Meet Blake Cadwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Cadwell.

Blake, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I live in Silver Lake with my wife, who is also a fellow entrepreneur, and our daughter. My path toward creating Soundly is deeply rooted in my personal experience with hearing loss. My journey started at a young age as hearing loss is hereditary in my family with my mother and younger brother suffering from it as well.

It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that my hearing loss became an urgent issue. As meetings shifted to Zoom and people began wearing masks, I realized I could no longer communicate effectively with the people around me because I couldn’t hear them or read their lips.

Like most people, I started with a Google search for “hearing aids.” What I found was incredibly confusing, and it took me a full day to figure out my options. The idea of Soundly was born out of that search – I just felt there had to be a better way than what I was experiencing. Soundly takes all the research and distills it down to one single user-friendly experience – with modern shopping technology.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest struggles in building Soundly have been a lot like my struggles finding my own hearing aids. The industry is complex and not set up to go direct-to-consumer. I’ve spent countless hours on the phone with some incredible audiologists and industry veterans who have helped me better understand the nuances of the category.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I spent the last 7 years working at Day One, a communications agency, where I led creative campaigns for clients like Nike and Chipotle. However, once the pandemic hit and everyone put on masks and meetings went virtual, I realized how much I relied on lip reading in everyday life.

Now I am focused on radically changing the process to finding hearing health with a first-of-its-kind marketplace that helps people more easily find products, compare prices and connect to care. It is simple, transparent and destigmatized – so that finding the right hearing aids can be as easy as finding new eyeglasses.

After more than a year’s work on Soundly, I am so proud of what we created and what’s to come.

What’s next?
With the launch of Soundly, my goal is to radically change the conversation on hearing loss. It’s not just an issue among older people. In fact, 1 in 10 people in the US currently experience hearing loss, and at the same time, the process is broken.

This industry is long overdue for an overhaul. My goal is to completely modernize it and do for hearing loss what Hims did for men’s hair loss – destigmatize it and become a welcomed first step to finding help.

In terms of long-term plans, one of my goals is to partner with a major fashion brand on a style-forward hearing aid. Fashion houses make great eyeglasses, why not hearing aids? LVMH, Gucci, Tom Ford – my DMs are open. And, Los Angeles is full of creative people, anyone looking to collaborate? I’d love to hear from you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soundly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearsoundly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Soundly-111633251521889
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hearsoundly
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hearsoundly

Image Credits
Soundly Inc