More than 35 million Americans suffer from impacted earwax, the leading cause of conductive hearing loss. That’s one in 10 children, one in 20 adults, and more than one in three seniors. For 200 years, the medical standard of care has been the ear-and-bladder syringe, a medieval-looking device that squirts water into ear canals.
No more. Medical device startup SafKan Health developed the world’s first automated ear cleaning device — the FDA-cleared OtoSet® Ear Cleaning System. OtoSet brings ear care into the 21st century with a novel system of irrigation and micro-suction technology, all built into an automated and wearable device resembling a familiar and sleek pair of headphones.
OtoSet simplifies earwax removal for clinicians, reducing the time required from 20 minutes to less than five, and offers patients a safe, effective, and mess-free procedure. OtoSet’s cleaning cycle directs liquid from solution containers through disposable ear tips and toward the walls of the ear canals to break down earwax. Continuous micro-suction draws that earwax and liquid back through the ear tips and into disposable waste containers. All sanitary, all simple.
American City Business Journals – Ear-Cleaning Device Company SafKan Raises $13M
Arizona Daily Star – Earwax-sucking Headphones Could Be the Canal-cleaning Devices of the Future
BoingBoing – These Weird Headphones Are for Cleaning Out Earwax
Daily Mail – Say Goodbye to Cotton Buds! Headphones Promise to Deep-clean Your Ears
FinSMEs – SafKan Health Raises $8M in Series A Funding
Gadgetany – OtoSet Ear Cleaning System: A Unique Way to Keep Your Ears Clean & Healthy
Gizmodo – These 'Headphones' Are Actually for Clearing Out Excess Earwax
GeekWire – Ear-Cleaning Headphones Maker SafKan Health Raises $1M to Launch in U.S. Hospitals
GeekWire – Earwax-Removal Device Heads to Market with $8M, FDA Clearance and a Viral TikTok Video
GeekWire – Forget the Q-tips: This Startup’s Headphones Clean Out Your Ears in Just 35 Seconds
HearingTracker – Unorthodox Ventures Leads Series A of Earwax Removal Startup SafKan Health, Bringing Funding to $13 Million
Mashable – This Headset Will Actually Clean Out Your Ears
Medgadget – OtoSet Automatic Ear Cleaning Device FDA Cleared
Medical Design & Outsourcing – These Headphones Can Clean Your Ears
Medical Dialogues – FDA Approves Automated Ear Cleaning Device for Easy Removal of Earwax
NPR – Company that Makes Ear-Cleaning Tech Recognized in Innovation Challenge
Scripps News – First FDA-cleared Automated Ear Cleaner Could Become Widely Used
StudyFinds – These Headphones Will Let You Hear Music Better by Cleaning Out Your Earwax
TCT Magazine – Music to the Ears: The Role of 3D Printing in SafKan’s Ear-Cleansing Headphones
The Hearing Review – SafKan Health and ReSound Partner on OtoSet Ear Cleaning System
The Hearing Review – SafKan Health Partners with Signia on OtoSet Ear Cleaning System
The Hearing Review – Unorthodox Ventures Invests in New Ear Cleaning System
Fast Company – 2023 Innovation by Design Awards
Hearing Technology Innovator Awards – 2023 Winner
Hearing Technology Innovator Awards – 2021 Winner
Protolabs Cool Idea! Award – 2019 Honoree
Every year, American entrepreneurs start more than half a million companies. More than 90% of them will fail, with only 200 ever passing $100 million in revenue. At Unorthodox Ventures, we know how to reach $300 million. Jump in with us.
