University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
11/13/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2024 09:32
A UWO Titan saw family, friends struggle with noise. His award-winning solution is becoming a business before graduation
UW-Oshkosh student Shane Kinson is focused on developing NoiseStil headphones to provide assistance to people managing autism and auditory processing disorders.
The subtle sounds of daily life can be debilitating for some people. Shane Kinson saw family members and his circle of friends struggling.
Shane Kinson
Kinson's brother lives with autism. He has friends who also manage a disorder called misophonia. For them, noises like chewing or even breathing aren't just unpleasant or annoyances. They are proverbial nails on a chalkboard, disrupting focus and success in school, work and life.
So, Kinson set out to invent a solution. In his high school economics class, he came up with an idea: "What if I had these headphones, and they made loud sounds quieter and quieter sounds louder," he said, recalling the birth of the headphones technology he created and dubbed NoiseStil. "… There are a lot of practical applications, not just for that baseline feature but for so much more. This can positively impact people with auditory processing disorders."
The 20-year-old University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh audio production program and music business major's idea and once-conceptual product is on the brink of becoming a business.
Months after earning a $3,000 first-place prize in the UWO Culver's Business Pitch Contest, Kinson is refining NoiseStil and pushing the product and business toward its launch. All while in college at UWO. All while he progresses toward his 2026 graduation destination.
His goal: improve life for "those who get overstimulated or overwhelmed-to increase their employment rate, because among autistic Americans, the rate of employment is far lower. The prior, best solution was to renovate offices spaces. So, (employers) kind of just shoved people into a corner, and that was the best way they could do it. It cost them a lot of money. People with auditory processing disorders felt ostracized… I'm aiming to try and get rid of all these obstacles that should be fairly, easily solved."
Like any entrepreneur, Kinson's understandably cagey when it comes to the technology and design solutions that he feels differentiate NoiseStil from any competitors in the marketplace. In short, the headphones block out-or "solo out"-sounds that would be overwhelming and overstimulating for someone with auditory processing disorders. Current noise canceling headphones technology blocks out everything. NoiseStil is more inclusive and selective in its filtering; more conducive to communication, Kinson said.
His UWO faculty mentors, advisers and supporters credit his blend intellect, empathy and entrepreneurialism for fueling a new technology and enterprise that's also gotten a boost from the university's unique proving-ground audio studios and small business incubators.
"What stands out most to me is how his product is intended to help solve a very real challenge for autistic individuals," said Nathan Edwards, Director of Music Industry at UWO. "I think that it shows a sense of compassion within Shane that he pursued this product as a means of making other people's lives a bit easier and more seamlessly integrated into the work world."
A judge, foreground, considers Shane Kinson's proposal at The Pitch-Fox Cities, held earlier this year at Lawrence University.
Kinson said, without question, Edwards and the UWO program within the Department of Music helped him bring NoiseStil to reality. While Kinson, who hails from Whitewater, had university in his hometown, he zeroed in on UWO's unique audio production program.
"The more I work with Nate Edwards and the audio production program, and the more I learn through his classes, the more familiar I become with audio processing and technology-it allows me to take the solutions in my brain and apply them successfully," he said.
Alongside his academic program, Kinson has also been part of the Titan Accelerator Program (TAP), a UWO program to support student entrepreneurs bring ideas and startups to life. In spring 2024, he was accepted into the program after writing a synopsis pitching the NoiseStil concept. The 10-week program helped him analyze potential product competitors, hone branding and marketing plans, consider relevant laws and licensing and explore patent and intellectual property implications.
"It was really, really helpful to go through that with people who have gone through these ventures before," he said. "… It was helpful to get that jump on all this knowledge and things you wouldn't even begin to consider. 'What is my brand? What tone should I bring forth to my customers to make sure they are satisfied?'"
Trailblazer
UWO College of Business Instructional Program Manager John Bellotti considers Kinson inspiring.
"Shane was introduced to me because I have a passion around how people learn and learning differences, specifically autism," Bellotti said. "I quickly realized he appreciated the unique challenges faced by those with learning differences."
Shane Kinson
Bellotti said Kinson's quiet demeanor didn't filter his passion and focus on developing NoiseStil to truly provide some breakthrough help for people managing autism and misophonia.
"His determination shone through as he spoke about his mission to find a solution for misophonia, aiming to improve the lives of people like his friends and my children, freeing them from the relentless distraction of unavoidable noises. True to the spirit of an empathetic entrepreneur, Shane is driven to create a device that is not only effective but also discreet, ensuring that users can choose when and how to disclose their condition without feeling stigmatized."
So, where's NoiseStil on its path to launch? Kinson is currently in a testing phase, preparing to lean on his UWO peers as a kind of test market yet this year. He said one of the primary audiences for NoiseStil is K-12 and higher education students who may have auditory processing disorders that have gone undiagnosed.
"The goal is to help them get better and operate in these standard environments. It is just really important."
Kinson said he recently received his Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions limited liability company (LLC) paperwork. It's one more example of the backstage, business preparatory work he wants to complete now so NoiseStil hits the ground running.
"I really want to bring this to fruition… Sometimes it can feel as though you're standing still. The way I thought about it for me is I feel like I'm pulling the slingshot back right now so it can launch forward once I have the product."
"As of right now, the goal in mind is not to be a CEO… but to give it to someone who I can trust," Kinson said. "I also see some of the good I can accomplish without having to dedicate my entire life to it."
Edwards said he is struck by Kinson's out-of-the-box thinking and drive. None of it has come at the expense of Kinson's kindness, professors said.
"It was enjoyable to see his product and presentation come together, and he has been a fantastic representation of what we value here in the Music department: striving to achieve a high level of quality while remaining thoughtful and compassionate," Edwards said.
Bellotti said Kinson's love for music can't be overlooked, either.
"He leverages his passion for music-where repetitive sounds often create beautiful patterns of speech and sound to represent life-to combat the disruptive repetition and patterns of everyday noises, helping people fully engage with life," Belotti said. "His innovative approach and unwavering dedication are a testament to his desire to make a meaningful difference in the world."
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