Caine Ardayfio, a 22-year-old African American tech entrepreneur, dropped out of Harvard to launch Mira, a startup making AI-powered smart glasses. The startup raised $6.6 million and aims to change how people interact with AI in daily life.
Ardayfio’s tech journey began in eighth grade when his father introduced him to coding. By high school, he had launched a mental health startup inspired by his sister, raising $100,000 and hiring a small team. This early experience laid the groundwork for Mira.
At Harvard, Ardayfio met his co-founder, AnhPhu Nguyen, at the campus makerspace. Together, they built flamethrowers, robotic tentacles, and smart glasses, projects that drew 80 million views online and eventually led to Mira.
Mira glasses are designed for conversations. They capture audio but no video, instantly provide AI answers, translate over 60 languages, perform calculations, remember discussions, and suggest follow-up questions. Audio is deleted immediately, while transcriptions are stored in the app. Users can customize the AI and review their day anytime.
The glasses feature built-in speakers and a ring to activate AI or take calls, though the ring is optional. They retail for $649 (non-prescription) and $799 (prescription) and are mostly used by executives and business owners to track meetings.
Ardayfio says Mira brings AI closer to daily life. “It’s literally like a system that’s with you 24/7. It’s with you during all of your conversations,” he told AfroTech. The startup plans to expand beyond executives with calendar and email integrations.
The $6.6 million seed round, led by General Catalyst, will fund software and AI development and improve the glasses’ hardware design. Mira aims to deliver a smooth, reliable AI experience that sets it apart from other smart glasses.
The first 300 glasses have launched, with 1,000 more coming by January. Ardayfio hopes Mira will reach 1 million users within three years, making AI a seamless part of everyday life.
SOURCE: blacknews.com