Duearity

Duearity was a Malmö-based Swedish medical technology company focused on tinnitus management. Its work centered on tinnitus retraining therapy, an approach that combines behavioral methods with prolonged exposure to low-level background sound, commonly white noise. The company sought to make this form of treatment easier to use in everyday life by avoiding the need for conventional headphones and by leaving the ear canals unobstructed. The company’s origins were linked to the experience of Peter Arndt, one of its founders, during tinnitus retraining therapy. Although the treatment appeared useful, the requirement to listen to white noise continuously for roughly six to eight hours a day over a period that could extend from six to twenty-four months created practical problems. Headphones could interfere with work and other daytime activities, while wearing them during sleep could be uncomfortable or disruptive. This problem helped motivate the development of an alternative delivery system. Duearity’s technical concept used bone conduction to transmit sound rather than relying on speakers positioned in or over the ear. The company described its principal device as a small, flexible tinnitus aid that could be attached behind the ears. By keeping the ear canals open, the design was intended to improve compatibility with normal communication, work, sleep and other daily activities. The device emitted white noise for use in tinnitus retraining and related symptom-management routines. A proof of concept was completed in 2020, after which the company applied for a patent. The product was described as a patented, non-invasive medical device carrying a European CE Class IIa classification. It also received FDA 510(k) clearance in the United States, according to the company’s reference material. These regulatory milestones supported the company’s effort to address both European and American markets. In addition to hardware, Duearity was developing software for tinnitus analysis and symptom management. The company reported interest from clinical and research communities, including researchers, audiologists and otorhinolaryngologists. This pointed to a broader strategy in which a wearable sound-delivery device could be complemented by digital tools for assessing tinnitus and helping manage treatment. Before its public listing, the company was known as Cochlearity. It changed its name to Duearity before the initial public offering to avoid confusion with another medical technology company. Its shares began trading on Nasdaq First North on 11 May 2021 under the ticker DEAR. The IPO was reported as heavily subscribed: 75.3% of the shares in the offering had been subscribed before the offer was made public, and total demand was described as nine times the amount offered. Duearity remained publicly traded on Nasdaq First North from May 2021 until September 2024, according to the cited Wikipedia account. The available reference material does not establish the company’s present operating status, ownership, product availability or corporate structure. It is therefore best described here as a Swedish tinnitus-focused medtech company with a formerly listed share presence, rather than assigning an unsupported current status.

Duearity emerged from an effort to address the practical limitations of tinnitus retraining therapy. The therapy typically uses cognitive behavioral principles together with continuous exposure to low-level white noise. In practice, patients may be asked to listen to the sound for approximately six to eight hours daily, potentially over six to twenty-four months. One of the company’s founders, Peter Arndt, experienced the treatment and concluded that conventional headphones were poorly suited to uninterrupted daytime use and sleep. The founders therefore pursued a system that could deliver the required background sound without occupying the ear canals. Their concept used bone conduction, transmitting sound through the bones around the ear rather than through a conventional in-ear or over-ear acoustic path. A proof of concept was completed in 2020, and the company subsequently filed a patent application. The development program was aimed at producing a compact, flexible tinnitus aid that could be worn behind the ears while allowing users to remain aware of surrounding sound and communicate normally. The company was initially called Cochlearity. Before its public offering, it changed its name to Duearity because of the risk of confusion with another medtech business. Its principal hardware was described as a non-invasive CE Class IIa medical device and as having FDA 510(k) clearance in the United States. The product’s intended role was to emit white noise for tinnitus retraining and related treatment routines, with the open-ear format positioned as an alternative to prolonged headphone use. Duearity also pursued a software component for tinnitus analysis and symptom management. This broadened the company’s focus beyond a single wearable device and reflected the need for ongoing assessment and behavioral management in tinnitus care. The company identified researchers, audiologists and otorhinolaryngologists as groups showing interest in its technology. On 11 May 2021, Duearity’s shares began trading on Nasdaq First North under the symbol DEAR. The IPO was reported to have attracted substantial demand: 75.3% of the offering was subscribed before the offer was publicly presented, and the issue was oversubscribed ninefold. The cited account states that the company remained listed from May 2021 until September 2024. The supplied material does not explain the reason for the end of that trading period or document the company’s current legal, operational or ownership status. Accordingly, later corporate developments remain unresolved in this dossier.

• 2024

  End of documented First North trading period

  [1]Duearityen.wikipedia.org

  The cited reference identifies September 2024 as the end of the period during which Duearity was publicly traded on Nasdaq First North.

• 2021

  Company renamed from Cochlearity

  [1]Duearityen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the Duearity name before its IPO to reduce the risk of confusion with another medical technology company.

• 2021

  Nasdaq First North listing

  [1]Duearityen.wikipedia.org

  Duearity’s shares started trading on Nasdaq First North on 11 May 2021 under the ticker DEAR.

• 2020

  Proof of concept completed

  [1]Duearityen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed a proof of concept for a tinnitus-treatment approach intended to deliver white noise through bone conduction without occupying the ear canals.

• 2020

  Patent application submitted

  [1]Duearityen.wikipedia.org

  Following the proof of concept, Duearity applied for a patent covering its tinnitus-aid technology.

A specialist tinnitus-treatment and symptom-management company seeking to make prolonged white-noise therapy less intrusive than headphone-based approaches through open-ear, bone-conduction hardware and supporting software.

• Tinnitus-treatment medical device

  Duearity tinnitus aid

  Duearity’s principal hardware concept was a compact, flexible, behind-the-ear device that delivered white noise through bone conduction. It was designed for tinnitus retraining therapy and related sound-based management while leaving the ear canals open. The company positioned this format as a way to reduce the disruption associated with wearing headphones for many hours each day over an extended treatment period. The device was described as non-invasive, CE Class IIa certified in Europe and cleared under the FDA 510(k) pathway in the United States.

• Digital health software

  Tinnitus analysis and management software

  Duearity was developing software intended to support tinnitus analysis and symptom management. The software effort complemented the company’s sound-delivery hardware and was relevant to clinical, research and professional users such as audiologists and otorhinolaryngologists. The available material does not specify the software’s product name, release date, technical architecture, regulatory status or commercial availability.

• 2021

  Rename the company before the public offeringStrategy

  Background

  The business had previously operated under the name Cochlearity, but the name risked confusion with another medical technology company.

  Action taken

  The company changed its name to Duearity before its Nasdaq First North listing.

  Aftermath

  The company completed its public-market debut under the Duearity name and the DEAR ticker.

  Source

• 2021

  Initial public offering on Nasdaq First NorthM&A

  Background

  Duearity sought public-market financing while developing its tinnitus-treatment hardware and software.

  Action taken

  The company offered shares and began trading on Nasdaq First North on 11 May 2021 under DEAR.

  Aftermath

  The IPO was reported as oversubscribed nine times, with 75.3% of the offering subscribed before the offer was made public.

  IPO subscription. 75.3% of the IPO shares were subscribed before the offer was made public → The IPO was oversubscribed by 9 times (2021 IPO)

  Source

1. 1Duearityen.wikipedia.org