Mentra Raises $8 Million To Launch Open-Source OS For Smart Glasses

San Francisco-based startup Mentra has raised $8 million to launch MentraOS 2.0, an open-source operating system designed specifically for smart glasses. The round includes some of Silicon Valley’s most iconic names: Rich Miner (co-founder of Android), Jawed Karim (co-founder of YouTube), Eric Migicovsky (Pebble), Paul Graham, Y Combinator, and the venture arms of Toyota and Amazon.

The company’s goal is as ambitious as it is timely: to become the default software layer for a new generation of lightweight XR glasses. Founder and CEO Cayden Pierce calls it “the Android for smart glasses,” built for continuous wear, real-time AI, and cloud-native applications. The platform already supports multiple hardware options and powers live captioning, translation, notifications, and an AI assistant.

“The hardware is finally ready, the AI is here—but there’s still no OS,” Pierce said. “We’re not building hype demos. We’re building the infrastructure for the next personal computer.”

Mentra’s approach flips the script on much of the XR industry. While companies like Meta and Google are building vertically integrated platforms with tightly controlled app stores and bulky headsets, Mentra is targeting openness, modularity, and utility. Its open SDK lets developers create apps that work across devices. The Mentra App Store allows multiple apps to run simultaneously, accessing real-time sensor and user context—something Pierce says is essential to glasses that are meant to be worn all day.

The idea began seven years ago when Pierce, then a university student, read a study showing that students with live captions retained more information than those without. “That clicked for me,” he said. “Subtitles are intelligence-extending. I wanted that all the time. So I built a captions app for glasses, and realized there was no framework for it. That moment started everything.”

MentraOS now runs on hardware from Even Realities and Vuzix, as well as the company’s own devices. This fall, Mentra will launch Mentra Live, the company’s modular camera-and-audio smart glasses kit aimed at enterprise and developer users, now available for pre-order at $249. It begins shipping this fall. Menta Live includes a front-facing camera, microphone, speaker, and full support for the MentraOS SDK. The company’s caption-enabled display glasses are expected in early 2026, with pricing expected to fall between $339 and $599 depending on features. MentraOS is also compatible with third-party hardware like the Even Realities G1 and Vuzix Z100, giving developers multiple entry points into the ecosystem.

While hardware is part of the story, the business case revolves around the software platform. Mentra’s App Store will generate revenue through developer subscriptions and app sales, following a model similar to Apple’s or Google’s—albeit with a more flexible, developer-friendly cut. “We’re not trying to own the whole stack,” Pierce said. “We want hardware makers to adopt MentraOS so their users can access real apps, built by real developers.”

Pierce spent time at the University of Toronto with Steve Mann, one of the inventors of wearable computing, and later joined the MIT Media Lab under Pattie Maes. He met co-founder Alexander Israelov while building open-source smart glasses out of an RV in Canada.

Menta has a growing community of over 4,000 developers and a growing number of partners in enterprise and education. “Dozens of apps have already been built on MentraOS,” said Menta’s founding engineer Nicolo Micheletti.”From live translation and proactive AI to calendar reminders and language learning. And this is just the beginning. With Mentra Live, our camera-equipped smart glasses, we expect an entirely new wave of visual AI apps like real-world games, AI-powered tour guides, fitness assistants, and cooking coaches.”