Amptify

Amptify provides a digital therapeutics platform designed for aural rehabilitation to supplement hearing instruments. The company was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from the Audiovisual Speech Perception Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine by a research team including Nancy Tye-Murray, PhD, and Brent Spehar, PhD. Initially named clEAR (Customized Learning Exercises for Aural Rehabilitation), the company rebranded to Amptify to reflect a strategic shift in its product offerings. The development was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and represents the culmination of decades of research.

The Amptify platform, delivered via iOS and Android apps or a web browser, combines several components to provide holistic hearing healthcare. It features auditory training in the form of clinically validated video games designed to improve skills like speech perception, noise tolerance, auditory memory, and processing speed. The platform also includes an interactive curriculum with lessons on hearing loss and communication strategies, access to a certified hearing health coach for personalized guidance, and a managed peer-to-peer support community. This approach is designed to extend patient care beyond the audiologist's office.

The business targets several customer segments, including clinical hearing care providers, employers, and hearing aid manufacturers. For clinics, Amptify serves as an outsourced aural rehabilitation solution, allowing them to provide this service without dedicating extensive in-office time. The company's business model involves selling discounted, redistributable licenses to clinics and offering subscriptions with pricing that varies based on features and population size. In December 2024, it was announced that Amptify was acquired by Neurotone AI, the creator of Lace AI Pro, to combine their expertise and advance evidence-based auditory training.

Keywords: aural rehabilitation, digital therapeutics, hearing loss, audiology, hearing healthcare, auditory training, cognitive skills, speech perception, hearing aids, Nancy Tye-Murray, Washington University, Neurotone AI, audiogram, tele-audiology, patient engagement, hearing health coach, cognitive training, auditory memory, sound processing, speech discrimination