Grid110 Founder Story: Chris from Audio Cardio
Audio Cardio is one of of our proud selected companies for our 2019 Spring Residency cohort. What is Audio Cardio, you might ask? Audio Cardio is a data and science-backed mobile hearing test and therapy that aims to protect, maintain, and improve hearing. They use a proprietary algorithm and mix of sound signals to personalize the therapy and stimulate the cells at the barely audible level.
Since finishing the program this summer, Audio Cardio’s founder, Chris Ellis, has been making significant moves. Just within the last few months, Chris won first place at the Startup Coil pitch competition at Google, first place at the ACG ‘101’s Pitch Competition, and won the regional pitch competition for the Startup World Cup.
Like most entrepreneurs, Chris’s Ellis’story of founding Audio Cardio started through a personal pain point.
His grandfather’s to be exact.
To learn more about how his grandfather inspired him, check the full interview below to learn more about Chris’s journey and experience!
What is your venture? How do you seek to change the world?
AudioCardio is a mobile app that assesses your hearing and generates a personalized sound therapy to help protect, maintain, and strengthen your hearing.
What prompted you to start your venture? Where did the idea come from?
My grandfather was suffering from dementia, and I was doing some basic research online to understand the disease better. I came across a Johns Hopkins study relating untreated hearing loss and the increased risk for dementia. Fortuitously, a friend shared a technology that had “something” to do with the auditory system a few months before.
I only knew this because I recognized the snail-shaped image on the cover of the document as the cochlea. Other than that, it was a lot of science I didn’t understand at the time, so I dismissed it. However, after seeing the Johns Hopkins study, I went back to the email and document to try to understand what this technology was trying to solve. After discussing it more and developing a strong relationship with the inventor, we decided to start AudioCardio together as cofounders.
What’s special and advantageous about being in LA (if applicable, DTLA) for you and your venture?
LA is quickly becoming a hub for health and wellness innovation. The combination of entrepreneurs, technologists, and creatives gives us an added element that you can’t find anywhere else.
As you think back to your Grid110 experience, what are the 1–2 lessons or takeaways that still stick out to you?
Grid110 helped us find the right path to product-market fit and who our first target market should be. This is an evolving demographic as you grow, but understanding your first users is what we drilled into and helped shape the newest version of our product. I also need to mention the general support and advice we received was and continues to be invaluable.
Considering what Grid110 provides and offers, what has been the most impactful to you as a founder and business? How has the Grid110 experience influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
We received excellent advice and help in developing our product to fit the right target demographic. We found Grid110’s guidance and expertise in the areas where we didn’t have the resources the most valuable.
Fun Questions
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I thought I wanted to be some fancy executive in a skyscraper somewhere. That’s what I remember envisioning as a child. My family has had small businesses for my entire life, so I’m sure that had a lot to do with it.
Who is your personal role model?
Elon Musk
If you could have a meal with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be? Why?
Thomas Edison, due to his “rivalry” with Nikolai Tesla and how he was able to commercialize his technology to become the incumbent over his rival’s.
About Grid110
Grid110 provides mentoring & key resources for early-stage entrepreneurs in underserved regions. We support early-stage companies by connecting them to office space, mentors, and important resources during the most critical phase of their business life-cycle through education programs.
