MindEar
MindEar operates a mobile app that combines sound therapy, CBT via an AI chatbot, mindfulness, and remote audiologist consultations to help individual tinnitus sufferers manage symptoms globally through a freemium subscription model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBalmain, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What MindEar does
MindEar is a digital health company that operates a mobile-first tinnitus management platform built around the MindEar app (formerly Tinnibot). The app combines multiple therapeutic modalities — neuromodulated sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered via an AI chatbot, mindfulness and breathing exercises, and optional remote video consultations with audiologists and psychologists. Customizable soundscapes support frequency tuning and dynamic mixing of natural and colored noise, alongside a free integrated hearing screening test. The platform is built on iOS and Android, with the underlying therapy logic validated in a clinical trial conducted with the University of Auckland and published in Frontiers in Digital Health (2023), reporting a 65% substantial reduction in tinnitus distress across trial participants and a 64% clinically significant improvement at 8 weeks in the hybrid (app + video consultation) cohort.
MindEar distributes globally through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store using a freemium subscription model. Premium features — advanced soundscapes, personalized CBT exercises, and expert consultations — are gated behind paid subscriptions, while expert consultations are monetized via video calls bookable through the website or Calendly, with a free 15-minute initial session as a conversion tool. The company pursues a product-led and community-led GTM strategy: organic SEO via an extensive tinnitus-focused blog authored by in-house clinicians, active social media presence across Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, email lead capture (free Tinnitus Guide), and earned media in The Guardian, CBS News, The Times, Le Figaro, Daily Express, and MedicalNewsToday. The target customer is the individual tinnitus sufferer (with secondary focus on at-risk populations such as musicians, veterans, and industrial workers), spanning mild to severe symptoms across age groups.
MindEar was co-founded in 2019 by Dr. Fabrice Bardy (Audiologist & Neuroscientist) and Dr. Matthieu Recugnat (Hearing Scientist & Biomedical Engineer) out of research at the University of Auckland, with team members Dr. Laure Jacquemin and Michael Piskosz. The company maintains research and clinical partnerships with the University of Auckland, University of Queensland, Leeds Trinity University, and UCLH NHS, and received the 2022 Global Innovation Award from Leeds Trinity University. MindEar operates from Australia with academic origins in New Zealand, has no disclosed external venture funding beyond a nominal 2020 transaction with Uniservices, and has 1-10 employees as of the latest data. No revenue is publicly disclosed.
MindEar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MindEar
- Legal name
- MindEar
- Website
- https://mindear.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MindEar operates a mobile app that combines sound therapy, CBT via an AI chatbot, mindfulness, and remote audiologist consultations to help individual tinnitus sufferers manage symptoms globally through a freemium subscription model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MindEar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Health / Tinnitus Management Software
- NAICS
- Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Behavioral Health & Neurocognitive Therapeutics (Digital) (HLACANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Neurodevelopmental & Behavioral Therapy Platforms (ADHD/Autism/Behavioral Coaching) (HLALAEAJ), General Mental Health Therapy Platforms (Talk Therapy) (HLALAEAA), Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH)
Keywords
Where MindEar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Balmain
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
MindEar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- App Subscriptions (Freemium/Premium): MindEar follows a freemium model. The app is free to download with basic features accessible at no cost. Premium features — including advanced soundscapes, personalized CBT exercises, expert consultations, and the full suite of management tools — require a paid subscription. Revenue is generated through recurring subscription fees billed monthly or annually.
- Expert Consultation Upsell: Users can book remote video consultations with audiologists and psychologists through the app or website. The first 15-minute tinnitus consultation is offered for free as a conversion tool, with paid follow-up sessions available. This creates an additional revenue stream while enhancing the app's value proposition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free download with basic soundscape access; premium features (advanced soundscapes, CBT exercises, expert consultations) require a paid subscription |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
MindEar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MindEar sells a mobile application that delivers tinnitus management through a combination of AI chatbot coaching (Tinnibot), customizable sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy exercises, and mindfulness techniques. The app is offered on a freemium model with premium subscriptions unlocking the full therapeutic suite, and paid remote video consultations with audiologists and psychologists are available as an add-on.
Product overview
MindEar is a digital health platform offering a unified mobile application for tinnitus management. The core product is the MindEar App, which integrates multiple therapeutic approaches including sound therapy (with customizable soundscapes), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and access to tinnitus experts via video consultations. The app previously operated under the name Tinnibot, described as the world's first online tinnitus coach, which was the chatbot-based component delivering CBT exercises. The platform is designed to provide accessible, affordable tinnitus relief for all.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tinnibot: Tinnibot is described as the world's first online tinnitus coach, a chatbot tool that delivers cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus via the MindEar app.
Products and services
- MindEar App A mobile application (iOS and Android) that combines sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and access to remote tinnitus experts to help individuals manage tinnitus symptoms and achieve habituation. Available via freemium download with premium subscription features.
- Tinnibot An AI-powered online tinnitus chatbot coach that delivers cognitive behavioral therapy exercises, education, and daily activities tailored to help individuals habituate to tinnitus.
- Remote Tinnitus Expert Consultations
Quantifiable outcome
- 65% of clinical trial participants experienced substantial reduction in tinnitus distress
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use MindEar
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MindEar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
MindEar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Leeds Trinity UniversitycoreLeeds Trinity University collaborated with MindEar on the development and validation of the app. MindEar won the 2022 Global Innovation Award from Leeds Trinity University recognizing the app's innovative approach to tinnitus management. The university has published research on the app's effectiveness.
- University of AucklandcoreUniversity of Auckland is the academic institution where MindEar's founders (Dr. Fabrice Bardy and Dr. Matthieu Recugnat) conducted their research. The company emerged from this academic research. A clinical trial was conducted in collaboration with the university, published in Frontiers in Digital Health (2023).
- University of QueenslandcoreUniversity of Queensland collaborated with MindEar on tinnitus research. Research findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals (Thieme Connect). The partnership validates the scientific credibility of MindEar's approach.
- UCLH NHScoreUCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) is listed as a partner alongside leading educational institutions and health organisations. The partnership signals clinical credibility and potential integration with NHS healthcare pathways for tinnitus patients in the UK.
- Tinnitus Research (organization/logo)minorTinnitus Research (an organization focused on tinnitus research and awareness) is listed as a partner logo on MindEar's website, indicating a collaborative relationship in promoting tinnitus awareness and research dissemination.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MindEar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Calm: Calm provides meditation, sleep stories, and soundscapes; competes with MindEar's mindfulness and soundscape layers for free-tier users seeking general relaxation-based tinnitus relief.
- Big Health (Sleepio): Big Health is a prescription digital therapeutic for insomnia (Sleepio) and anxiety (Daylight); a relevant DTx peer in the regulated digital therapeutics category MindEar could enter.
- Akili Interactive: Akili is a prescription digital therapeutic company (e.g., EndeavorRx for ADHD) — directly comparable as a regulated software-as-medicine company targeting neurocognitive conditions, the same regulatory category MindEar could pursue.
- Pear Therapeutics: Pear Therapeutics developed FDA-authorized prescription digital therapeutics for substance use disorder and other behavioral conditions — a relevant reference point for the regulated DTx commercialization pathway MindEar could follow.
- Headspace: Headspace offers guided meditation, sleep, and focus content; relevant as an adjacent wellness app that overlaps MindEar's mindfulness and CBT-adjacent features for tinnitus-related anxiety.
Broad incumbents
- ReSound: GN ReSound provides hearing aids with built-in tinnitus therapy features and the ReSound Relief app, offering a hybrid device-plus-app model that competes for the same tinnitus patient demographic.
- Starkey: Starkey offers tinnitus technology integrated into its hearing aids and the Starkey Relax app — a major incumbent with device-centric tinnitus offerings that overlaps MindEar's audiology-targeted segments.
- Widex: Widex integrates Zen tinnitus management programs into its hearing aids and offers the Widex Zen Tinnitus App — a large incumbent with overlapping therapeutic approach distributed through audiologist channels.
Direct peers
- AudioCardio: AudioCardio delivers a mobile, sound-therapy-based hearing health and tinnitus program that uses threshold training; comparable as another consumer digital therapeutic targeting tinnitus and hearing loss.
- Oto: Oto is a UK-based digital tinnitus program combining CBT, sound therapy, and coaching via mobile app — the most direct head-to-head competitor to MindEar in the consumer DTx category for tinnitus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MindEar social profiles
Digital presenceMindEar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MindEar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
MindEar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MindEar 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 MindEar
What does MindEar do?
MindEar sells a mobile application that delivers tinnitus management through a combination of AI chatbot coaching (Tinnibot), customizable sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy exercises, and mindfulness techniques. The app is offered on a freemium model with premium subscriptions unlocking the full therapeutic suite, and paid remote video consultations with audiologists and psychologists are available as an add-on.
Is MindEar a public or private company?
MindEar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MindEar founded?
MindEar was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MindEar based?
MindEar is headquartered in Balmain, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does MindEar make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. App Subscriptions (Freemium/Premium) is the primary driver. The others are expert Consultation Upsell.
Who are MindEar's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Calm, Big Health (Sleepio), Akili Interactive, Pear Therapeutics and Headspace. Broad incumbents are ReSound, Starkey and Widex. Direct peers are AudioCardio and Oto.
Does MindEar have an API?
No public API is recorded for MindEar.
What industry is MindEar in?
MindEar's product category is Digital Health / Tinnitus Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACANAI, Behavioral Health & Neurocognitive Therapeutics (Digital), with a secondary code of HLALAEAJ, Neurodevelopmental & Behavioral Therapy Platforms (ADHD/Autism/Behavioral Coaching). Its NAICS code is 621330 and its SIC code is 7372.