The eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica announced on Thursday the acquisition of the French technology company Pulse Audition. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Pulse Audition specializes in AI-based solutions for noise cancellation and speech enhancement, which can also be integrated into glasses frames, the company said. These allowed people with hearing loss to understand conversations better, even in noisy environments. The takeover of the start-up and its team “fits seamlessly with the group’s strategy in the hearing aid sector” and continues the development that was initiated in 2023 with the purchase of Nuance Hearing, explained EssilorLuxottica.
Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, and Deputy CEO Paul du Saillant explained the background to the acquisition: “We are continually evaluating market opportunities in the areas of AI and big data, and this acquisition in France – one of our home countries – is a perfect fit for ours long-term goals and investments in the acoustics sector. It underlines our commitment to further developing the next generation of IT platforms in Europe,” they said in a statement.