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ECE student co-founds startup, competes for $1M Hult Prize

April 17, 2026
College of Engineering
A man wearing a dark blue, short-sleeved button-down with medium length brown hair sits at a desk, while a woman wearing a light blue short-sleeve buttondown sits on the esdge of the desk behind him. On the desk is a 3D printer with a black, plastic ear on the printing tray. Behind the printer is a computer screen. The scene is set within a college dorm.

Kian Sadat, left, and Safiya Tarazi are the students behind Ampira, a tech startup developing a hearing aid intended for underserved communities.

Chris Richards/University Communications

A technology startup co-founded by a student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering took part in the western regional finals of the Hult Prize competition at the University of Arizona on April 17 and 18. ECE student Kian Sudat and Franke Honors College classmate Safiya Tarazi started a company called Ampira to develop a hearing aid designed for use in underserved communities. Sudat and Tarazi won the U of A campus qualifier in February.

Ampira's device could be remotely calibrated to collect hearing-test data, eliminating the need for patients to travel hundreds of miles. Currently, Sudat and Tarazi are working on an updated business model and proof of concept for their device in coordination with speech and hearing experts.

"We're not interested in reusing old hearing aids from the '80s and '90s," Sadat said. "Our goal is to create a new, basic product that incorporates aspects of modern technology like automatic calibration and remote fitting. If you live in places like Phoenix, L.A. or New York and you have hearing issues, you can immediately see an audiologist. That kind of health care system isn't always available throughout the world, and we want to develop a product for those communities."