Sesame AI, a startup founded by Brendan Iribe, has secured $250 million in Series B funding, co-led by Sequoia Capital and Spark Capital, to develop its innovative voice assistant technology integrated into smart glasses.
The company, established in June 2023 by Iribe, the former Oculus VR co-founder, boasts a team with a strong background in AI, speech technology, and consumer hardware. Iribe serves as CEO, alongside Ankit Kumar as CTO and Ryan Brown as a founding engineer. Sesame AI is focused on creating smart glasses with advanced conversational AI, featuring AI-powered voices named “Maya” and “Miles.” These voices are designed to mimic the naturalism, rhythm, and emotional expression of human dialogue, setting a new standard for voice assistant technology.
Following a highly successful early demo that garnered significant public interest, Sesame AI has launched a beta version of its smart glasses. The demo was remarkably popular, with over one million people accessing it and engaging in more than five million minutes of conversation with the AI. This level of engagement underscores the public’s enthusiasm for Sesame’s innovative approach to voice interaction.
Sesame has also made its base AI model, CSM-1B, available for commercial use under an Apache 2.0 license. The 1-billion-parameter model powers the “Maya” assistant and is notable for its permissive licensing, which allows for broad application with few restrictions. By making CSM-1B accessible, Sesame is fostering a collaborative environment that could accelerate advancements in AI technology.
The company’s product is positioned as a lightweight, user-friendly device that prioritizes natural speech interaction. This approach is a deliberate strategy to differentiate Sesame’s smart glasses from the more expensive and bulky VR headsets offered by competitors such as Meta and Apple. By focusing on ease of use and natural interaction, Sesame aims to carve out a unique niche in the market for its innovative smart glasses.
