EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA – Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO of Starkey, has been named a winner of the 2025 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG). The award recognizes his contributions to advancing artificial intelligence within the hearing industry.
“Starkey is leading an era of excellence where artificial intelligence is not just an innovation but a driving force for transforming lives. We believe AI is more than just technology—it’s a means to empower people, enhance human connection, and improve overall well-being. This award is a testament to our relentless drive to push the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring that we continue to lead the industry with groundbreaking advancements that set new standards in hearing technology.”
–Brandon Sawalich
The Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards honor individuals, organizations, and products that are leveraging AI to drive innovation across industries. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts based on their contributions to areas such as predictive analytics, generative AI, and explainable AI.
Under Sawalich’s leadership, Starkey has introduced several AI-powered features to hearing technology, including real-time language translation, fall detection, and brain health tracking. The company was also the first to integrate embedded AI into hearing aids, with the goal of enhancing both communication and overall health monitoring.
At the core of these advancements is Starkey’s G2 Neuro Processor, which features a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) technology. Integrated into the company’s latest Edge AI hearing aids, the system is engineered to enhance speech clarity, reduce background noise, and automatically adapt to changing listening environments—all while preserving battery life.
Sawalich is scheduled to speak during the Future Forecast Panel at the AAA 2025+HearTECH Expo on Thursday, March 27, from 5–6 p.m. in the HearTech Hub. Starkey, a platinum sponsor of the event, will also feature its technology at booth 237.
About Starkey
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.
