Globally, 360 million people, or more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, suffer from disabling hearing loss, with the greatest prevalence in the Asia Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa regions. However, many developing countries have very little awareness of hearing impairment and limited resources to implement screening campaigns. This private initiative aims to improve hearing screening and early detection services among children and adults, especially for underserved communities. The solution was developed as an inexpensive alternative to conventional screening methods, with specific applications to school-based administration. The initiative has been shown to cut traditional screening costs by 50–70 per cent and can be administered by non-specialists and screeners with even basic literacy and low digital skills.