FundraiseSep 9, 2026, 15:23 UTC

Fortell raises $163M for AI hearing aids at a $740M valuation

What's the deal? Fortell, a New York-based hearing technology company, has raised $163 million in a late-stage venture round, according to funding records. Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, and Valor Equity Partners co-led the deal, which values the company at $740 million.

What's the endgame? Founded in 2021, Fortell is building AI hearing aids that separate speech from background noise — one of the persistent challenges in hearing care. It launched its first device in December 2025, using custom AI to process sound in real time.

What's the product? The company is directing much of the capital toward improving speech understanding in noisy environments. Speed is central: the founder reports processing times of roughly 10 milliseconds, low enough to keep the listening experience from feeling unnatural.

Why now? Bringing medical hardware to market is expensive, spanning research, engineering, clinical work, manufacturing, regulatory approvals, and distribution. The raise gives a relatively young company the resources to compete with established makers such as Phonak, Oticon, Signia, and Starkey, all of which already invest heavily in AI.

What could go wrong? Whether Fortell's technology meaningfully improves everyday hearing still needs to be demonstrated independently. Its long-term clinical and commercial performance remains unproven.

The signal: The round ranks in the 96th percentile among all-time late-stage venture deals for the sector in its region, a sample of nearly 2,000 rounds. It reflects investor conviction that hearing technology still has room to grow — and that AI could open new ground in a market long dominated by a handful of incumbents.