Wavio Receives Industry Support to Develop Visual Alert Home Device for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Wavio, a Deaf-owned software company, announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership with AREA 23, an FCB Health Network Company, which includes a major investment deal for the development and product launch of See Sound, a revolutionary home device that alerts people who are Deaf and hard of hearing to various household sounds, such as a baby crying or a fire alarm. Created by AREA 23 and Wavio, See Sound is scheduled to launch later in 2020. The partnership provides the Network with company equity in Wavio and revenue share on product sales.
 
In a time when sound recognition technology is constantly advancing, the availability of smart devices for the Deaf community is severely lacking. There is currently no product on the market that can differentiate sounds or distinguish the ding of a microwave from the sound of glass breaking. Wavio's AI-driven platform, SoundAI, can recognize and distinguish up to 75 common household sounds. In addition, Wavio's patents provide broad IP protection for products or software that distinguish sounds and alert users in real time on their mobile devices.

Thanks to the significant investment for product development received from AREA 23, part of the FCB Health Network of over 60 advertising agencies owned by Interpublic Group (IPG), a global marketing agency, See Sound has garnered international attention and captured the world's imagination, winning a multitude of awards, including the 2019 Innovation Grand Prix Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

"The team at AREA 23 has been passionate about this project from the start, and we are thrilled to partner with our client, Wavio, to get this product into the homes that need it most," says Tim Hawkey, AREA 23 chief creative officer. "Ask any Deaf person and they can tell you a story about how missing a sound caused them to face a potential danger. There are over 9 million Deaf households in the U.S. alone, so we see this product filling a huge unmet need."

"This is an amazing moment for Wavio," says Greyson Watkins, founder and CEO of Wavio. "With the global sound recognition market valued at $4.42 billion, Wavio is poised to be at the leading edge of it, driven by the support of an innovative partner like AREA 23 and the entire FCB Health Network. We've seen such great demand for the See Sound product that most of the initial inventory is already spoken for."

Wavio specializes in sound recognition technology. The company was founded in 2015 by three Deaf entrepreneurs who share a common mission to ensure everyone has access to sound. Their proprietary SoundAI software recognizes and converts sound events from analog waves into intuitive, digital data. Through ML/AI technologies, Wavio powers multiple applications in key industries, including smart homes, safety, security, well-being, health, entertainment, and communication.

Wavio expects to produce 5,000 See Sound units for preorder in 2020.
www.see-sound.com
www.wavio.ai