Aachen, December 8, 2025 – Former TechVisionFonds (TVF) portfolio company Eleven has achieved a successful exit: Its acquisition by Qualcomm, a US chip manufacturer, marks a significant milestone for the Aachen-based audio tech startup, in which the TVF team had only invested in 2023.
Founded by Stefan Liebich, Johannes Fabry, Raphael Brandis, and Elfed Howells, Elevear has established itself in recent years as a pioneer in the field of AI-powered adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC). The team’s technology sets new standards: highly adaptive, context-aware noise cancellation that adapts to the environment and user in real time. Elevear’s software algorithms are considered the industry benchmark for the next generation of intelligent audio technologies.
With the acquisition by Qualcomm, Elevear now has a global platform to scale its solutions worldwide and integrate them into leading audio and hearable products. Its technology is set to set new standards for what modern audio quality can achieve.
TVF sees this transaction as further confirmation of its mission to provide early-stage financing to tech startups from the region and accompany them on their path to international market relevance.
“Elevear has demonstrated how excellent research, courageous founders, and technological vision can work together—and how crucial it is to have the right capital and the right partner at your side early on. We are proud to have accompanied this extraordinary journey from the very beginning,” said Björn Lang, Managing Partner of TVF.
“Elevear stands for what defines deep tech from Aachen and North Rhine-Westphalia: technical excellence, perseverance, and the will to create solutions for a global market. Thank you to the entire team for this impressive startup journey.” — Dr. Lars Diehl-Gussen, Senior Investment Manager, TVF
Image: The founding team of Elevear GmbH (from left to right): Elfed Howells, Raphael Brandis, Dr. Stefan Liebich, Johannes Fabry
Image source: Elevear GmbH
