About us
A therapist told a game maker about the people with tinnitus in his practice. He wanted to have more to offer them. That conversation became Freequency.
Manual therapist Teun Loverbos kept seeing people with tinnitus in his practice, and too often had to send them home with the message to learn to live with it. At a networking event he told Rob Hulsen, who had been making games with a purpose for years. Neither of them could let that conversation go. It became the start of Freequency.
While looking for an approach, the team came across mirror therapy for phantom pain. Could tinnitus be given a visible place too? Jeffrey Lanters developed that idea into an app that places your tone in the space around you. Innovation specialist Sophie Asveld connected the project with healthcare. The team and the app have continued to grow since then.
The story so far
At a networking event, manual therapist Teun Loverbos tells game maker Rob Hulsen about his tinnitus patients, and about the question that keeps him up: why is there so little out there for them?
Inspired by mirror therapy for phantom pain, a first augmented-reality prototype grows into a fully fledged game, tested and refined with hundreds of people with tinnitus.
The app launches in the App Store, complete with the 100-day program and Professor Tone as your guide.
Freequency wins the audience award of the Dutch National Healthcare Innovation Prize. Hospitals and audiology centers start pilots and scientific research.
The app becomes available for Android. Together with its international advisory board, Freequency works on making it available beyond the Netherlands.
Want to read more of our story? Our articles feature interviews, news, and stories from users. All articles
Curious what the media wrote about us? In the media
Our mission
We want you to be able to practice at home, including while you wait for care. Read about the choices behind the app and how your subscription supports research.
The team
Our small team brings people from healthcare together with designers and developers. Together, we make the exercises, explanations, and everything else you find in the app.
Founder and Content Partner
Teun Loverbos is a tinnitus specialist and innovator who, drawing from years of clinical practice, developed digital tools to extend patient support beyond traditional care settings. His work bridges audiological expertise and human-centered design, empowering individuals to better understand and manage their tinnitus in everyday life.
Innovation Specialist
Sophie connects healthcare, research, and practice. She guides the pilots with hospitals and clinics, stays in touch with researchers and users, and makes sure Freequency grows in a way that strengthens care. What happens in the consulting room finds its way back into the app through her, and the other way around.
Founder and Product Owner
Jeffrey designs software using the principles of game design: test a lot, learn through play, and make every interaction feel right. He is responsible for Freequency's product and app, from the first sketch to every update. Every button, animation, and exercise passes through his hands before it appears on your screen.
Founder and Business Development
Rob focuses on the business side of Freequency: the strategy, the partnerships, and the network around the app. He makes the connections, from clinics to partners abroad, and makes sure a good idea also stays a healthy business. He had been making games with a purpose for years when Freequency started.
Animation and Illustration
Maxime draws and animates everything that gives Freequency its character: the illustrations and animations in the app, and the posters, flyers, and store artwork around it. Every little figure, every movement, and every patch of color you see in the app was drawn by hand before it reached your screen.
Design and Branding
Priscilla guards the face of Freequency: the design and the brand identity. From the screens in the app to the artwork in the stores: everything feels like one whole. Color, typography, and the way every element falls into place are in good hands with Priscilla.
Software Development
Martin develops the app and the technology behind it: new features, the Android version, analytics, and the systems behind the pilots and research. If something in Freequency does its job quietly and reliably without you ever thinking about it, chances are Martin built it.
Communication and Support
Wiske takes care of communication and support: the newsletter, the socials, and the answers to your questions. Send us a message, and chances are she is the one who replies. She knows what is on users' minds and makes sure it reaches the rest of the team.
Corporate Lawyer
Dian van Horrik is Freequency's corporate lawyer and makes sure everything the team agrees on is also legally sound: the agreements with clinics and partners, the terms of the app, and the way data is handled. That lets the rest of the team focus on the app itself.
Work with us
Do you create content, work in healthcare, or research tinnitus? See where we could use your help.
The advisors
We work with an international advisory board of audiologists, clinical psychologists, and scientists. They review the program against scientific findings and help shape new features. You also meet them in the app, where they write articles and record videos explaining their areas of expertise.
Before making major changes, we take our plans to the board. We discuss what research tells us and what the advisors see in their own practice.
Get started
Download the app, recreate your own tone, and try your first exercise. The first 3 days are free.
Freequency complements your existing care and does not replace it. Use it in consultation with your audiologist or healthcare professional.
