Hearing Australia check app recognized as one of the most innovative new health tech companies globally

Sydney, NSW — 13 March 2017 — Australian Health Tech company Sound Scouts is pleased to announce that its innovative hearing app has won the Health and Wearable Technology Award at the 2017 SXSW Accelerator competition currently being held in Austin, Texas.

The SXSW Accelerator pitch event showcases the most ambitious tech start up talents from around the world with the most creative new ideas to change it.

This year is the ninth annual event and it has come to be known as the event to watch for new tech ideas. Over 500 companies apply from around the world to compete annually and only around 10% are selected as a pitch finalist across ten categories: Augmented and Virtual Reality, Enterprise and Smart Data, Entertainment and Content, Health and Wearables, Innovative World, Payment and FinTech, Security and Privacy, Social and Culture, Sports, and Transportation.

SXSW history has proven that not only winners like Siri (2010) and Pinterest (2012) achieve greatness after the competition, but also companies like Klout (2009) and Hipmunk (2011) who didn’t win, but have still gone on to become household names in the US.

Founder of Sound Scouts, Carolyn Mee said “We’re thrilled that Sound Scouts has achieved international recognition for its advanced technology but also for the positive social impact it can have. We want to make sure that every child has their hearing tested around the time that they start school. Many people think that because their child’s hearing was tested when they were a baby that their child can’t have a hearing problem. But hearing loss can occur at any time. We know that more children are identified as having hearing loss in the first few years of school than are identified at birth. Too often kids can go through years of schooling before someone thinks to test their hearing. By that time, they’re often labelled as “disruptive” or “inattentive”.

Sound Scouts is clinically validated hearing check designed for kids as a fun interactive game. Sound Scouts is on the leading edge of the gamification of health tech. The game is the result of 5 years of R&D with the Australian Government’s hearing research lab – the National Acoustic Laboratories, led by Professor Harvey Dillon.

The potential of Sound Scouts was recognized early by the NSW Government who is supporting its development through its Medical Devices Fund. Sound Scouts was launched in Australia last year and has been recognized by the Australian Computer Society as a 2016 Digital Disrupter.

Carolyn Mee said “We launched in Australia last year and Sound Scouts is selling now through the app store and google play in Australia. We’re looking to launch in the US later this year. The competition and talent here in the US is amazing and we’re really proud to win this award from amongst the best of new health tech companies in the world. Some of the worlds most recognized tech brands, like Twitter, launched at SXSW so Sound Scouts is in great company.”

SXSW Accelerator Event Producer, Chris Valentine said “SXSW Accelerator has hosted some of the most innovative startups over the eight years we’ve held our competition. These companies have gone on to capture the attention of investors and leading technology companies worldwide. 71 percent have received funding in excess of $3.1 billion, while 14 percent were acquired. Out of the hundreds of applicants, we have identified 50 finalists to present. Everyone with SXSW Accelerator is proud to support startups that are on the forefront of solving some of today’s biggest challenges through technology.”

This year for the first time SXSW will be holding a super accelerator event on Monday night where the winners of each category will compete to be the ultimate winner across all categories.

For more information about SXSW Accelerator and to view the complete list of finalists, visit the following site: http://www.sxsw.com/interactive/awards/accelerator.

About Sound Scouts

Sound Scouts is an Australian company based in Sydney. It has developed a clinically validated, hearing check to detect hearing loss in children. The hearing check is delivered as an app and is designed for children as a fun interactive game delivered on a tablet. The game embeds unique patented IP that tests for: conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss and auditory processing disorder. Sound Scouts makes hearing testing fun and accessible to all children, ensuring they are ready and able, to play and learn.

About the National Acoustic Laboratories

Sound Scouts was developed in collaboration with Professor Harvey Dillon who leads the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL). NAL is the research division of Hearing Australia, a Statutory Authority of the Commonwealth Government.https://www.nal.gov.au/about-nal/

About SXSW

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

Media Contact:
Glenda McLoughlin 
Sound Scouts
0413 439299
media@soundscouts.com