Flex to Manufacture Advanced Hearing Products for iHear Medical

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iHear Medical, a startup company specializing in web-enabled hearing solutions, has signed an agreement with Flex, whereby Flex will serve as the company's primary manufacturer and supplier as iHear Medical prepares to transition to mass production.

Hearing loss is a global problem of epidemic proportions with about 5% of the world's population, or approximately 360 million people, suffering from a disabling level of hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The current supply of hearing aids serves less than 10% of global demand with over 90% of the hearing impaired going untreated due to persisting barriers, including high cost, complex dispensing procedures, and the stigma of visibly worn traditional hearing aids. iHear Medical is pioneering discrete, web-enabled hearing solutions with over 44 U.S. and international patents issued and pending in its intellectual property portfolio.

The cloud-based platform developed by iHear Medical empowers consumers with clinically effective hearing solutions at a fraction of the cost of conventional products. With pricing for 100% digital hearing aids under $300 per device, the company brings the cost of advanced hearing aids in line with prescription eyeglasses.

Adnan Shennib, president and CEO of iHear Medical, commented, “We are excited to work with Flex to deliver products with the highest standards. Through collaboration with Flex and other global suppliers, iHear Medical plans to scale up sales in the United States before launching in China and other global markets in 2017.”

“We are thrilled that iHear Medical is joining the list of leading technology companies that have partnered with Flex for production of their unique and innovative products. We look forward to a fruitful partnership as we begin the process of manufacturing their high-end hearing aid,” added Sumir Kapur, senior vice president of Flex's Consumer Technology Group.

About Flex 

Flextronics International Ltd. is the Sketch-to-Scale solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world. With approximately 200,000 professionals across 30 countries, Flex provides innovative design, engineering, manufacturing, real-time supply chain insight and logistics services to companies of all sizes in various industries and end-markets. For more information, click here.

About iHear Medical

iHear Medical is a venture-backed firm dedicated to addressing the global need for affordable and accessible hearing solutions. iHear Medical's new products and business models are intended to break through persisting barriers preventing people with hearing loss from using hearing aids. iHear Medical is pioneering the world's first web-enabled hearing solutions, and was founded by Adnan Shennib, who has started and led the development at several Silicon Valley firms, including InSound Medical, which was acquired by Sonova-Phonak in 2010 in a deal totaling $169M. Shennib's innovations received major recognition including the Medical Device Excellence Award, and were featured in major media outlets including CNN, New York Times, USAToday and Inc. Magazine. For more information on iHear Medical, click here.