The founders behind Oculus are back with a new ambitious venture — and a quarter-billion dollars to fund it. Sesame, a conversational AI and smart glasses startup led by Brendan Iribe (Oculus co-founder and former CEO) and Ankit Kumar (former CTO of AR startup Ubiquity6), has raised a $250 million Series B and opened a private beta for early testers.
The round was led by Sequoia Capital and Spark, with participation from undisclosed backers.
Building the Next Human-AI Interface
The firm’s goal is to build a personal AI companion that users can interact with naturally through voice and wearable technology. Its AI agent is designed to speak with human-like tone, rhythm, and emotion, powered by proprietary real-time speech generation models.
The company plans to integrate this AI assistant directly into lightweight, fashion-forward smart glasses, designed for all-day wear and seamless interaction through voice commands.
“We’re building an AI that doesn’t just talk to you — it lives with you, sees what you see, and helps you think,” said Brendan Iribe, co-founder and CEO of Sesame.
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From Stealth to Scale
Sesame first emerged from stealth in February, releasing two demo voices — “Maya” and “Miles.” Within weeks, over 1 million users had generated 5 million minutes of conversation.
According to a statement from Sequoia, the experience stood apart from other AI voice systems:
“Sesame’s conversational layer felt different. It doesn’t just translate LLM output into audio — it generates speech directly, capturing the rhythm, emotion, and expressiveness of real dialogue.”
Early testers and tech reviewers have echoed that sentiment. The Verge described the experience as “genuinely fun” and “natural-sounding.”
Hardware Designed for the Real World
The company’s smart glasses promise high-quality spatial audio and an embedded AI that “observes the world alongside you.” The company says they are designed to look and feel like ordinary eyewear — “something you’d wear even without the tech.”
While the company hasn’t announced a release date, Sequoia acknowledged the long road to hardware launch: “Hardware takes time.”
But Sesame’s leadership has deep experience in both hardware and immersive computing. The founding team includes:
- Nate Mitchell, Co-founder of Oculus and CPO at Sesame
- Hans Hartmann, former Fitbit COO and now COO at Sesame
- Ryan Brown, former Oculus and Meta Reality Labs engineering director
- Angela Gayles, longtime Meta executive
Beta Launch and the Road Ahead
Alongside the funding announcement, Sesame is launching an early beta of its iOS app, offering a preview of the conversational AI experience. According to Iribe, the app allows users to “search, text, and think” through natural dialogue.
Beta testers are required to keep feedback private while the company continues refining the platform ahead of a wider release.
About Sesame
Sesame is a conversational AI and smart-glasses company redefining how people interact with technology. Founded in 2023 by Oculus co-founders Brendan Iribe and Nate Mitchell alongside Ankit Kumar, the company is building AI companions capable of natural, emotional conversation — and embedding them into wearable devices that fit seamlessly into daily life. Backed by Sequoia, Spark, and other global investors, Sesame aims to create the next human-AI interface for the real world.
