What is it?
Clicks, squeals, knocks and grinding are hard for most drivers to tell apart.
Pre-seed round
Building sound intelligence
for the road.
Noise IQ turns a few seconds of sound into a possible match, how urgent it may be, a typical repair-cost range and next steps. The app is live on the App Store and Google Play, and we’re raising our pre-seed round to accelerate growth.
In drivers’ hands today
The problem
Your car makes a new noise.
Now what?
Is it urgent?
Drivers can’t tell “keep an ear on it” from “pull over now.”
What should I do?
Without a clear first answer, drivers either pay just to find out what a noise is, or put off a problem that needs attention.
The product
An answer you can act on.
Not just a label.
Record a sound with the phone you already have. Noise IQ suggests a possible match with a confidence score and other possible causes, how urgent it may be, an estimated repair cost and what to do before you drive. Noise IQ Pro tracks a noise over time and adds a repair-shop map.
| Feature | OBD scanner | Mechanic | Forums | Noise IQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartphone only | No | n/a | Yes | Yes |
| Interprets the sound | Codes only | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Answer on the spot | After it ships | No | Varies | Yes |
| Severity and next step | Codes only | Yes | Inconsistent | Yes |
| Recording history | No | Per visit | No | Yes |
| Path to a repair shop | No | Is the shop | No | In-app shop map |
Our assessment. Other apps also attempt sound diagnosis; our edge is the end-to-end, consumer-friendly journey, not a claim to be the only one. Results are estimates, not a diagnosis.
Who it’s for
Drivers who pay for
their own repairs.
Out-of-warranty owners
Want a fast, low-cost first opinion before a shop visit.
Rideshare and delivery
Income depends on uptime, so early warnings matter.
Used-car buyers
Check how a vehicle sounds before they buy it.
Less confident drivers
Want to understand a noise before talking to a shop.
The market
Older cars, more noises,
a huge repair market.
297.5M
Registered motor vehicles in the US, 2024
FHWA Highway Statistics, Table VM-1 (Feb 2026)
289M
Light vehicles in operation, 2025
S&P Global Mobility (May 2025)
12.8 yrs
Average age of US light vehicles, a record high
S&P Global Mobility (May 2025)
$599.7B
US auto care aftermarket, 2026 forecast
Auto Care Association, 2027 Factbook (Jun 2026)
Business model
Free to start.
Pro when you want more.
Core analysis is free. Noise IQ Pro adds Noise Progress Comparison, to track whether a noise is changing, and the repair-shop map.
Record a noise and get a possible match, severity, a typical cost range and next steps, with your history saved on your phone.
Track a noise over time with Noise Progress Comparison and find repair shops nearby.
About $8.33 a month, 44% less than 12 monthly payments.
US prices. Google Play and the App Store show local prices and taxes before purchase.
Roadmap
Win the car first.
Then everything that sounds.
Live on both stores
Available on iPhone and Android, with Noise IQ Pro subscriptions live.
Coverage and conversion
More recognized sounds, better results and higher free-to-Pro conversion.
Your garage
Richer recording history, per-vehicle profiles and deeper repair referrals.
Beyond the car
Home systems, HVAC and machinery: future opportunities, not current revenue.
Team
Leadership.
Bastian Foelske
FounderBased in Atlanta, Georgia, Bastian Foelske is an entrepreneur with a passion for innovation, emerging technology and bringing ambitious ideas to life. Always drawn to the challenge of building something from the ground up, his experience across different industries, customer-facing businesses and independent ventures has shaped his creative approach to solving everyday problems and recognizing opportunities where others might not.
Driven by curiosity and the belief that technology should make everyday life simpler, Bastian founded Noise IQ around one simple question: “What if your car could tell you what’s wrong?” What began as an idea grew into a vision for making sound intelligence accessible to everyone, starting with the automotive industry and looking toward a future where technology helps people better understand the world around them.
Beyond Noise IQ, Bastian continues to explore new business opportunities, emerging technologies and ideas that challenge conventional thinking, guided by a passion for entrepreneurship and the determination to turn meaningful ideas into reality.
Pablo Balbuena
Chief Technology OfficerBased in Miami, Florida, Pablo Balbuena combines an entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for technology, innovation and problem-solving. His experience exploring different business ventures has given him a practical understanding of what it takes to turn an idea into something people can use.
With a strong interest in software development and emerging technologies, Pablo brings both technical expertise and business-minded thinking to Noise IQ. He enjoys building solutions that simplify complex challenges and believes technology has the greatest impact when it makes everyday experiences easier.
Let’s talk
about the road ahead.
We’re raising our pre-seed round. To learn more, reach out to the founders at founders@noiseiq.ai
Investor Inquiries