Seattle startup Hearvana raises $6M for AI-powered sound enhancement

Published: Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 6:40 pm

Seattle Startup Hearvana Secures $6 Million in Pre-Seed Funding for AI-Powered Sound Enhancement

Seattle-based startup Hearvana has successfully closed a $6 million pre-seed funding round. The company, founded this spring by University of Washington computer science researchers, is developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology designed to enhance sound capabilities, potentially exceeding human hearing.

Hearvana's technology focuses on real-time, on-device audio processing, aiming to minimize power consumption and computing demands. The company's co-founder, Shyam Gollakota, a prominent tech inventor, envisions the technology integrated into a wide range of devices, including earbuds, hearing aids, and smartphones. Gollakota's research has focused on creating "super-human and proactive audio AI systems" that can interpret and manipulate audio with exceptional quality and low latency. The platform is designed to enable devices to understand intent and context in challenging, noisy environments, facilitating improved communication between people and machines.

Gollakota, who also leads the Mobile Intelligence Lab at the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, has a history of successful ventures. He co-founded Sound Life Sciences, which was acquired by Google, and Wavely Diagnostics, which uses a smartphone app to detect ear infections. Malek Itani, a research assistant and PhD student at the Allen School, is also a co-founder of Hearvana. Itani previously interned at Meta, where he worked on smart glasses.

Hearvana's technology builds on prior research, including a headphone prototype that utilized AI to create a sound bubble in noisy environments. The current funding round was led by Point72 Ventures and SCB 10X, with participation from several other investment firms and the Amazon Alexa Fund. Hearvana is currently being incubated at the AI2 Incubator.

BNN's Perspective:

The potential of AI to enhance our sensory experiences is undeniably exciting. While the technology is still in its early stages, Hearvana's focus on on-device processing and its application across various devices suggests a practical and potentially widespread impact. However, it's crucial to consider the ethical implications of such technology, particularly regarding privacy and the potential for misuse. Responsible development and deployment will be key to ensuring this technology benefits society as a whole.

Keywords: Hearvana, AI, sound enhancement, pre-seed funding, Seattle, Shyam Gollakota, audio AI, on-device, hearing aids, earbuds, smartphones, real-time, AI assistants, smart glasses, Point72 Ventures, SCB 10X, AI2 Incubator

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