HARMAN and Quirky Partner to Power the Next Generation of Sound

HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier audio, visual, infotainment, and enterprise automation group, and Quirky, the company that makes invention accessible, today announced a new partnership to jointly develop the next generation of audio products. Today, creative people around the world are invited to go to quirky.com/harman/the-headphones-of-tomorrow to submit ideas to create the headphones of tomorrow.

Quirky makes invention accessible by bringing real people’s product ideas to life with the help of a global community and in-house team of engineers and designers. The partnership between HARMAN and Quirky is the second Powered by Quirky initiative, which enables larger organizations to implement Quirky’s unique community-driven product development process.

“Inviting our fans to influence our next generation of products will not only provide us with powerful insights about consumer taste and preferences, but will help us strengthen the two-way conversation we have with our customer base,” said Ralph Santana, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at HARMAN International. “We are excited to collaborate with Quirky’s community of inventors to develop solutions that break new ground in smart design, form, function, and connectivity, starting with headphones and continuing into additional areas of our business.”

This partnership brings together HARMAN’s legacy of premium audio and Quirky’s inventive edge in categories like connected technology. HARMAN will leverage Quirky’s platform to generate new ideas for their portfolio of brands, which includes Harman Kardon, JBL, and Infinity. HARMAN today launched the first challenge to the Quirky community around the “Headphones of Tomorrow” and together, the two companies will amplify the speed at which innovation happens in the consumer electronics industry.

“We have received nearly 20,000 audio and entertainment product ideas to date from our community of everyday inventors,” said Ben Kaufman, CEO and Founder of Quirky. “By powering HARMAN’s pipeline, creative people everywhere will now have the opportunity to develop products for one of the most storied brands in audio and entertainment.”

The Headphones of Tomorrow Invention Challenge

Starting today through Tuesday, April 21, Quirky and HARMAN will accept new product ideas on Quirky’s online invention platform as part of a global Invention Challenge to imagine the headphones of tomorrow. Watch the Invention Challenge video here.

After the Headphones of Tomorrow Invention Challenge, idea submissions will be presented at a Quirky+HARMAN product evaluation on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:00 pm (live streamed at quirky.com/live), where a panel of experts alongside the community will vote to determine which ideas should be become a reality. The selected headphone ideas may be developed under one of HARMAN’s premier brands and sold on the shelves of the best retailers all over the world.

For more information on today’s announcement, download a digital press kit here.

About HARMAN

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and enterprise automation solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® , Mark Levinson ® and Revel®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 17,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.9 billion during the last 12 months ended December 31, 2014. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.

About Quirky

Quirky (www.quirky.com) makes invention accessible by bringing real people’s product ideas to life. To take ideas from pipe dream to consumer product, an in-house team of designers and engineers collaborate with Quirky’s online community on nearly all aspects of development. Anyone can make their mark by submitting a problem-solving idea or weighing in on others'. And when a product is sold, Quirky shares its revenue with every community member that had an impact. Founded by Ben Kaufman in 2009, Quirky’s products can be found at The Home Depot, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Amazon and Quirky.com.

© 2015 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries.