What Nuance hearing does

Nuance Hearing is an Israeli hearing technology startup headquartered in Tel Aviv, founded in 2015 and operating with 11–50 employees. The company developed proprietary open-ear hearing aid technology integrated directly into eyeglass frames, using directional beamforming microphone arrays with noise filtering to enhance speech clarity in noisy environments. The technology is controllable through a companion smartphone app and is compatible with prescription lenses, with battery life of 8–10 hours per charge and no Bluetooth audio streaming. In July 2023, the company was acquired by EssilorLuxottica — a Franco-Italian eyewear conglomerate with approximately €112 billion market capitalization, €26.5 billion in annual revenue, more than 15,000 patents, and over €350 million in annual R&D spend — as its strategic entry point into the hearing solutions market. Following the acquisition, the technology was rebranded and commercialized under the Nuance Audio product line.

The core product, Nuance Audio Glasses, is an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing enhancement device positioned for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, a globally underserved population of roughly 1.25 billion. The product addresses the principal barriers that have historically suppressed hearing aid adoption — stigma, cost, and accessibility — by combining hearing assistance with what appears to be regular eyewear, accommodating prescription lenses, and removing the need for a medical fitting. Priced at roughly a quarter of traditional non-OTC hearing aids, Nuance Audio retails at approximately $1,100–$1,200 per frame in the US and from £1,000 in UK optical stores. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through optical retail, leveraging EssilorLuxottica's vertically integrated store network, with launches executed in the UK from May 2025 and a US commercial launch in Q1 2025 following FDA clearance in February 2025 and CE marking for Europe.

The business model is a one-time hardware purchase sold through eye care professionals and optical retail chains. The company does not offer subscription, recurring services, or Bluetooth audio streaming, and its revenue is consolidated within the EssilorLuxottica parent rather than reported on a standalone basis. The product line is positioned as the hearing-leg of EssilorLuxottica's broader med-tech and smart eyewear strategy, sitting alongside category-adjacent products such as Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have shipped over 2 million units since October 2023. Leadership comprises CEO Ori Goren, co-founder Yehuda Zisapel, and Director of Product Development Oran Bertelsen.

Name

Nuance hearing

Legal name

Nuance Hearing

Website

https://nuancehear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nuance Hearing is an Israeli hearing technology firm acquired by EssilorLuxottica in 2023, developing Nuance Audio — OTC glasses with beamforming directional microphones and noise filtering that target adults with mild to moderate hearing loss and sell through optical retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hearing Enhancement Wearables

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851), Household Audio & Video Equipment (3651)

akta.pro primary industry

Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices (CRACANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reading Glasses (OTC) (CRAAAKAG), Speech Enhancement & Noise Suppression (AEC/NR) (HDAAAFAG), On-Device Speech & Audio AI (wake word, ASR, enhancement) (HDAAAJAF)

Keywords

• Hearing enhancement glasses
• OTC hearing aids
• Hearing eyewear
• Assistive hearing devices
• Open-ear hearing technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Nuance Audio Glasses: One-time hardware purchase model where customers buy the eyeglass frames with integrated hearing technology. The glasses are sold as an OTC product without requiring a medical fitting, positioning them as an alternative to traditional hearing aids.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Nuance Hearing designs and manufactures hearing enhancement glasses that embed directional audio amplification technology into prescription-compatible eyeglass frames. The product combines a proprietary beamforming microphone array with on-board signal processing to amplify speech in front of the wearer while reducing ambient noise, serving adults with mild to moderate hearing loss as a stigma-free, over-the-counter alternative to traditional hearing aids.

Product overview

Nuance Hearing, an Israeli startup acquired by EssilorLuxottica in July 2023, developed hearing enhancement technology that was commercialized as Nuance Audio Glasses. The product integrates open-ear hearing aid technology directly into eyeglass frames, featuring beamforming directional microphones, noise filtering, and a companion smartphone app. The glasses target adults with mild to moderate hearing loss and are available as an over-the-counter offering with prescription lens compatibility, eliminating the need for medical fitting. The technology was developed following the acquisition and became commercially available in 2025 following FDA clearance and CE marking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nuance Audio: Hearing glasses product line developed by EssilorLuxottica using technology from Nuance Hearing, integrating directional microphone arrays and noise filtering technology into spectacle frames for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Products and services

• Nuance Audio Glasses Prescription-compatible eyeglass frames with embedded beamforming microphone array and on-board signal processing that amplifies speech in the wearer's forward direction while suppressing surrounding noise. Paired with a companion smartphone app for control and personalization, targeting adults with mild to moderate hearing loss seeking an over-the-counter, stigma-free alternative to traditional hearing aids.

Quantifiable outcome

• Costs roughly a quarter of traditional non-OTC hearing aids, making hearing enhancement accessible to a broader population
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EssilorLuxotticacoreOthers · 1 July 2023EssilorLuxottica acquired Israeli startup Nuance Hearing in July 2023 as its entry point into the hearing solutions market. This acquisition enabled EssilorLuxottica to develop Nuance Audio glasses, integrating open-ear hearing aid technology into spectacle frames. The acquisition is part of EssilorLuxottica's broader med-tech strategy and expansion into hearing enhancement products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bose (OTC Hearing - SoundControl): Bose entered OTC hearing with SoundControl Hearing Aids, directly competing with Nuance Audio in the same over-the-counter, no-fitting channel for adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Bose brings deep consumer audio DSP heritage and broad retail availability.
• Sony (OTC Hearing Aids - CRE-C10/E10): Sony launched CRE-C10 and CRE-E10 OTC self-fitting hearing aids in the US, targeting the same mild-to-moderate hearing loss consumer as Nuance Audio with established consumer electronics brand trust and aggressive retail pricing.
• Eargo: Eargo is a pure-play DTC and OTC hearing aid company offering nearly invisible in-canal devices. It is a direct competitor for the same stigma-averse, self-directed buyer that Nuance Audio targets.
• Jabra Enhance (GN Hearing): Jabra Enhance sells OTC and telehealth-fit hearing aids through audiology partnerships and direct online channels. It competes with Nuance Audio in the same mild-to-moderate segment and benefits from GN's professional audio R&D.
• Audicus: Audicus is an online-first OTC and pre-fit hearing aid retailer offering affordable direct-to-consumer hearing devices. It targets the same price-sensitive, non-clinical buyer as Nuance Audio at a lower price point.
• Lexie Hearing: Lexie Hearing sells OTC hearing aids online and through retail partnerships (including Best Buy) with optional remote support. It overlaps directly with Nuance Audio's DTC, OTC go-to-market motion.

Broad incumbents

• Apple (AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid features): Apple added clinically validated hearing aid functionality to AirPods Pro 2, instantly giving hundreds of millions of existing users an OTC-style hearing enhancement option. Apple is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities rather than a direct form-factor competitor.
• Starkey Hearing Technologies: Starkey is one of the world's largest hearing aid manufacturers, offering prescription and OTC products with AI features. It is a broad incumbent in the same hearing loss category as Nuance Audio, with overlapping capabilities but a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• Olive Union: Olive Union makes smart hearing wearables, including eyewear-adjacent and earbud-style hearing aids with app control. It is an emerging player intersecting Nuance Audio's smart-wearable hearing category with a smaller scale and earlier-stage distribution.
• Whisper Hearing: Whisper sells AI-powered hearing aids with software updates and remote adjustments, competing with Nuance Audio in the tech-forward OTC and direct-to-consumer hearing loss segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NuanceHearing

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nuance hearing