International Day of Ear Care

imgresHow many of you knew that there was an International Day of Ear Care?  I found out about this through Mimi, a company that I am invested in that resides in Berlin.  Mimi is building the next generation of hearing solutions.  They want to change people’s hearing one ear at a time.

The app runs through your phone.  It allows you to be in control of your hearing without the cost and equipment.  650 million people suffer from hearing loss. Only 2.5% are being treated. Mimi wants to change these numbers.  Their aim is to enable everyone who has hearing loss to take back the power to hear and feel in control.

The big launch of the product is today.  They are challenging everyone to have your hearing checked.   All you have to do is download the app today and you can do it.  They hope to get 1 million people to check their hearing.  Refer this to your friends and family. Everyone should have access to better hearing.

It is essential to create awareness about hearing.  360 million people around the globe have some type of hearing loss.  32 million of them are children under the age of 15.  About 15% of the world’s adult population has some level of hearing loss.  Nearly 25% over the age of 65.

Mimi is looking to solve this problem through an app that runs over your phone.  The costs of hearing aids, doctor visits, etc is expensive.  Mimi wants to change all of that.  Hearing is essential to living in the world.  It is disabling not being able to hear.

Take the challenge and test your own hearing today.  Click here for Mimi’s app

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    Downloaded.I know what i am going to discover.My real question is do they provide guidance referrals, reality checks on what is possible to do with the results?

    1. Gotham Gal

      Yes. The app is the hearing aidWould love your feedback

      1. awaldstein

        Cued up to try.Market for the right answer in immense. This piece of medicine has a huge gap between practitioners and technology that could help.

    2. Guido Knook

      We want to guide the user and help them throughout the whole process. From becoming aware, to exploring different options and eventually having a fitted solution. Right now we are working on incorporating detailed next steps in the Hearing Test. Amongst others this will include:- Showing that you can give the hearing amplifier a try- Providing referrals to hearing specialist- For in the future we are also working on smart hardware solutions

  2. pointsnfigures

    I have terrible hearing from 25 years on the trading floor. Have trouble in large groups and big meeting rooms where sound echoes. I worry about my kids as they listen to stuff with headphones all day long. When I traded, I tried earplugs, but they bugged me so I got rid of them.

    1. Gotham Gal

      Mimi might be the right solution for you. Try it

      1. pointsnfigures

        Downloaded, reposted it to a private thread on Facebook where old broken down traders hang out. Now, we need apps for my eyes and flexibility.

        1. awaldstein

          flexibility–diet/nitrition and working out with me at the gym.

          1. pointsnfigures

            Yoga and weight lifting. Tried the app. I like it.

    2. LE

      I have terrible hearing from 25 years on the trading floor.Wow!

  3. William Mougayar

    I like that app. will give it a try. you know apparently, hearing loss can also be caused by excessive earwax buildup (as one gets older especially), and the doctor can just poof it out.

    1. Gotham Gal

      True but that’s a small group

      1. William Mougayar

        6%.

  4. JimHirshfield

    Cool beans. I recently went to the ENT – probably first time in my adult life. Was truly an eye-opening experience, dare I say ear-opening?

  5. LE

    I will definitely download this app.Sound (to much of it) is something that is near and dear to me. I bought a sound level meter just so I could make sure that I wasn’t playing music to loud in my car and in the basement when I exercise. (I found out it was only about 85db..)I also keep a set of “airline tarmac” earmuffs at the office which I put on and can block out any and all noise (like when they are cutting the lawn outside in the office complex..) Also good if you want to take a quick nap in the afternoon which I do occasionally.I have a set of custom molded ear plugs. I had a tenant that was an ENT and the audiologist made them for about $85. Much much better than the throwaway type that are sold (which I had used previously). Everyone reading this, go out right away and have a set of these made… make sure you use them with the gel which creates a further block of sound. Great help to sleep.The other reason that sound is important to me is that I use it when negotiating in person or over the phone. I can easily tell many things just by hearing someone’s vocal tone (not sure if that is the word for it) variance and changes pitch cadence, tension and so on.

  6. LE

    50 million people suffer from hearing loss. Only 2.5% are being treated.Long term mimi has to have a way to get people into ENT and audiologist’s offices as a source of potential referral revenue. I guess that’s obvious.

  7. TanyaMonteiro

    is there a mimi app for android? my farther could use this

    1. Guido Knook

      We are working on developing an Android version. If you want to be notified when it will be available let us know at http://mimi.io/android

  8. Guido Knook

    Thanks a lot Joanne for the article! It was an exiting day and we’ll continue to create awareness of hearing loss now and in the future. We have two apps in the AppStore right now (iOS only for now, if you’re interested in Android let us know at http://mimi.io/android).◦ The first app is the Mimi Hearing Test with which you can quickly test your hearing.▫ The second app is the Mimi Hearing Amplifier which allows you to experience hearing enhancement. You can try it for example when talking to friends in a noisy restaurant or even just watching tv at home.p.s. I’m Guido, user experience designer at Mimi, so if there are any more questions about us, hearing (loss) or the apps; let me know!