OTC hearing wearable · designed for elegance
Hear softly. Live boldly.
POSHEAR is an early-stage startup building an elegant over-the-counter hearing device, designed exclusively for women with perceived mild hearing loss. No stigma. No clinical look. Just a quietly powerful piece you will actually want to wear.
Most women with mild hearing loss simply do not wear hearing aids at all. They still have their own hearing — it works in quiet rooms and one-on-one conversations — so help is only needed in certain conditions, like restaurants, meetings, or social gatherings. The real barrier is stigma: traditional devices look medical, feel conspicuous, and send a signal many would rather avoid. POSHEAR is being created to remove that barrier entirely.
For adults 18+ with perceived mild hearing difficulty. Not a substitute for medical evaluation.
1 in 10
people will live with hearing loss by 2050 (WHO)
~15%
of US adults are affected by hearing difficulty today
0 stigma
our design promise — a wearable, not a medical device look
The device
A wearable that helps you hear — and that you actually want to wear.
POSHEAR One is currently in development. We're building an elegant over-the-counter hearing wearable for women with mild hearing loss — combining jewellery-grade design with on-demand sound amplification. Early-access reservations are open now for the first production run.
Elegant by design
Sculpted by a dedicated industrial designer. Wears like an accessory, not a medical device.
Mild hearing support
Personalised amplification for adults with perceived mild hearing difficulty — the OTC category.
On-demand amplification
Amplification only in the conditions where you need it — restaurants, meetings, social gatherings. Not everything, all the time.
Self-fitting audiogram
A built-in hearing test that creates your personal amplification profile — no audiology appointment needed.
No on/off headaches
Engineered for all-day comfort — designed to avoid the headache loop of intermittent use.
Safety-first design
Engineered with user safety and comfort as core priorities from the earliest stages of development.
Privacy-first audio
Your hearing profile is sensitive data. Explicit opt-in, encrypted, deletable on request.
What we fixed
The real problems with existing hearing devices.
Wax buildup
Deep ear-canal fittings trap wax and moisture, leading to discomfort, infections, and frequent cleaning routines.
Headaches
Regular hearing aids amplify all incoming sound — traffic, clatter, background chatter. The brain has to work overtime to filter it, which often leads to tension headaches and a deep, full-body tiredness at the end of the day (a well-documented effect known as listening fatigue).
Pressure in the ear canal
Tight-fitting inserts create physical pressure and soreness — especially noticeable after a few hours of wear.
Stigma
Medical-looking devices send a signal many women would rather avoid. The social cost outweighs the hearing benefit.
No elegance
Beige plastic, visible tubes, and bulky behind-the-ear units do not match how women want to present themselves.
All-day or nothing
Most devices force you to choose between constant amplification and taking them off entirely. There is no middle ground.
Why ignoring it is worse
Untreated hearing loss is the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia.
The 2020 and 2024 Lancet Commission reports on dementia prevention identify mid-life hearing loss as the single largest modifiable risk factor for later cognitive decline. A landmark 2023 Johns Hopkins study (ACHIEVE, published in The Lancet) further showed that treating hearing loss in at-risk older adults reduced cognitive decline by roughly 48% over three years.
In other words: choosing not to address mild hearing loss — because today's devices are uncomfortable, ugly, or stigmatising — has a real long-term cost. We are building POSHEAR so that wearing something is no longer the harder choice.
Sources: Livingston et al., The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care (2020, 2024 update); Lin et al., ACHIEVE trial, The Lancet (2023).
Why POSHEAR exists
The stigma — and the discomfort — stops women from hearing better.
The vast majority of women with mild hearing loss simply do not wear hearing aids. Their own hearing still works in quiet settings and one-on-one conversations — so they only need help in certain conditions, like crowded restaurants, business meetings, or family gatherings.
But traditional devices bring a list of problems: wax buildup from deep canal fittings, pressure and soreness after a few hours, headaches from all-day amplification, and the unmistakable medical look that carries a stigma many would rather avoid. Since their hearing is "good enough" most of the time, the discomfort, inconvenience, and social signal outweigh the benefit. We are building POSHEAR to remove that barrier — a beautiful piece you will wear proudly, with on-demand amplification only when you actually need it, and none of the usual pain points.
What we are building
- Adaptive amplification tuned to your hearing profile
- On-demand sound boost for noisy or challenging environments only
- Comfortable all-day wear, no on/off headache loop
- Companion app for discreet, in-pocket adjustments
- Encrypted hearing profile — yours, always deletable
The team
Founded by someone who lives it. Built by people who understand.
Gerli Hummel
CEO & Founder
Diagnosed with mild hearing loss after the birth of her child. 22+ years in public procurement, PR and customer service. The critical client of the product.
Madis
CTO
PhD in robotics. Background in underwater sound engineering and bioacoustics. Brings hardware-software innovation to a category that desperately needs both.
Mihkel
Industrial Designer
Wizard of elegant form. Responsible for making POSHEAR something people are proud to wear, not something to hide.
Extended expertise
Backed by specialists from around the world.
We are having consultations with industry experts from abroad, including audiologists and hearing-care researchers, and are partnering with a university clinic for a usability study to ensure the device is safe, effective, and genuinely comfortable for the people who will wear it.
Partnerships
Partners & Investors
POSHEAR is an early-stage company building a new category at the intersection of consumer wellness, medical technology, and design. We are open to select strategic partnerships and conversations with investors who understand the long-term opportunity in accessible, stigma-free hearing care.
Open to strategic partnerships. Collaborating with experts in the audiology, audio and hearing technology field.
Market opportunity
The global hearing aids market is projected to reach $15B+ by 2030. OTC deregulation in the US and ageing demographics in Europe create a structural tailwind for accessible, consumer-first solutions.
Strategic partners
We are actively exploring partnerships with audiology networks, retail wellness brands, and healthcare distributors who share our vision of making hearing support approachable and elegant.
Investor inquiries
We are in the pre-seed / seed stage and welcome conversations with investors focused on health tech, femtech, and consumer hardware.
Sensitive-data opt-in
Hearing profile data is never collected without explicit consent.
Transparent privacy
Clear, honest data practices you can review and control at any time.
Public support
Funded with the support of European public programmes
POSHEAR has received funding from the EU Cohesion and Internal Security Funds 2021–2027 in the amount of €6,240 for patenting.Project number 2021-2027.1.01.23-0394
POSHEAR has received funding from the EUIPO “Ideas Powered for Business” SME Fund in the amount of €1,720 for trademark registration.
Be among the first to try POSHEAR.
Reserve early access for the US launch. We'll only contact you about product milestones — no marketing without your opt-in.