Friday, 8 am, Dublin Docklands. Dozens of entrepreneurs are getting to the office of Dublin Commissioner for Startups. Why? It’s the 1st Friday of the month, Niamh Bushnell and Startup Dublin are hosting breakfast for startups.

Every 1st Friday of the month they gather a startup crowd and invite one entrepreneur to share his or her success story. Today we gathered to listen to Rhona Togher, founder of Restored Hearing.

The main question was how this young woman managed to found such a company. Rhona started her journey in Sligo, a very traditional town, where, as she says, you generally become a farmer, not an entrepreneur. Studying in secondary school, she developed an auditory therapy to alleviate tinnitus. She has been honoured with the Medical Innovation Award of the Irish Health Research Board in 2009, and then decided to found company Restored Hearing. Parallel to that, she started studied physics at University College Dublin.

Rhona’s route wasn’t easy. It is shocking how much sexism and neglect she has faced while talking to investors. From “grow a beard” advice to “we will fund you, but you’ll need to leave the company, because no one wants to work with a woman”. It all sound so surreal that you can’t imagine why would anyone say that. Unfortunately, in the world of science women are still not fully accepted.

Despite all those refusals, Restored Hearing are growing and aiming to conquer more and more spheres. Now, their target is airplane companies. They want to change planes’ sound absorbing foam to their Sound Bounce product, that absorbs sound 8 times better when the price is practically the same.

I’m very happy that there are people like Rhona and her team (where 6 of 7 employees are women) keep on fighting and not giving up on their ideas. Keep on going!

“Just get a thicker skin,” says Rhona. “Be prepared to hear not nice things.”

PS: Dublin Commissioner for Startups host startup breakfast each 1st Friday of the month. See you next month!