Nura
Acquired9 known investors
Nuraphone's technology now appears under the Denon PerL brand of true wireless earbuds, which create a personalized sound profile using Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology. The earbuds are consumer audio hardware tuned to the individual listener's hearing.
Also known as nura · Nura Operations Pty Ltd · Nura Operations Pvt. Ltd. · Nuraphone · nurasound
Investors · 9
Also in the syndicate · 4
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$73.8M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds · 2017–2026
- $73.8MraisedJun 2026 · 2 sourcesSource ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Nura was an Australian consumer electronics company based in Melbourne that designed and manufactured headphones and earbuds with personalized sound technology. Its proprietary approach measures a user's sensitivity to different frequencies by monitoring otoacoustic emissions generated by the inner ear, a process taking roughly one to two minutes, and then adapts the headphone's frequency response to that individual hearing profile. The measurement is performed with high-sensitivity microphones placed in the earbuds, and the resulting profile is displayed in the companion Nura mobile app.
The product line included the Nuraphone (2017), a hybrid design combining in-ear monitors with over-ear cups under the patented Inova design, incorporating Tesla valves to circulate air through the ear cups; a July 2018 firmware update (Nuraphone /G2) added active noise cancellation, audio pass-through and improvements to voice calls and button controls. NuraLoop wireless earbuds followed in 2020, offering wired and wireless use with 16-hour battery life, and NuraTrue true wireless earbuds launched in 2021 alongside NuraBuds, which were sold exclusively through the NuraNow subscription platform and could import a hearing profile created on another Nura device rather than running their own calibration. A NuraTrue Pro and a Bluetooth 5.3 audio transmitter were also offered.
Following the April 2023 acquisition by Denon, part of the Masimo Corporation, the technology is offered as Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology in Denon PerL and Denon PerL Pro true wireless earbuds; the PerL Pro adds Qualcomm aptX lossless audio and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio. Nura-branded products have been discontinued, with the company continuing to provide warranty claims and customer support.
Founding story
Nura was founded in 2015 by Kyle Slater and Luke Campbell in Melbourne, Australia. Development of the debut product, the Nuraphone, was supported by an Entrepreneurial Fellowship from the Melbourne Accelerator Program in 2015, which provided funding, office space and mentoring, participation in the Shenzhen-based hardware accelerator HAX in 2016, venture capital, and a 2016 Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign run to fund mass production.
Business model
Nura sold consumer audio hardware — over-ear headphones and wireless earbuds — direct to consumers through its own online store and via retail channels such as Amazon, supported by a free companion mobile app for hearing calibration and device configuration. It also operated a subscription platform, NuraNow, through which NuraBuds were sold exclusively. Following the Denon acquisition, the personalization technology is licensed into and sold within Denon-branded products.
Revenue came from sales of headphones and earbuds, including a direct-to-consumer web store with free shipping over A$75, and from the NuraNow subscription offering.
Traction
The 2016 Kickstarter campaign drew 7,730 backers and US$1.8 million, described as Australia's largest. The Nura companion app has over 100,000 downloads on Google Play with a 3.5-star rating across about 1,140 reviews. Products received CES Best of Innovation 2018, Red Dot Best of the Best 2018, a 2018 Good Design Australia award, IDSA IDEA 2018 Gold, a CES 2019 Innovation Award honoree listing for NuraLoop, inclusion of NuraTrue in TIME's 100 Best Inventions of 2021, and Rolling Stone's 2022 Best Earbuds for Personalized Sound.
Latest developments
After the April 2023 acquisition by Denon/Masimo, Nura-branded products were discontinued and the company's site now directs buyers to Denon PerL and PerL Pro earbuds using Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology, while warranty and support continue. Co-founder Luke Campbell is identified as Nura CEO in comments on the partnership. The Nura app continued to receive maintenance updates as of February 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
A small Australian startup in the consumer headphone market, competing against established brands such as Beats, Sony, Bose and Soundcore, and recognised through multiple design and innovation awards before being absorbed into Denon/Masimo.
Nura automated equalization by testing the individual listener's hearing rather than relying on a tuning chosen by audio engineers, and holds patents covering the approach and its hybrid in-ear/over-ear Inova design; Wikipedia describes it as patent-protected as the only consumer electronics headphone to personalize sound this way. Reviewers noted no directly comparable product existed.
Technology
The core technology measures otoacoustic emissions — faint echoes emitted by the cochlea in response to stimulation, roughly 10,000 times fainter than the input sound — using high-sensitivity, high-dynamic-range microphones in the earbuds, described by the company as the same microphones used by NASA for the Mars 2020 mission and the most expensive component in the product. A 60-second automated test plays tones from 250 Hz to 8 kHz to build a hearing profile, which the headphones then use to adjust the frequency response. The Nuraphone splits duties between earbud drivers handling high and mid tones and over-ear drivers delivering bass through the skin of the earlobe rather than the eardrum, and supports the aptX HD Bluetooth codec. Over-ear cups provide the noise isolation the calibration test requires. Denon PerL products use the same personalization as Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology, with PerL Pro adding Qualcomm aptX lossless and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio.
Go-to-market
Nura launched via Kickstarter crowdfunding in 2016 before shipping to the general public in October 2017, then sold through its own e-commerce site and third-party retail such as Amazon, supported by an Android and iOS app with more than 100,000 downloads. Awards coverage and technology press reviews supported visibility.
Consumer music listeners seeking personalized sound and high-fidelity audio, including performers, for whom the portable NuraLoop was intended.
Geography
Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with a registered address in Brunswick, Victoria; products were sold internationally, including in the United States via Amazon, and the company participated in the Shenzhen-based HAX accelerator.
History
Founded in 2015, Nura ran a Kickstarter campaign in 2016 that raised US$1.8 million from 7,730 backers, described as the largest Kickstarter campaign in Australian history. It raised a A$6 million seed round in May 2017 led by Blackbird Ventures and subsequently a A$21 million Series A also led by Blackbird Ventures. The company began commercial operations on 3 October 2017 with the public launch of the Nuraphone, added active noise cancellation by software update in July 2018, and released NuraLoop (2020), NuraTrue and NuraBuds (2021). In April 2023 Nura was acquired by Denon, part of the Masimo Corporation, to integrate its personalized audio technology into Denon earbuds and headphones; Nura-branded product sales were discontinued shortly afterward and the company is listed as defunct in 2023.
Risks & controversies
The Wikipedia entry carries maintenance notices flagging promotional content and possible undisclosed paid editing. Reviewers criticised the app and setup instructions as a work in progress, the headphones' weight for travel, call quality, and the unusual fit; Google Play reviews cite Android connectivity failures, audio latency in immersion mode and app crashes. Nura-branded product sales have been discontinued following the acquisition.
Compiled by commissioned research from 13 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 20
launches, deals, and filingsDenon, part of the Masimo Corporation, acquired Nura to integrate its personalized audio technology into Denon earbuds and headphones; Nura-branded products were subsequently discontinued.
Nura was acquired by Masimo Corporation, parent of Denon, for an undisclosed sum. Masimo described the deal as a technology tuck-in and acquisition-hire of engineering talent to support its Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology platform; Nura R&D employees moved to the corresponding Denon team, existing products kept warranty and app support, and Denon discontinued Nura-branded products with the brand to be sunset after remaining inventory sold through.
Third co-founder Dragan Petrović left the company in December, as reported in April 2023 coverage of the acquisition.
NuraTrue was awarded Best Earbuds for Personalized Sound in the Rolling Stone Audio Awards 2022.
Recognised in the Custom Listening category.
NuraTrue true wireless earbuds with personalized sound, alongside NuraBuds sold exclusively via the NuraNow subscription platform.
NuraTrue was listed in TIME's 100 Best Inventions of 2021 in the Custom Listening category.
Portable wired-or-wireless earbuds with 16-hour battery life carrying the Nuraphone personalization experience.
Free firmware update added ANC, audio pass-through and enhancements to voice calls and button presses.
Nuraphone won CES Innovation Awards Best of Innovation 2018, Red Dot Best of the Best 2018, the 2018 Good Design Australia award for best product design in consumer electronics, and Gold at IDSA IDEA 2018.
The Nuraphone won Best of Innovation at the CES Innovation Awards 2018, Red Dot Award 2018 Best of the Best in consumer electronics, the 2018 Good Design Australia Award for best product design in consumer electronics, and Gold at the IDSA IDEA 2018 awards in consumer technology.
Nura began operations and shipped its debut personalized-sound over-ear headphone with built-in earbuds.
Nura began operations and gave the general public access to its debut product, the Nuraphone, which personalizes sound by measuring the ear's response to different frequencies.
Co-founder and CEO Kyle Slater left Nura in 2017; he most recently served as chief product officer of Melbourne-based medical technology company Seer.
Crowdfunding campaign to fund mass production of the Nuraphone; reported as the largest Kickstarter campaign in Australian history.
$1.8M source ↗
Nura ran a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to fund mass production of the Nuraphone, raising US$1.8 million from 7,730 backers, described as the largest Kickstarter campaign in Australian history.
$1.8M source ↗
Nura joined HAX, a hardware accelerator program based in Shenzhen, China.
The Melbourne Accelerator Program granted Nura an Entrepreneurial Fellowship providing monetary funding, office space and mentoring.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 13
primary sources listed
- Nuranuraphone.com · web
13 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Nura do?
- Melbourne-based consumer audio company whose headphones measure a listener's hearing and auto-tune sound to it.
- Who are Nura's investors?
- Nura's investors include Blackbird Ventures, Cardinia Ventures, Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP), SPRINGROCK VENTURES, Qualgro.
- How much funding has Nura raised?
- Nura has disclosed $73.8M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.