Sesame raises $250M to build voice-driven AI smart glasses

Sesame, a conversational AI startup co-founded by Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, has raised $250 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital to develop voice-driven AI wearables. The investment will support the company’s beta rollout of lightweight smart glasses designed for all-day use, positioning Sesame at the forefront of what investors believe will be the next major shift in computing interfaces from touchscreens to voice.

What you should know: Sesame is building a platform for natural human-machine collaboration through voice-enabled smart glasses that integrate AI agents capable of maintaining conversational context.

• The company’s prototype glasses combine microphones, speakers, and AI agents that allow continuous interaction with information rather than isolated queries.
• Early demos featuring AI characters Maya and Miles have attracted over one million users who logged more than five million minutes of conversation.
• Co-founder Ankit Kumar, a technologist, partnered with Iribe to create what they envision as an “expressive and ambient collaborator” rather than a simple assistant.

The big picture: Sequoia Capital describes this as the fourth major shift in computing interfaces, moving from typing to tapping to talking.

• The firm believes voice, not touchscreens or keyboards, will become the dominant interface for computing.
• Sequoia emphasized that developing full-stack hardware will take time but is essential for creating natural, on-the-go AI interaction that blends into daily life.
• The investment reflects broader industry movement toward embedded conversational systems that serve as connective tissue between humans and data.

Competitive landscape: Sesame joins a growing field of companies pursuing voice-first hardware, including Meta’s recent launch of advanced smart glasses priced at $799.

• The funding will accelerate Sesame’s product roadmap as it refines its conversational agent, scales hardware production, and expands developer partnerships.
• Similar dynamics are emerging across industries, with embedded AI agents becoming strategic advantages for real-time decision-making and seamless communication.

Why this matters: The investment highlights artificial intelligence’s evolution toward more natural, contextual interactions that could fundamentally change how people access and process information.

• PYMNTS research found conversational AI could help banks win back up to 72 percent of customers lost to poor digital service, suggesting broad applications beyond consumer wearables.
• Sesame’s approach brings enterprise-level conversational AI into the consumer domain through wearable devices that prioritize natural speech, emotion, and context.
• The launch positions voice-enabled collaboration as the defining characteristic of the next era in AI, where conversation becomes the primary interface connecting humans and machines.