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§ Private Profile · Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Develops AI-powered smart glasses and AR wearables for developers and consumers, integrating generative AI & open-source hardware.
Brilliant Labs is a wearable technology company that develops artificial intelligence smart glasses and open-source augmented reality hardware for global developers, creatives, and general consumers. The organization produces devices such as the Monocle developer kit, the Frame series, and the Halo headset, which integrate generative AI models like GPT-4 directly into everyday eyewear. These hardware products operate alongside proprietary software systems, including an agentic AI assistant named Noa and a memory system called Narrative, designed to facilitate embodied intelligence and process environmental data. To support its ongoing hardware and software development, the enterprise has raised $3 million in seed funding from prominent technology figures, including Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, and Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky. Brilliant Labs was founded in 2019 by former Apple and Microsoft executive Bobak Tavangar alongside Ben Heald.
Brilliant Labs has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round.
Brilliant Labs has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Brilliant Labs has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Brilliant Labs's investors include Adam Cheyer, Brendan Iribe, Eric Migicovsky, Francisco Tolmasky, Nirav Patel, Steve Sarowitz, Plug and Play Ventures, Alt Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Forum Ventures, Goat Capital, Sangeen Zeb.
Brilliant Labs is a Singapore-based technology company founded in 2019 that develops open-source AI-powered eyewear, blending augmented reality (AR) with artificial intelligence to enhance everyday vision.[1][2][3] Its flagship products include the Frame glasses, launched in January 2024, which integrate a voice assistant called Noa and Perplexity AI search, and the second-generation Halo glasses revealed in 2025, featuring a micro OLED display, bone-conduction speakers, cameras, microphones, and on-device AI processing for multimodal interactions.[1][3] Targeting developers, creatives, and tech enthusiasts, the company solves the problem of fragmented digital experiences by creating lightweight, hackable AR devices that fuse physical and digital worlds through an open ecosystem, with $6M raised in angel funding to date.[2][4]
Brilliant Labs was founded in 2019 in Hong Kong by Bobak Tavangar, a former Apple program lead who envisioned AI-integrated glasses granting users "visual superpowers" via an open-source platform for app development.[1][5] The idea emerged from recognizing technology's inflection point toward an "intelligent, embodied web" that counters walled gardens and data feudalism with collaboration and openness.[3][5] Early traction came with the Monocle, an AR lens attaching to regular glasses using open-source software, followed by the pivotal Frame launch in 2024 amid competitors like Humane's AI Pin and Apple's Vision Pro.[1] By 2025, the company had relocated headquarters to Singapore at 68 Circular Road and unveiled Halo, building on seed funding exceeding $3M from investors including Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, and Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky.[2][4]
Brilliant Labs rides the wave of generative AI and embodied computing, timing its open-source AR glasses perfectly as multimodal AI matures post-ChatGPT, enabling seamless physical-digital fusion.[1][5] Market forces like failures of prior wearables (Google Glass, HoloLens) create demand for subtle, developer-friendly alternatives amid rising interest in AI companions (e.g., Rabbit R1, Humane Pin), while hyperscalers' closed ecosystems amplify the appeal of hackable platforms.[1][2] The company influences the ecosystem by democratizing AR development, accelerating a collaborative "new web" that enhances discovery, community, and creativity without proprietary lock-in.[3][5]
Brilliant Labs is poised to lead open AR with Halo's 2025 advancements, potentially expanding via ecosystem apps for gardening, fitness, and multilingual interactions as shown in demos.[3] Trends like edge AI efficiency, 5G/Bluetooth enhancements, and regulatory pushes for data openness will propel growth, evolving its influence from niche developer tool to mainstream visual enhancer.[1][3] As AI eyewear matures, expect partnerships with Perplexity and investors to scale production, challenging incumbents and realizing Tavangar's vision of superpowered, unified digital-physical lives.[1][4]
Brilliant Labs has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Seed in June 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2023 | $3M Seed | Adam Cheyer, Brendan Iribe, Eric Migicovsky, Francisco Tolmasky, Nirav Patel, Steve Sarowitz, Plug And Play Ventures | ALT Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Forum Ventures, Goat Capital, Sangeen ZEB, Matrix, Play Ventures, S28 Capital, SaaS Venture Capital, Slack Fund, Y Combinator, Allen Gannett, Edith Harbaugh, OTT Kaukver | Announced |