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HAVE YOU HEARD?
RECENT HIGH NOTES OF QUALIA OTO
COO Benedict Voit Teaches at UT Dallas Jindal School of Management
April 4, 2024 – COO & CFO Benedict Voit represented Qualia Oto as a guest lecturer at the UT Dallas Jindal School of Management last week. Invited by the university's Associate Dean for External Relations, Chris Bhatti, Voit shared his insights into starting, managing, and growing a startup business.
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"Students know that running a startup is challenging and risky," Voit noted. "I wanted to share personal excitements and rewards, too."
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"The class loved hearing his story and learning from him," Bhatti said. "He is welcome back any time."
CTO Dr. Stuart Cogan Presents at GRC 2024
March 18, 2024 – Last week, CTO Dr. Stuart Cogan presented at the 2024 Neuroelectronic Interfaces Gordon Research Conference, highlighting his research on neural stimulation. "A key part of the long-term stimulation stability is the construction method of the electrodes," Dr. Cogan noted. "Improving the structure and electrochemical characterization of the electrode coatings can go a long way in optimizing neural stimulation. I was pleased to highlight our ongoing findings in this field."
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GRC prides itself on providing "an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, physical, and engineering sciences and their interfaces."
Qualia Oto Celebrates International Cochlear Implant Day
February 25, 2024 – Qualia Oto joins in recognizing today as International Cochlear Implant Day. Such a day is important, says UT Southwestern ENT surgeon Dr. Walter Kutz. "Although cochlear implants can restore hearing in patients with severe hearing loss, there remains a lack of awareness that this technology exists."
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As an example, a recent study of over 15,000 adults found that nearly a third of respondents - who themselves had hearing troubles - had ‘never heard’ of a cochlear implant.
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Qualia Oto is happy to help spread the word.
#InternationalCochlearImplantDay
Dr. Kenneth Lee Selected as UTSW Pediatric Group's Health System Medical Director
January 9, 2024 – Qualia Oto CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee added another title to his already-impressive resume: Health System Medical Director for the UT Southwestern Pediatric Group. In his new role, Dr. Lee will oversee the budgeting and operations for the outpatient clinics of the UTSW Pediatric Surgical and Medical Specialists - Plano Children’s Campus; he also will be involved in directing strategies to improve patient volumes and level of services provided to the local community.
Dr. Lee is the John W. & Rhonda K. Pate Professor in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as well as the Chief of Specialty Surgery & Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Children's Health Plano.
Advanced Materials Technologies Publishes UT Dallas, Qualia Oto Research
December 13, 2023 – Dr. Walter Voit, Dr. Stuart Cogan, and Dr. Jimin Maeng all contributed to a recent publication in Advanced Materials Technologies. The article, "Flexible a-IGZO TFT-Based Circuit for Active Addressing in Neural Stimulation Electrode Arrays", presents preliminary work on designing high-channel-count neural stimulation electrode arrays using a novel approach leveraging electronic circuits typically used in the AMOLED (active-matrix organic light emitting diode) display technology.
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As Dr. Maeng noted: "While this paper describes our earlier efforts that laid the groundwork, we’ve recently applied this concept to cochlear implants and made significant progress beyond what’s described in the paper. We look forward to validating our devices in an animal model during the next phase of our project, which will be very exciting."​
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Advanced Materials Technologies prides itself on being the home for multidisciplinary research that straddles materials science, innovative technologies, and real-world applications.
APSCI 2023 Welcomes Dr. Kenneth Lee
November 15, 2023 – The 14th Asia Pacific Symposium on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences took place in Seoul, South Korea last week. The event boasted global attendees and earned the sponsorship of the world's major cochlear implant companies: Advanced Bionics, Cochlear, and MED-EL.
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Qualia Oto CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee gave a Featured Talk at the conference on the potential of minimizing trauma in cochlear implantation via Qualia Oto's novel technologies. Dr. Lee noted that "it was truly rewarding to see the growing excitement about our technology as more and more key players in the field are becoming aware of the potential advances in cochlear implantation we can bring with a shape memory polymer electrode array."
UT Dallas Showcases Dr. Walter Voit at its Economic Development Summit
November 1, 2023 – UT Dallas hosted its fifth annual Economic Development Summit, highlighting the university's significant impact on advanced education, novel research, economic growth, and cultural development. UT Dallas President Richard Benson opened the summit with a presentation highlighting UTD's major achievements over the past decade; Dr. Benson gave special mention to co-founder Dr.Voit as one of the university's star entrepreneurs. The summit welcomed a number of panelists as well as a special discussion with Ross Perot, Jr.
Dr. Kenneth Lee Highlighted for Children's Health Plano's 15th anniversary
October 6, 2023 – Children's Health Dallas has been a foundation of medical care in the city for over 100 years. In 2008, the hospital became the first in the nation to open a second free-standing children's hospital, this one in Plano, TX. Dr. Lee has been part of this campus since its opening:
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"Within a few months of opening, we did the very first cochlear implant surgery here in Plano. I was so excited and happy to be a part of this team because everybody just jumped in, and we just worked amazingly together as a team. And as a result, we gave the gift of hearing to a child that year for Christmas."
September 12, 2023 – Qualia Oto gained extensive experience and expertise by welcoming Dr. Peter Roland to its Board of Directors. Alongside his 40+ years of medical experience, Dr. Roland has served as a prominent figure in the field of Otolaryngology and a strong voice within the cochlear implant community. Most recently, the American Cochlear Implant Alliance honored Dr. Roland with its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Beyond his outstanding medical accomplishments, Dr. Roland is a prolific writer and an engaged contact with some of the largest cochlear implant companies in the world.
August 1, 2023 – Over three dozen kids attended the Callier Center's Summer Listening Camp for a week of community, education, and fun. CFO Benedict Voit visited the Camp noting that “it was heartwarming to interact with kids who, despite having lives challenged by hearing loss, appeared completely unbothered and instead focused on enjoying all that the Camp had to offer."
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The Callier Center for Communication Disorders is part of the University of Texas at Dallas and also works closely with UT Southwestern Medical Center.
July 17, 2023 – Co-founder Dr. Walter Voit was selected by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) as a Senior Member of its 2023 class - their highest professional distinction for academic inventors. The NAI recognized Dr. Voit for his innovative spirit and drive which has led to his groundbreaking research and developments in the field of advanced materials science.
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Dr. Voit joins 1,700 other members whose research and entrepreneurship have collectively created over one million jobs and over $3 trillion in revenues.
Benedict Voit Speaks at 2023 Health Supernova
June 22, 2023 – Capital Factory, based out of Austin, TX, prides itself on being the "the center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas", and it hosted its annual Health Supernova event in Dallas on Tuesday. Entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and interested parties joined for a day of networking, presentations, and showcased technologies.
CFO Benedict Voit spoke at the conference, introducing Qualia Oto and explaining the importance of considering patient experience at every step of growing a business.
Dr. Kenneth Lee Moderates Panel at National ACIA Conference
June 12, 2023 – The American Cochlear Implant Alliance hosted its 2023 Conference in Dallas last week. The three-day event boasted attendees from across the country.
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Qualia Oto team members joined the conference, with CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee moderating the “Robotics and Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants” session.
The Platinum Sponsors of the Conference were major global cochlear implant companies: Advanced Bionics, Cochlear Americas, and MED-EL.
June 5, 2023 – CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee represented Qualia Oto in Rotterdam, the Netherlands last week for the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation. The Scientific Committee of the ESPCI selected his work as one of the conference’s Best Abstracts. Dr. Lee was given the honor of presenting during the conference’s opening plenary session, catching the ears of the world’s leading experts on advancing treatments for hearing loss.
Dr. Lee highlighted research of the past decade on self-coiling, shape memory polymer cochlear implant arrays and their ability to reduce trauma and optimize positioning within the cochlea.
ISEF Welcomes Dr. Walter Voit as Speaker at 2023 Event
May 23, 2023 – The Society for Science hosted its 2023 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas last week. Qualia Oto Co-founder Dr. Walter Voit spoke at the event, highlighting the entrepreneurship spirit of Dallas and Qualia Oto's role therewithin.
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"It was an honor to be surrounded by so many young, brilliant minds whose tireless passion, work ethic, and fundamental rigor so early in their student journeys will profoundly shape our world," Dr. Voit noted.
ISEF is the world's largest global science competition for high school students, representing a total of 21 STEM disciplines and 75 countries, regions, and territories. Prizes and scholarships total nearly $8 million.
Benedict Voit Joins Panel for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Workshop
April 28, 2023 – CFO Benedict Voit represented Qualia Oto at UT Dallas' Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship workshop: "How To Turn Your Idea Into A Company". Voit shared his experiences with bioengineering graduate students interested in commercializing their research. The panel discussed the challenges startups must overcome to reach a level of success. "If there was only one takeaway," Voit said, "I hope it was that the ideas are secondary to the people. It's great people working together that create successful companies - not the other way around. "
Dr. Chenkai Dai Newest Advisor to Qualia Oto
March 28, 2023 – Qualia Oto welcomes Dr. Chenkai Dai as a materials, research and development advisor. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma where his research is focused on neurophysiology of the ear, medical devices for restoring/protecting hearing and balancing, mechanics in aging or disorders of the ear, computational modeling of the ear, and testing and 3D printing of medical materials.
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Dr. Dai earned his PhD at OU, and he has over a decade of experience at Johns Hopkins University in research and teaching.
Qualia Oto Celebrates Women's History Month
March 6, 2023 – Only 10% of Fortune 500 companies and 8% of S&P 500 companies have women as their CEOs. Connie Manz is not only CEO of Qualia Oto, but also one of its co-founders. She has led the company from the beginning overseeing its IP portfolio and positions with UT Dallas, expanding the company's size and scope, supporting its grant applications and capital raise, and building and maintaining relationships with major global CI companies.
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Ms. Manz has a background as a lab finance manager, researcher, and business strategy consultant.
NSF Publishes Qualia Oto's Completion of its Phase I Grant
February 20, 2023 – The National Science Foundation awarded Qualia Oto over $233,000 last year for its Phase I project: "Matrix-Addressed, Thin-Film Cochlear Implant Electrode Arrays". This nine-month project finished at the end of January, and two weeks thereafter, the NSF shared publicly the company's review of the grant and the corresponding successes.
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As noted in the report: "Qualia Oto successfully established the technical and early-stage business feasibility of matrix-addressed, thin-film CI electrode arrays by fulfilling the Phase I tasks and achieving critical milestones."
Venture Dallas 2022 Highlights the Entrepreneurial Successes of North Texas
November 8, 2022 – Venture Dallas hosted its 2022 conference last week, bringing together startup companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders. The event featured more than two dozen speakers who highlighted the creative culture supported in North Texas, including Ross Perot, Jr., Steve Winn, Troy Aikman, and Mark Cuban among many others.
The University of Texas at Dallas, the event's Presenting Sponsor, showcased Qualia Oto as one of its startup successes.
Best Startup Texas recognizes Qualia Oto as a Top Dallas Biotechnology Company
September 23, 2022 – In a recent market review, Best Startup Texas placed Qualia Oto in its top grouping of innovative biotechnology companies in the state:
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"At Best Startup Texas we track over 100,000 Texan startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and organisations we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting. We’ve ranked the top 57 Biotechnology companies in Dallas, Texas. The companies, startups and institutions listed in this article are all exceptional companies, well worth a follow."
Like Playing the Piano without Boxing Gloves: Advantages of Self-Coiling Cochlear Implants
August 25, 2022 – UT Southwestern featured Qualia Oto co-founder and CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee in its most recent MedBlog where Dr. Lee explains the significant advantages of self-coiling cochlear implants. The post, including two quick videos, highlights the great advancements and opportunities of this new technology.
"Placing electrodes on the outer wall is similar to trying to play the piano while wearing boxing gloves and striking multiple keys with each hand," noted Dr. Lee of the current market options. Self-coiling cochlear implants are different. "By placing the electrodes on the inner wall, it’s more precise, and you're able to hit each key with a single finger with the gloves removed."
July 21, 2022 – North Texas publication Dallas Innovates
featured Qualia Oto's success story on its website and via its email update earlier today. CFO Benedict Voit spoke with the publication, sharing his insights on the growth and future of the company upon the completion of the capital raise earlier this summer.
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Dallas Innovates prides itself on being "the online source for what’s new, next, and reimagined in North Texas" by sharing "the stories of our creativity, commerce, and collaboration."
Successful Series Seed A Preferred Capital Round Raises $1.64mm
June 1, 2022 – Qualia Oto closed its first capital round on Wednesday, beating expectations and raising over $1.64mm. Thirty-five investors from seven different states bought in to the company. Qualia Oto built upon its initial closing, bringing on board additional investors and another $220k.
“This is another great milestone for the company,” remarked CFO Benedict Voit. “With this secure financial foundation, we have launched our next stage of exciting growth.”
Qualia Oto Represents UT Dallas Successes at Health Supernova Event
May 10, 2022 – CFO Benedict Voit joined the UT Dallas table last night at the Health Supernova's Startup Crawl. UT Dallas invited Qualia Oto to represent the successes of its Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship as well as its Venture Development Center.
The event, hosted by Capital Factory, connected professionals and entrepreneurs from across the state to share innovations that are advancing the medical space.
April 18, 2022 – Qualia Oto achieved another milestone by securing its first federal grant. The National Science Foundation awarded Qualia Oto $233,928 to support research and design of its unique matrix-addressed thin-film cochlear implant electrode arrays.
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The company’s utilization of thin-film transistors is the first of its kind in any neural stimulation device. It enables high-channel-count cochlear arrays with potentially hundreds of stimulating electrodes that can be individually selected and operated within the intracochlear space. Combined with potential process automation, these higher quality implants at a lower cost are a win-win.
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Read more about the company's award.
March 1, 2022 – It is with great pleasure that Qualia Oto welcomes Dr. Stuart Cogan as CTO. Building upon the successful Round 1 capital raise, Qualia Oto expanded its leadership team, adding Cogan's dozens of years of combined commercial and academic experience.
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“Dr. Cogan’s background makes him the perfect fit as our CTO,” said CEO Connie Manz. “His career of business and academic successes is exactly what we need during this exciting stage of company growth.”
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Read more about Dr. Cogan joining the company.
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January 1, 2022 – Qualia Oto pushed through the first round of its Series Seed A Preferred capital raise, bringing in over $1.42mm from over two dozen investors. "This is a stimulating stage for our company," CFO Benedict Voit said. "We have the monetary, intellectual, and technical foundations for significant growth in the coming years."
The company is planning to close the full round in the coming five months. Interested, accredited investors should send Qualia Oto an email for more information: info@qualiaoto.com
November 10, 2021 – Qualia Oto took home $100,000 as the winner of this year's Big Idea Competition - Research Commercialization track. President Walter Voit and CFO Benedict Voit accepted the award last night at the ceremony hosted by UT Dallas.
The company submitted its proposal in September and, after successive rounds of questions, was selected as a top three contender in October. Benedict Voit presented live to a judges' panel last week at Pegasus Park in the Competition's finals.
Dr. Kenneth Lee on Maximizing Vaccination Compliance for Children Undergoing CIs
July 30, 2021 – Qualia Oto CMO Kenneth Lee (MD-PhD) co-authored a paper for the July edition of ScienceDirect: "Achieving optimal vaccine administration in a pediatric cochlear implant program after implementation of a Quality Improvement Project".
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Since the completion of their QI project over a year ago, the success rate is 100%, with no missed vaccinations for children with cochlear implants. Dr. Lee believes this QI approach can be greatly expanded to other medical and surgical fields.
Qualia Oto Leadership Adds Brainpower to Richardson IQ
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April 21, 2021 – Qualia Oto President Walter Voit proved he can have his CAIQUE and eat it, too. Voit now serves as the Principal Investigator for the Center for Applied AI at the Richardson Innovation Quarter with UT Dallas Expertise (CAIQUE). This multi-disciplinary center will showcase emergent applied AI research from the University of Texas at Dallas (with which Qualia Oto is associated) to engage companies, win extramural grants, strengthen international partnerships and provide a global network for affiliated students to excel as UT Dallas alumni.
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CEO Connie Manz will serve on the Center's Advisory Board.
Advisor Dr. Burak Ozdoganlar Pursuing New COVID Vaccine Delivery Options
February 17, 2021 – Qualia Oto advisor Dr. Burak Ozdoganlar, professor of mechanical engineering and associate director of the Engineering Research Accelerator at Carnegie Mellon, is co-leading a project utilizing his novel work in microneedle arrays to configure a new method of vaccine delivery directly into the skin. (Read more of this exciting work here.)
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Qualia Oto plans to utilize these dissolvable, hybrid microneedles as a new method of treating disorders such as tinnitus and Ménière's disease by delivering drugs into the inner-ear.
Michael Seeligson Joins the Qualia Oto Board of Directors
January 22, 2021 – Qualia Oto is pleased to welcome Michael Seeligson, an Assistant Professor at SMU, to its Board of Directors. Before joining SMU, Mr. Seeligson served as an Assistant Provost at UT Dallas, having graduated from UTD in 2006 as part of the McDermott Scholars Program. He went on to the University of Virginia where he earned his JD in 2009. Following law school, Mr. Seeligson worked as an attorney in the corporate law section with Haynes and Boone before entering the academic space.
In addition to his role at SMU, he currently serves on other Boards of Directors as well, bringing to the Company his valuable legal, corporate, and academic experience.
Advisor Dr. Walter Kutz discusses Chronic Eustachian Tube Disorders on BackTable ENT Podcast
December 29, 2020 – Qualia Oto advisor Dr. J. Walter Kutz (UT Southwestern) talks shop with Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Ashley Agan on this podcast from BackTable ENT. These otolaryngologists discuss the challenges associated with diagnosing chronic eustachian tube disorders and the different treatment options currently available.
Qualia Oto President Walter Voit Recognized in D CEO's Top 500 Most Influential Leaders
December 1, 2020 – D CEO released its annual listing of North Texas' most influential business leaders, and Qualia Oto President Walter Voit earned recognition. Dr. Voit's impact on North Texas extends beyond Qualia Oto, as he is also founder and President of Adaptive3D Technologies, as well as an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Mechanical Engineering at UT Dallas.