Hangzhou company breaks foreign monopoly on hearing tech

From a 10-square-meter small workshop to one of the world's leading makers of cochlear implants, the Hangzhou-based Nurotron Biotechnology has successfully broken the monopoly of foreign countries in the hearing industry and made China the fourth country to produce cochlear implants, following the United States, Australia and Austria.

Located in Yuhang district of Hangzhou, Nurotron Biotechnology was founded in 2006 by Li Chu and his entrepreneur father Li Fangping who had gained fame as a real estate developer.

A graduate of the University of Concordia, Canada, Li Chu dabbled in cochlear implants after learning that nearly 2.2 million Chinese people suffer from hearing losses to different degrees, yet imported hearing products from overseas countries including the US and Australia could be extremely expensive.

He decided that he could do something by starting a company offering affordable cochlear implant devices to poor people in need.

The early days were quite difficult, as before 2011 China's cochlear implant market was monopolized by three foreign companies, with Australian companies taking over 70 percent of the Chinese hearing implant market.

"Everyone worked hard from 9am to 12am in the small lab," Li recalled.

After five years of development and hundreds of trials with an investment of 190 million yuan ($28.41 million), Nurotron received certification for its artificial cochlear devices from the China Food and Drug Administration.

Nurotron wouldn't be possible without national support, Li said, adding that the national government has granted large financial subsidies and issued supportive policies for Nurotron, a hi-tech company which fills a gap in the domestic market.

To date, the company has helped more than 8,000 people overcome the sound of silence with its flagship product: the Venus Cochlear Implant System, annual sales of which have hit 15 million yuan.

The research and development center of Nurotron is located in Irvine, California, the United States.