Looking for a Fortell Hearing Aid? Who Can Help You?

“I’ve experimented with various hearing aid brands, and while they’re decent, nothing compares to this,” Martin shared during a Zoom conversation. He visited the Soho team, conducted a street test, and was thrilled when he tried the device alongside his wife and daughter at their favorite restaurant, with de Jonge positioned several tables away with a laptop. The defining moment for Martin came at a cocktail party.

“I was at a gathering in our building, using my old hearing aids,” he explains. “While talking to four people, I realized I couldn’t understand any of them. Then it hit me—I have these new hearing aids. I went downstairs, put them in, and returned to hear everyone clearly.” Now, he wears them consistently and even made a joke about hearing aids during the 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live. “I don’t dwell on how things used to be,” he states. “I dreaded going to restaurants before, but not anymore.” His friend Balaban, after joining the beta test, feels similarly impressed. “This is a major upgrade from the shockingly expensive devices I was using,” Balaban mentions.

Other influential figures remain nameless, but de Jonge reassures me they mostly include well-known names. With only a few dozen beta units available, this means some powerful individuals are on the waiting list. Balaban’s wife, Lynn Grossman, recalls attending a Labor Day dinner with over 100 guests of a certain demographic in a private restaurant room, thinking that only her husband and another attendee—a notable CEO in the fashion industry—could hear because of Fortell. “Afterward, I think Bob received 12 or 14 emails asking, ‘How can I get those hearing aids?’”

Following the product launch, Fortell will sell hearing aids at a single clinic on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. The clinic is styled like an upscale lounge, showcasing the devices in a sleek display reminiscent of Apple’s retail strategy. On the wall hangs a silicon wafer containing the custom chip circuitry. Initially, a team of four audiologists will handle only a few dozen clients weekly to ensure the process is seamless. Nonetheless, as production ramps up, supply will remain constrained.

The chips utilized within the hearing aids, displayed in the Fortell lobby.

Photograph: Ali Cherkis

This is beneficial for Fortell, yet it appears de Jonge’s original goal of bringing enhanced hearing to everyone’s grandparents may be limited to the affluent, which hardly earns him a Salk medal. When I ask de Jonge about how his innovation can scale to transform lives for the general population, his responses, whether due to confidentiality concerning future strategies or simply a lack of a solid answer, feel vague. To his credit, Fortell has avoided raising the usual price of premium hearing aids—the $6,800 is, in fact, slightly less than some other medically prescribed options. (Like other top-tier hearing aids, this price encompasses fitting and support from professional audiologists.) Nonetheless, even this justifiable price point curtails widespread adoption; it’s a disheartening reality that some Medicare and many health insurance plans do not include coverage for hearing aids, a policy that relegates millions to a silent existence, isolating them from family and accelerating cognitive decline.

It remains uncertain whether Fortell’s technology could be integrated into the more affordable over-the-counter hearing aids recently made possible by regulatory changes under the Biden administration. This category includes Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and offerings from various consumer electronics brands, known to assist those experiencing hearing loss but lacking the efficacy of high-end devices paired with professional guidance. The Fortell solution requires meticulous testing and adjustment, continuing for a while as wearers acclimate to the devices. Regardless, that bespoke approach will demand Fortell’s focus for at least the next year, with expansion plans aiming to open clinics in select cities, only later considering broader distribution of the technology.