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Doppler Labs has raised $51.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Doppler Labs.
Doppler Labs was founded in 2013 by Fritz Lanman (Chairman and Cofounder).
Doppler Labs has raised $51.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Doppler Labs is a hardware and software technology company that develops affordable, self-tunable hearing aid solutions for hearing-impaired individuals. The organization targets a global market of approximately 1.5 billion people experiencing hearing loss by providing user-controlled assistive devices that eliminate the need for repeated audiologist visits. Utilizing its Aurasen system, which is protected by four issued utility patents, the company allows users to adjust their hearing aids remotely within minutes. The current medical device technology evolved from the firm's earlier consumer audio products, which included shipping 10,000 units of the Here Active Listening system to early backers through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Operating with a self-funded model, the enterprise is currently raising additional capital through an equity crowdfunding campaign on Netcapital. Doppler Labs was founded around 2010 by Dan Wiggins, Noah Kraft, and Fritz Lanman.
Doppler Labs is a technology company that has undergone significant evolution, initially focusing on innovative in-ear audio computing as a San Francisco-based startup founded in 2013, and later relaunching as a provider of affordable, self-tunable over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for the hearing impaired.[1][2] The original company developed products like DUBS Acoustic Filters and wireless smart earbuds (Here Active Listening and Here One), targeting music enthusiasts and consumers seeking real-time audio customization, but shut down in 2017 after raising over $50 million due to sales shortfalls against tech giants.[1][3] In its current form under Doppler Labs (acquired trademark in 2024 by Dan Wiggins), it builds the Aurasen system—patented, clinical-grade hearing aids with self-tuning software—serving hearing-impaired individuals worldwide by solving high costs, repeated audiologist visits, and lack of user control, with beta-stage hardware/software, four issued patents, completed clinical trials, and a goal of 5% US market share within five years via low-subscription pricing.[2]
The original Doppler Labs was co-founded in 2013 by Noah Kraft (entertainment industry veteran with Google and 300 Entertainment experience), Fritz Lanman (Microsoft executive and angel investor), and Dan Wiggins (acoustics expert from Rode, Siemens, Microsoft, SONOS, Apple, Dolby).[1] The idea stemmed from ambitions to create in-ear computing for augmented audio, launching DUBS earplugs in 2015 after $50+ million in funding from investors like The Chernin Group and Henry Kravis, followed by Here products at Coachella in 2016, but it ceased operations in November 2017 amid market challenges.[1][3]
The relaunched Doppler Labs traces to around 2010, when founders—including one using hearing aids—identified frustrations with costly, inflexible devices during a lunch discussion, leading to years of self-funded development, patented self-tuning tech, clinical trials led by a Ph.D. audiologist, and trademark acquisition by Wiggins in 2024 (post-Dolby IP purchase).[1][2] As of 2025, it's in beta with locked supply chains, preparing for Regulation A+ crowdfunding.[2]
Doppler Labs rides the wave of consumer audio personalization and the booming OTC hearing aid market, enabled by 2022 FDA regulations allowing sales without prescriptions, which expands access amid an aging population and rising hearing loss prevalence.[2] Timing favors the relaunch, as original 2013-2017 efforts predated widespread true wireless earbuds (e.g., AirPods), facing competition from giants like Apple and Bose that Doppler influenced but outscaled.[1][3] Market forces like demand for affordable health tech and self-management tools (post-pandemic) align with its mission, positioning it to disrupt a fragmented $7B+ US hearing aid sector dominated by expensive, professional-only devices.[2] The original failure highlighted hardware startup risks but advanced "augmented hearing" concepts now mainstream in earbuds.[3][4]
Doppler Labs' pivot from ambitious audio wearables to practical OTC hearing solutions positions it for viable growth in a regulated-yet-expanding market, with beta readiness and crowdfunding signaling near-term launch.[2] Trends like AI-driven personalization, telehealth integration, and global aging (1B+ with hearing loss by 2050) will shape its path, potentially amplified by partnerships or acquisitions akin to the 2018 Dolby IP deal.[1] Influence may evolve from niche innovator to accessible healthtech player if it hits sales targets, circling back to its roots in empowering users to control their auditory world—first through entertainment, now health.[1][2]
Doppler Labs has raised $51.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $24.0M Series B in July 2016.
Key people at Doppler Labs.
Doppler Labs was founded in 2013 by Fritz Lanman (Chairman and Cofounder).
Doppler Labs has raised $51.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Doppler Labs's investors include TCG (The Chernin Group), Accel, DFJ, FJ Labs, General Atlantic, Romero Rodrigues, Matrix, MMC Ventures, Redpoint eventures, Saints Capital, Henry Fertik, Anton Levy.
