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Sesame AI smart glasses bring natural voice AI to wearable tech users

by ICN.live
October 22, 2025

Fatima Al-Nouri

Key Points

Sesame raised $250 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital.
The startup develops AI smart glasses that use lifelike conversational voices.
Founded by Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe and a strong AR leadership team.
Beta testers can now try the iOS app with search, text, and thinking functions.

Sesame AI smart glasses are shaping a new chapter in how humans interact with artificial intelligence through wearable technology.

The company behind them, led by Brendan Iribe, aims to make daily communication with AI as natural as talking to a person.

Founded by experienced leaders from Oculus and Ubiquity6, Sesame combines advanced voice AI with lightweight, stylish eyewear. These glasses are designed to host a personal AI assistant that observes the world alongside you, listens to your questions, and replies using realistic human speech.

Reimagining Voice Interaction with AI

From my standpoint, Sesame is redefining how we perceive conversational technology. The company’s system doesn’t simply convert text to speech. Instead, it generates speech directly, capturing rhythm, tone, and emotional nuance. This makes the AI sound human, not robotic.

The first public demos, featuring AI voices named Maya and Miles, were released earlier this year. They reached over a million users and generated more than five million minutes of conversation. Early testers, including reports from The Verge, described the experience as “genuinely fun” and “natural-sounding.”

This feedback shows how consumers respond to experiences that feel more emotional and lifelike. The voice AI element in the Sesame platform could represent a turning point for conversational systems, much like the jump from text interfaces to touchscreens once did for smartphones.

Sesame AI Smart Glasses Promise Real Human-Like Interaction

The Sesame AI smart glasses are being built as an everyday accessory, not a gadget. According to investor Sequoia Capital, they’re “fashion-forward,” which means you could wear them even if they didn’t include built-in AI. That statement reveals the company’s intent to merge functionality with design — a challenge many wearable tech products have failed to master.

These glasses will offer high-quality audio and seamless integration with the user’s environment. Instead of depending on screens, users will communicate through natural voice exchanges. Imagine walking through a busy city while your AI assistant quietly provides context about places, people, or reminders — without needing to take out your phone.

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Leadership and Experience Behind the Vision

Sesame’s founding team includes some of the most recognized names in immersive technology. Alongside Brendan Iribe, the co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, the company has recruited strong industry veterans. The team includes Nate Mitchell, another Oculus co-founder, serving as Chief Product Officer; Hans Hartmann, a former Fitbit executive, as COO; and Ryan Brown, a former Reality Labs engineering director. Angela Gayles, who spent years at Facebook and Meta, adds further depth to the leadership structure.

This team’s combined experience in VR, AR, and consumer hardware gives Sesame an advantage in executing both the AI and product aspects. As Sequoia noted, “hardware takes time,” but this lineup is familiar with the complexity of bringing advanced devices to market.

$250 Million in Funding and a Promising Beta Launch

In its latest Series B round, Sesame secured $250 million, led by Sequoia Capital, marking a significant vote of confidence in the company’s mission. This funding will accelerate development of the AI platform and smart glasses, while expanding the company’s engineering and design teams.

Alongside this announcement, Brendan Iribe revealed that Sesame is opening its iOS app for early beta testers. The app will let users experience the AI’s “search, text, and think” capabilities before the full hardware launch. For now, testers are required to keep details confidential, as the technology remains in development.

This phased rollout suggests that Sesame is prioritizing experience refinement over speed, ensuring quality interaction before the wider release.

The Future of Conversational Wearables

The future potential of Sesame AI smart glasses extends beyond convenience. They might transform how people access information, manage tasks, and communicate with technology in real time. Unlike previous attempts at wearable tech, Sesame focuses on interaction and companionship instead of novelty.

The appeal lies in humanizing technology. When AI speaks like a person and reacts to your tone, the barrier between user and machine fades. Based on my analysis, Sesame’s design philosophy could influence how future devices handle real-time interaction.

By combining elegant design, real dialogue, and strong leadership, Sesame positions itself as a pioneer in the AI assistant space. If the product launch meets expectations, these glasses may become one of the most influential consumer technologies of the next decade.

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What makes Sesame AI smart glasses different from other wearable tech?

Sesame AI smart glasses focus on natural voice interaction instead of screens or gestures. Unlike earlier smart glasses, which relied on visual overlays, Sesame emphasizes conversation. Its AI speaks and listens like a person, understanding tone, rhythm, and context. This creates a more human experience that feels like real dialogue rather than machine response. The design is another advantage. According to Sequoia Capital, Sesame’s eyewear looks fashionable enough for daily use, making it appealing even beyond its AI features. With hardware expertise from former Oculus and Fitbit executives, the product merges design, function, and comfort — something most previous wearables lacked.

Who is behind Sesame and what experience do they bring?

Sesame is led by Brendan Iribe, co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, alongside Ankit Kumar, former CTO of Ubiquity6. They are supported by industry veterans like Nate Mitchell (Oculus), Hans Hartmann (Fitbit), Ryan Brown (Meta), and Angela Gayles (Facebook/Meta). This team combines years of experience building immersive hardware and software at global scale. Their collective background in virtual and augmented reality, hardware design, and user experience gives Sesame the edge to develop functional yet desirable products. They understand how to merge technology with everyday use — a key factor in wearable adoption.

How much funding has Sesame raised and who are its investors?

Sesame secured $250 million in a Series B round, with Sequoia Capital as a lead investor. Other notable participants include investors with experience in AI and hardware innovation. The funding will support continued research and development of both the AI platform and the wearable device. This level of investment indicates investor confidence in Sesame’s mission to humanize AI through natural conversation. According to Sequoia, the company’s approach feels “different,” as the AI doesn’t convert text to speech but generates natural, emotionally aware dialogue.

When will Sesame AI smart glasses be available to the public?

The company hasn’t yet announced a launch date for its smart glasses. Sequoia Capital mentioned that “hardware takes time,” suggesting a deliberate focus on quality and testing. For now, Sesame has opened an early beta program for its iOS app, allowing selected testers to interact with the core AI functions. This step-by-step release allows feedback collection and refinement before a wider rollout. Given the complexity of building both the AI and the wearable hardware, it’s likely that the glasses will launch once performance, comfort, and durability meet the team’s standards.

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