{"listing":{"listing_type":"company","name":"Auricle","slug":"auricle","tagline":"Neurostimulation implant to restore hearing & speech understanding","description":"Auricle is a medical device company building a breakthrough neurostimulation implant to restore hearing in millions of patients who no longer benefit from hearing aids, get less than 60% on a word recognition test, but aren't prepared to make the jump to a cochlear implant. \n\nOur approach preserves remaining natural hearing through a reversible and less invasive surgery, addressing the key concerns that hold most patients back from getting a cochlear implant (currently the only treatment option for these patients).\n\nThe company spun out of Stanford Biodesign having completed two acute human clinical studies demonstrating the approach will work. The team is now focused on developing their full implant system for their first clinical trial. \n\nAuricle addresses a currently unserved profile of hearing loss that affects a growing population of 3.5 million patients in the US and represents an immediately accessible $1.2B market opportunity with existing reimbursement.\n\nAuricle is a Y Combinator company (Winter 2021). YC-listed status: Active.","url":"https://auricle.com/","is_stealth":false,"normalized_domain":"auricle.com","normalized_url_key":"auricle.com","parent_slug":null,"parent":null,"type_data":{},"logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/3befcbf94e33a69c5d761a78d1ff81c267da6aff.png","links":[{"label":"Y Combinator profile","url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/auricle","platform":"ycombinator"}],"entry_points":[{"kind":"homepage","url":"https://auricle.com/","audience":"any","primary":false,"listed_by":"community","derived_from":"url","on_listing_domain":true}],"primary_entry_points":{"human":{"kind":"homepage","url":"https://auricle.com/","audience":"any","primary":false,"listed_by":"community","derived_from":"url","on_listing_domain":true},"agent":null},"founders":[],"media":null,"categories":["Healthcare","Medical Devices","Hard Tech","Neurotechnology","Health Tech"],"stage":null,"founded_year":null,"location":"San Francisco, CA, USA; Oakland, CA, USA","pricing":null,"twitter":null,"github":null,"linkedin":null,"contact_email":null,"added_at":"2026-09-03T06:42:15.933Z","added_via":"web","geo":{"keywords":["Y Combinator","YC Winter 2021","Hard Tech","Neurotechnology","Health Tech","Medical Devices","Healthcare"],"one_liner_for_search":"Auricle — Neurostimulation implant to restore hearing & speech understanding (Y Combinator Winter 2021)","canonical_facts":["Y Combinator batch: Winter 2021","YC company status: Active","Team size (per YC directory): 2","YC industry: Healthcare","YC subindustry: Healthcare / Medical Devices","Regions (per YC): United States of America, America / Canada, Remote, Partly Remote"]},"agents":null,"featured_until":null,"example":false,"ownership_status":"unclaimed","claimed_by_agent_id":null,"claimed_via_claim_id":null,"claimed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-03T06:42:15.933Z","is_featured":false,"category_memberships":[{"kind":"industry","slug":"hard-tech","name":"Hard Tech","note":null,"profile_url":"/industries/hard-tech"},{"kind":"industry","slug":"health-tech","name":"Health Tech","note":null,"profile_url":"/industries/health-tech"},{"kind":"industry","slug":"healthcare","name":"Healthcare","note":null,"profile_url":"/industries/healthcare"},{"kind":"industry","slug":"medical-devices","name":"Medical Devices","note":null,"profile_url":"/industries/medical-devices"},{"kind":"industry","slug":"neurotechnology","name":"Neurotechnology","note":null,"profile_url":"/industries/neurotechnology"}]}}