Otolith Labs

Otolith Labs is a privately held medical device company based in Washington, D.C., founded in 2015 by Sam Owen. The company is developing a non-invasive, non-pharmacological headworn wearable intended to treat vestibular migraine, a condition the company says affects more than 7 million Americans, as well as broader balance and vertigo disorders that it says affect roughly 11.6 million Americans. The core of the company's offering is its patented non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy (nVRT), which is designed to impact the vestibular system without surgery, advanced patient calibration, or complex fittings. Otolith Labs describes its device as the first vestibular wearable. The technology has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, a regulatory pathway intended to expedite review of devices that may provide more effective treatment of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions. Otolith Labs was accepted into the Halcyon incubator shortly after its founding, a startup incubator focused on scalable and sustainable ventures with positive impact. The company conducted its first clinical study in 2016, and in 2018 Land Rover Jaguar validated the technology in the treatment of motion sickness. In 2020, Otolith Labs won the Ignite the Night competition at CES as well as a NASA iTech Prize. The company has reported that its device has been used on over 600 subjects across development and clinical studies with zero reportable serious device-related adverse events. Otolith Labs is backed by experienced medical investors, including several ear, nose, and throat doctors, and has attracted high-profile backing including from Mark Cuban; the company raised an additional $20 million according to a Technical.ly interview with CEO Sam Owen. Its leadership team includes CEO Dan Wagner, Chief Clinical Officer Kevin Franck, PhD, MBA, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Jon Akers, Chief Science Officer and co-founder Didier Depireux, PhD, and founder and board member Sam Owen, with Raphael Michel serving as an independent board member. The company also maintains a medical advisory board with specialists from institutions including the University of Miami, UC San Francisco, Stanford University, Duke University, the University of Kansas, and the Beh Center for Vestibular & Migraine Disorders. Otolith Labs continues to pursue clinical studies and research, including an original research article published by Frontiers showing the technology's effectiveness on cybersickness from VR. The company positions itself at the intersection of neurotechnology and consumer-friendly medical devices, aiming to provide a simple, non-invasive alternative for the millions of people who suffer from chronic balance and vertigo difficulties.

Otolith Labs was founded in 2015 by Sam Owen in Washington, D.C. The company was established with the mission of helping the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic balance and vertigo difficulties, a population the company cites as 11.6 million. Shortly after its founding, Otolith Labs was accepted into the Halcyon incubator, a startup incubator focused on scalable and sustainable ventures that have a positive impact. In 2016, Otolith Labs conducted its first clinical study, beginning the process of validating its non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy (nVRT) technology. In 2018, the company achieved a significant external validation when Land Rover Jaguar validated the technology in the treatment of motion sickness. This validation helped demonstrate the potential of the technology beyond its initial target of vestibular migraine. In 2020, Otolith Labs won the Ignite the Night competition at CES, a prominent consumer electronics trade show, as well as a prestigious NASA iTech Prize. These awards raised the company's profile and provided further credibility for its technology platform. The company has since continued to develop its non-invasive headworn wearable device, which it describes as the first vestibular wearable, designed to treat vestibular migraine affecting over 7 million Americans. The device has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, a regulatory designation intended to expedite the development and review of devices that may provide more effective treatment of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions. Through development and clinical studies, the device has been used on over 600 subjects with zero reportable serious device-related adverse events, according to the company. Otolith Labs is backed by experienced medical investors, including several ear, nose, and throat doctors, and has attracted high-profile backing from Mark Cuban. The company raised an additional $20 million, as reported in a Technical.ly interview with CEO Sam Owen. The company has continued to expand its leadership team, appointing Dan Wagner as Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Franck, PhD, MBA as Chief Clinical Officer, and adding Raphael Michel to its Board of Directors. The founding team includes Jon Akers as Chief Technology Officer and Didier Depireux, PhD as Chief Science Officer, both co-founders, with Sam Owen serving as founder and board member. Otolith Labs maintains a medical advisory board comprising specialists from leading institutions including the University of Miami, University of California San Francisco, Stanford University, Duke University, The University of Kansas, and the Beh Center for Vestibular & Migraine Disorders. The company continues to pursue clinical studies and research, including an original research article published by Frontiers showing the technology's effectiveness on cybersickness from VR, and remains based in Washington, D.C.

• 2020

  Won the Ignite the Night competition at CES and a NASA iTech Prize.

• 2018

  Land Rover Jaguar validated the technology in the treatment of motion sickness.

• 2016

  Conducted first clinical study.

• 2015

  Otolith Labs founded by Sam Owen in Washington, D.C.

• 2015

  Accepted into the Halcyon incubator.

• Received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation.

• Appointed Dan Wagner as Chief Executive Officer and Kevin Franck as Chief Clinical Officer; added Raphael Michel to the Board of Directors.

• Raised an additional $20 million, as reported by Technical.ly.

Developer of the first non-invasive vestibular wearable, offering a non-pharmacological, non-surgical solution for vestibular migraine and vertigo, backed by FDA Breakthrough Device Designation.

• Non-invasive headworn vestibular wearable

  A compact, headworn wearable device intended for vestibular migraine, requiring no surgery, advanced patient calibration, or complex fittings.

• nVRT (non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy)

  Patented technology designed to impact the vestibular system non-invasively.

1. 1Otolith Labs | Solving Vertigootolithlabs.com
2. 2About | Otolith.comotolithlabs.com
3. 3Otolith Labs (United States) - Wikidatawikidata.org