Press room

MINNEAPOLIS (March 16, 2017) —Starkey® Hearing Technologies is excited to announce that its Halo™ 2 hearing aids were named the winner of the “Wearable Tech” category at the 2017 SXSW® Interactive Innovation Awards. The Interactive Awards ceremony took place Tuesday evening at the South By Southwest® (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas. To date, Halo 2 has been recognized by six different organizations and won five prestigious awards.

“Halo 2 is kick-starting a revolution in wearable technology, and this award recognizes that,” Starkey Hearing Technologies Senior Director of Research, Simon Carlile said. “It has re-defined the meaning of convenience, comfort, function and fashion when it comes to hearing technology. Halo 2 lets patients define and customize their own hearing experiences while also changing the way they think about having a device on their bodies.”

Halo 2 was honored for merging audiological advances with mobile technology to provide a hearable technology that is built for users’ active lifestyles and creates a destigmatizing effect. Karten Design and Starkey Hearing Technologies’ Mechanical Engineering team leveraged cutting-edge microelectronic packaging and construction strategies to develop the revolutionary design of Halo 2. Halo 2 was selected as the winner on Tuesday evening from a remarkable list of finalists including Samsung, Link AKC, Not Impossible and Intel & Oakley. You can see the full list of 2017 SXSW Interactive Innovations Awards finalists here.

Additionally, while at SXSW 2017, Carlile represented Starkey Hearing Technologies in the “Hearables and the Age of Mediated Listening” panel alongside Stuart Karten from Karten Design on Friday. On Sunday, a finalist showcase offered demos of the Halo 2 technology to attendees.

The SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards celebrates revolutionary developments in technology in the connected world. This year marks the associations 20th awards ceremony.

About Starkey Hearing Technologies
Starkey Hearing Technologies is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded in 1967, the company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. The company develops, manufactures and distributes hearing aids via three distinct brands – Audibel, NuEar and its original brand, Starkey. As the only American-owned and American-operated provider of hearing technologies, Starkey Hearing Technologies is proud to support veterans and active military service personnel with the best in American innovation, including a suite of revolutionary hearing technologies and other resources. Starkey Hearing Technologies currently employs more than 4,800 people and operates 21 facilities and conducts business in more than 100 markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.starkey.com.

About SXSW Interactive
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. SXSW 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017.