Early years

In 1967, William F. "Bill" Austin started a small hearing aid repair store after dropping out of medical school. In 1970, he purchased an ear mold company called Starkey Labs for $13,000.^[3] Starkey started manufacturing hearing aids, offering the industry's first 90-day trial period.

1980–present

In 1983, the company's sales doubled when Ronald Reagan started wearing its hearing aids while he was president, which caused a manufacturing crisis at the company to meet demand.^[3]

Austin has personally assisted five U.S. presidents, two popes, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and other notable leaders with Starkey hearing aids.

In 2015, Austin fired Starkey's then-president, Jerry Ruzicka, along with a handful of senior managers.^[4] A year later, in September 2016, federal prosecutors charged Ruzicka and four others with stealing more than $20 million from Starkey and a supplier since 2006.^[5] During the trial, Austin, who was not charged, provided false testimony to the court, causing some of his statements to be stricken from the record.^[6] In March 2018, Rusicka was found guilty of eight charges, including mail and wire fraud, and in December 2018 was sentenced to seven years in prison.^[7] In 2016, the company reported that its business was strong despite the disruption caused by the embezzlement, with sales of $800 million the prior year.^[3] A report in the Star Tribune noted that Starkey faced challenges at that time; its number of new patent filings had fallen, it had slipped to second place in sales to the Veteran's Administration, a key market for hearing aid companies, and sales of hearing aids to consumers were shifting more to big box stores such as Costco or proprietary dealerships, but Starkey was committed to selling directly to independent audiologists.^[3]

In July 2017, Brandon Sawalich, Austin's stepson who joined Starkey in 1994, was named company president, succeeding Austin, who retained the role of CEO.^[8]

In the summer of 2017, Achintya Bhowmik joined the company as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).^[9]

According to Forbes, in 1992 Starkey’s sales had reached nearly $200 million; by 2018 sales were an estimated $850 million a year.

Current product line

As of October 2019, the company offers ten different hearing aid devices and several accessories. The devices include:^[10]

• Hearing & activity tracking
• Smartphone compatible
• Invisible products
• Receiver-in-canal
• Completely-in-canal
• Behind-the-ear-ear
• In-the-canal
• In-the-ear
• Tinnitus relief
• Single-sided hearing

Recent developments and accessories

In 2014, Starkey introduced Halo, a hearing aid that works with the iPhone and an associated app.^[11]

Bill Austin with a person being helped through the Starkey Hearing Foundation.

In 2016, the company introduced high-tech hearing aids with more powerful processors and software, aimed at aging baby boomers; their marketing emphasized its ability to help its users hear music well.^[12]

In 2017, the iQ product family was unveiled. Products in this family deliver pristine audio and exceptional listening clarity. Muse IQ Rechargeable delivers continuous, stable power to ensure users' hearing aids are always ready for use.

In 2018, the company introduced Livio AI, the world’s first hearing aid with embedded sensors and artificial intelligence. A multi-purpose hearing aid, Livio AI is the first device to track physical activity and cognitive health as measured by hearing aid use. Other features of Livio AI include language translation, fall detection and alerts, tap control, and other features. The product launch also included a new app, the Thrive Hearing Control app, and three new wireless accessories—the Starkey Hearing Technologies TV, the Remote and the Remote Microphone +.

In addition, Starkey offers two accessories for hearing protection: a line of digital hearing aids called SoundGear that enhance sound quality while protecting ears from sudden loud noises and custom-fit earplugs that protect workers and others from unusually loud or noisy environments.^[13]