Developing a Future that is Loud and Clear

Jakob Kuemmerle (MLDS ‘24) wants to cut through the noise in an industry centered on cutting through the noise.

Kuemmerle is a student in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS) program (formerly the MSiA program). He jumped at an opportunity to apply his newfound classroom knowledge to a startup developing next-generation hearing aids. 

The startup, called Kosisonic, was launched by a fellow Northwestern student in the university's entrepreneurship incubator, The Garage.

“I was always very interested in doing startup work on something where I can take a lot of responsibilities,” Kuemmerle said. “You can use data science for so many things, so I wanted to make sure this was something I was passionate about that really contributes to society.”

Kosisonic is trying to shake up the hearing aid industry by combining machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) with research the company conducted to help filter out sounds other than what the wearer is trying to hear.

Kosisonic is a vastly different industry and working environment for Kuemmerle, who spent six years working for auto manufacturer Mercedes-Benz in Germany before starting the MLDS program.

There he served as a data scientist and project manager. Here, though he still focuses on data, his role is more similar to a chief operations and chief technology officer. 

Kuemmerle credited the MLDS program with giving him the knowledge necessary to be comfortable in his startup role. His data mining and deep learning courses provided a foundation for him to build on as he developed deeper knowledge of the audiology field.

The more he learned about hearing aids, the more Kuemmerle began to understand the struggles users experienced with them.

"You never hear from someone that they're really happy with their hearing device,” he said. “I think that's mainly because our world is getting noisier, and so there are more and more issues for people who have some kind of hearing impairment.”

Kuemmerle first learned of Kosisonic at an event hosted at The Garage. Student startup leaders looking for support introduced their companies and needs to other students interested in helping out.

“Usually, when you want to start a company, it's very hard. You have to find the right people. You have to find the right equipment. You have to spend money on a place where you physically come together,” Kuemmerle said. “Here, it’s so easy. There are so many university students around who have good ideas and would like to contribute.”

The company is seeing early success. Kosisonic was a semifinalist at the 2024 VentureCat competition in the Life Sciences and medical Innovation category. VentureCat is an annual Northwestern student startup competition. 

Kuemmerle doesn't know what he wants to do after graduation. He sees the appeal of going back to an established company like Mercedes-Benz, but he's enjoying the thrill of startup life. 

He might even start his own startup in the future.

“We are applying right now for different kinds of funding for Kosisonic, and this is really taking off,” he said. “I could see myself fully going in here after my studies or taking what I learned and funding my own thing. It's a process right now of finding out what's the best fit for me.”