Meta Puts $3.5 Billion Into Partner EssilorLuxottica, XPANCEO, Arago, Kartel Raise New Rounds

Tik Tok, I own the clock, says the Donald. Prexy says a group of rich folk are buying the social platform. He can’t say when. I would be shocked if the syndicate is not made up of the president’s wealthiest supporters and family members. That is totally legal, because the president is doing it.

Meta has reportedly invested approximately $3.5 billion in eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica. The social media company now owns just under 3% of the company it has partnered with to make XR glasses based on both their Ray‑Ban and Oakley brands. The investment comes as Ray‑Ban Meta smart glasses have sold over two million units since late 2023, and EssilorLuxottica plans to scale production to ten million units annually by 2026.

XPANCEO raises $250 million in Series A funding. They’re now valued at $1.35 billion, making Xpancio the UAE’s 12th unicorn. The company is developing AI-powered smart contact lenses designed to replace smartphones, laptops, and other personal devices with a single, invisible interface. XPANCEO’s prototype can already display holographic images, translate languages in real time, and provide night vision. The team includes scientists from Caltech, MIT, and the European Space Agency, and says it is on track to release a commercial product within five years. The funding round was led by Opportunity Ventures and saw participation from strategic investors in Europe and Asia. XPANCEO’s vision pushes into science fiction territory, with a fully immersive interface worn directly on the eye. I wonder if at that point we won’t be getting neural implants.

Mentra Raises $8 Million To Launch Open-Source OS For Smart Glasses. Mentra raises $8M to launch MentraOS 2.0, an open-source XR operating system for smart glasses backed by Y Combinator.

Zoom Finally Comes to VR. Using the new Zoom VR app for Quest headsets you can now join or host Zoom meetings directly from VR with your Meta avatar appearing in calls as a virtual webcam feed. It’s a bold blend of VR and conventional video conferencing. The result: immersive presence without sacrificing real-world awareness. If they had done this in 2022 I would have lost my mind.

Sesame, the smart glasses startup led by former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, has welcomed Oculus co‑founder Nate Mitchell as Chief Product Officer. Mitchell describes teaming up with Iribe and hardware architect Ryan Brown as “getting the band back together” to build wearable tech that brings computing into daily life]

. The company is developing lightweight smart glasses designed for all‑day wear. Backed by early Oculus investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Spark Capital, Sesame emerges into an increasingly competitive space alongside Meta’s Ray‑Ban, Snap’s new, spatial specs, and the upcoming collaboration between Samsung and Google based on Android XR.

Genies Is Building The Visual Layer For LLMs Genies partners with Unity to bring emotionally intelligent AI avatars into games, merging behavior, memory, and UGC tools for real-time interactive companions.

After making inroads in Hollywood, Runway is enabling AI to make games. Runway, the $3 billion generative-AI startup who made a splashy collaboration announcement with Hollywood’s Lionsgate studio, is now expanding into video games with a new “Game Worlds” platform. It will enable users to build simple interactive text-and-image games via a chat interface, with full AI-generated game creation slated for later this year. CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela says Runway is in talks with gaming studios to source datasets and embed its AI in development workflows.

Kartel Launches With $2 Million And Human-Centric AI To Disrupt Media Production Kartel.ai emerges from stealth with $2M to streamline creative media production using AI, human talent, and a phone call. Fast, curated, agency-quality work.

Mozart AI Empowers Music Composition With A Copilot. Mozart AI raises $730K to launch a digital audio workstation that helps artists create faster with AI, without giving up control or relying on full-song generation.

Intangible Launches Public Beta, Merging Generative AI, Game Engines, And Cinematic Design. Intangible launches open beta of its browser-based 3D AI platform, combining game engines, spatial design, and cinematic tools for creatives across industries.

Leia’s Immersity Mobile App Brings 3D Depth To Everyday Photos. The 3D display company has launched Immersity, a free mobile app that turns photos into dynamic 3D reels using AI, bringing immersive content creation to everyday smartphone users.

VITURE Launches Luma Series, Sets Its Sights On Spatial Computing. VITURE, the quiet giant of XR glasses, launches its Luma Series smart glasses with four new models, sharper displays, spatial features. According to IDC’s most recent report, they own a 52% share of the U.S. market for XR video glasses.

Asteria And Moonvalley Release Marey, A Clean, Production-Grade AI Video Model. The new AI generative video model from Asteria and Moonvalley offers Hollywood filmmakers clean, licensed, production-ready tools with full creative control.

Kling AI Flexes Its Muscles With New Anthology Series ‘Loading…’ Kling AI debuts ‘Loading…,’ a seven-part multi-genre YouTube anthology series that showcases human artistry at the center of cinematic AI.

This column is also a podcast hosted by its author, Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, former studio executive and co-founder of Red Camera, and Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap. This week our guest is Randy Marsden, founder and CEO of Skidattl.com. We can be found on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.

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