It started with my dad.

My dad had quietly stopped going to the pub. He'd stopped picking up the phone. He smiled politely when grandchildren spoke, then asked his wife afterwards what they'd actually said. The hearing aids the audiologist fitted were excellent — and stayed in the drawer because they were uncomfortable, finicky and felt like a badge of "old".

We started taking apart every hearing aid we could find. We learned that the £2,400 clinic price covered roughly £180 of components, plus fitting, clinic overhead, distribution and brand. We learned that the same chip could be tuned at home, with the right app and the right shell. So we built one.

Auris Comfort took 14 prototypes. Smaller. Lighter. Self-charging. A 10-minute setup that didn't require a smartphone-savvy grandchild. A look that disappears behind the ear, even with glasses. Above all, a price that doesn't make people wince.

Three years on, more than 3,200 UK households wear Auris. Every box ships from our Manchester warehouse, every email is answered by someone in our team, and yes — Dad finally wears them. He's back at the pub. He picks up the phone. He hears his grandchildren the first time round.

Roughly 12 million adults in the UK live with hearing loss. Two thirds never get help, mostly because of cost or stigma. Every Auris we ship is a small push back against both.