite with adaptive activities, automated data tracking, IEP-aligned goal banks, and collaborative tools, and (2) a portfolio of 70+ specialized iOS applications covering articulation, language, literacy, social communication, AAC, and dysphagia assessment. The supporting infrastructure includes the wholly-owned Smarty Symbols library of 30,000+ AAC symbols and the NIH SBIR-funded Listening 2 Faces adaptive listening training app.
The company's technology stack combines a HIPAA-compliant web platform with mobile apps that store data locally on iOS devices, supporting multilingual populations across English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Vietnamese, Arabic, Hindi, French, and German. AI features are positioned around automated data reporting, adaptive difficulty adjustment, and conversational prompt generation for social communication therapy, though the depth of proprietary AI capability is undisclosed. Go-to-market runs on three rails: App Store product-led distribution for individual clinicians and parents, enterprise field sales with quote-based site licensing and volume discounts for school districts, and a complimentary University Access Grant Program seeding adoption among graduate SLP students.
The business model blends one-time App Store purchases, tiered SaaS subscriptions ($21.99/month individual, $240/year professional, $340/year collaborative plus, plus custom district site licenses with multi-year discounts), and research grants. The company was bootstrapped with a US$4,000 personal investment and has remained privately held, with the only external capital being NIH SBIR Phase I and II awards for Listening 2 Faces. Named customers are largely individual clinicians and small consulting practices, and no large district or enterprise logos anchor the disclosed customer base.
Smarty Ears firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smarty Ears
- Legal name
- Smarty Ears, LLC
- Website
- https://smartyearsapps.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smarty Ears is a Dallas-area speech-language pathology technology company founded in 2009 that sells Smarty Ears Online, a HIPAA-compliant web clinical suite, alongside 70+ specialized iOS apps serving school districts, SLPs, parents, and graduate programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smarty Ears industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Speech Therapy Software
- NAICS
- Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pronunciation, Speech Recognition & Accent Training Tools (EDAFAOAG)
Keywords
Where Smarty Ears is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dallas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smarty Ears business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- One-Time App Purchases (Apple App Store): Individual iOS applications sold as one-time purchases through Apple's App Store. Apps are priced individually and available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Apps are compatible with iOS 12.0+ and Android 6.0+.
- Smarty Ears Online Subscriptions: Web-based comprehensive clinical platform offered on subscription basis. Plans include monthly ($21.99/month), annual professional ($240/year), and collaborative plus ($340/year). Site licenses for organizations charge per educator with unlimited student access.
- Enterprise / District Site Licenses: Volume-based site licenses for school districts and organizations, priced per educator with unlimited student access. Volume discounts available: 10%+ for >20 users, 15%+ for >50 users, 18%+ for >100 users. Multi-year contracts offer additional savings (10% for 2 years, 15% for 3 years).
- University Grant / Complimentary Access: Complimentary and reduced-cost access granted to accredited university graduate programs in speech-language pathology, building future user base and professional community relationships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Professional Monthly - $21.99/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional/Yearly - $240/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Collaborative Plus - $340/year |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Volume Discounts |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Smarty Ears product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smarty Ears provides a comprehensive speech-language pathology technology ecosystem consisting of Smarty Ears Online, a HIPAA-compliant web-based clinical suite with adaptive learning activities, AI-driven data reporting, and IEP-aligned goal banks, plus a portfolio of 70+ standalone iOS applications targeting articulation, language, literacy, social communication, AAC, and clinical assessment. Products are sold to individual clinicians and parents via app stores and self-serve subscriptions, and to school districts via enterprise site licenses.
Product overview
Smarty Ears provides a dual-stream ecosystem for speech, language, and literacy therapy: (1) Smarty Ears Online, a comprehensive web-based clinical suite with hundreds of adaptive activities, automated data tracking, IEP-aligned goal banks, and collaborative tools for SLPs, educators, and families; and (2) 70+ standalone iOS apps for targeted, device-based therapy that work offline. The portfolio includes specialized apps for articulation (Articulate Plus), language development (Language Empires, Sentence Ninja), social skills (Social Quest), literacy (Reading Comprehension Camp, Phonological Awareness Lab), AAC (Expressive Go, Custom Boards), dysphagia assessment (Dysphagia2Go), and word-finding (iName It). Supporting infrastructure includes Smarty Symbols (30,000+ symbol library) and research projects like Listening 2 Faces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Smarty Symbols: A comprehensive web-based symbol library offering over 30,000 symbols for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and visual support materials. Features a 'Character of Choice' allowing users to personalize visual supports with diverse characters representing various skin tones and backgrounds.
- Speech and Language Academy
Products and services
- Smarty Ears Online A web-based comprehensive clinical suite providing SLPs, educators, and families with hundreds of adaptive activities, automated data tracking and AI-powered reporting, IEP-aligned goal banks, universal student profiles, cross-platform compatibility, and secure HIPAA-compliant cloud sync. Designed for individual clinicians, school districts, and parents supporting children with speech, language, literacy, and communication needs.
- Smarty Ears iOS App Suite A portfolio of 70+ standalone mobile applications distributed through the Apple App Store, targeting articulation, language, literacy, social communication, AAC, and clinical assessment. Apps work offline and store data locally on device, compatible with iOS 12.0+ and Android 6.0+.
- Expressive Go 4.0 An AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app for non-verbal learners, with version 4.0 introducing the first-of-its-kind Pre-Emptive Grammatical Intervention System for AAC fluency. Now available permanently free to download and use.
- Listening 2 Faces An NIH SBIR-funded adaptive listening training iPad app designed to improve speech perception in noise for children with developmental disabilities including autism (ASD) and hearing loss. Developed in collaboration with co-investigators Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Irwin.
- Smarty Symbols A comprehensive web-based symbol library with over 30,000 symbols for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and visual support materials, featuring a 'Character of Choice' option allowing users to personalize visual supports with diverse characters representing various skin tones and backgrounds.
- iName It A word-finding app for individuals with aphasia and apraxia, using realistic visual scenes with five evidence-based cueing strategies to help patients retrieve target words. Co-created by certified SLPs Elizabeth Begley and Mary Pitti.
- Dysphagia2Go A clinical dysphagia evaluation app assisting clinicians in assessing all areas of dysphagia, completing chart reviews, oral mech exams, and generating printable/emailable reports. HIPAA compliant.
- Custom Boards A visual support system enabling creation of customized communication boards, schedules, and activities using the Smarty Symbols library. Supports templates for board games, matching cards, and printable materials.
- WHQuestions An app providing over 400 opportunities to practice asking and answering Wh-questions (what, where, who, how, why) in real-world contexts. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
- Bilingual Articulation and Phonology Assessment (BAPA) The first and only standardized articulation assessment fully designed for iPad, evaluating both English and Spanish skills for each student with automated standard scores and reports. Developed in partnership with Bilinguistics.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves clinicians up to 5 hours of administrative work weekly through automated progress reporting
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Smarty Ears
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Smarty Ears technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Smarty Ears partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- LinguabilitiesminorSmarty Ears and Linguabilities joined forces to support children with speech and communication disorders through combined product offerings and co-marketing.
- Southern Connecticut State UniversityminorHeARS (Hearing Assessment in Response to Noise Screener) project awarded to Southern Connecticut State University, with Smarty Ears as developer and creator. Phase I and II of the Start Preliminary Proof of Concept Fund.
- BilinguisticsminorFour-year collaboration to create the Bilingual Articulation and Phonology Assessment (BAPA) — the first and only articulation app fully standardized on the iPad. BAPA enables evaluation of both English and Spanish skills for bilingual students.
- Elizabeth Begley & Mary Pitti (Co-Authors)minoriName it app co-created by certified SLPs Elizabeth Begley (Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinic, College Station Medical Center) and Mary Pitti (Clinic Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor, Ithaca College) for individuals with word-finding difficulties secondary to Aphasia and/or Apraxia.
- Rosie Simms (Co-Author)minorCo-authored Fun & Functional app designed to improve language comprehension and expression by enhancing ability to identify and describe function of real-world objects. Also co-designed Go-Togethers app targeting semantic abilities.
- Sean Sweeney (Co-Author)minorCo-designed Go-Togethers app along with Rosie Simms for Smarty Ears. The app targets identification of word associations and expressive naming using innovative tap-and-drag gestures.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Smarty Ears competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Boom Learning: Digital activity and assessment platform for K-12 educators and SLPs — comparable in offering interactive speech/language activities with data tracking for classroom and therapy use.
- Speech Blubs: Direct competitor offering speech therapy mobile apps for children, with a similar product-led growth motion via the App Store and a focus on parent-driven home practice — overlapping directly with Smarty Ears' pediatric speech-therapy app portfolio.
- AssistiveWare (Proloquo2Go): Leading AAC app developer (Proloquo2Go, Proloquo4Text) targeting non-verbal learners on iOS — directly comparable to Smarty Ears' Expressive Go and Custom Boards AAC offerings, with a similar clinician-endorsed distribution model.
- PRC-Saltillo (TouchChat): Established AAC device and app provider (TouchChat, LAMP Words for Life) competing in the same augmentative communication category as Smarty Ears' Expressive Go AAC app, particularly for school-district AAC procurement.
- TheraPlatform: Practice management and teletherapy platform built for speech-language pathologists and therapists — overlaps with Smarty Ears Online's clinical suite, scheduling, and SLP workflow tooling.
- LessonPix: Custom symbol and picture provider for special education and speech therapy, including AAC materials — competes directly with Smarty Ears' Smarty Symbols library of 30,000+ symbols for visual supports.
Broad incumbents
- SimplePractice: Incumbent practice-management SaaS for therapists and SLPs, offering scheduling, documentation, and telehealth — competes in the broader SLP workflow category though it lacks Smarty Ears' deep clinical-content library.
- PresenceLearning: Teletherapy and related services platform for school districts serving special education populations — comparable in targeting district-level special education procurement and remote SLP services.
- Tobii Dynavox: Incumbent AAC hardware and software provider for individuals with communication impairments — broader portfolio than Smarty Ears but directly competes in the AAC segment including apps like Compass.
Emerging players
- Bilinguistics: Bilingual speech-language pathology consultancy that co-developed the BAPA assessment with Smarty Ears — an adjacent partner/peer in bilingual SLP assessment tools and culturally responsive therapy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smarty Ears social profiles
Digital presenceSmarty Ears compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Smarty Ears financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smarty Ears leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Smarty Ears subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Smarty Ears funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smarty Ears 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 Smarty Ears
What does Smarty Ears do?
Smarty Ears provides a comprehensive speech-language pathology technology ecosystem consisting of Smarty Ears Online, a HIPAA-compliant web-based clinical suite with adaptive learning activities, AI-driven data reporting, and IEP-aligned goal banks, plus a portfolio of 70+ standalone iOS applications targeting articulation, language, literacy, social communication, AAC, and clinical assessment. Products are sold to individual clinicians and parents via app stores and self-serve subscriptions, and to school districts via enterprise site licenses.
Is Smarty Ears a public or private company?
Smarty Ears is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smarty Ears founded?
Smarty Ears was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Smarty Ears based?
Smarty Ears is headquartered in Dallas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smarty Ears make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. One-Time App Purchases (Apple App Store) is the primary driver. The others are smarty Ears Online Subscriptions, enterprise / District Site Licenses and university Grant / Complimentary Access.
Who are Smarty Ears's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Boom Learning, Speech Blubs, AssistiveWare (Proloquo2Go), PRC-Saltillo (TouchChat), TheraPlatform and LessonPix. Broad incumbents are SimplePractice, PresenceLearning and Tobii Dynavox. Bilinguistics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Smarty Ears have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smarty Ears.
What industry is Smarty Ears in?
Smarty Ears's product category is Speech Therapy Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAC, Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription), with a secondary code of EDAFAOAG, Pronunciation, Speech Recognition & Accent Training Tools. Its NAICS code is 621340 and its SIC code is 7372.