Mira, formerly known as Halo, has raised a $6.6 million seed round led by General Catalyst to develop a new class of AI-powered smart glasses designed to act as a “second brain” for users. The company aims to introduce an interface that goes beyond traditional screen-based interactions by providing proactive, personal, real-time intelligence through a lightweight wearable device.
The startup was founded by AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, two Harvard makerspace builders whose early prototypes and viral hardware experiments drew more than 80 million views online. Their experiments eventually evolved into a working smart glasses platform engineered to address what they call one of humanity’s most persistent limitations: memory.
The rebrand from Halo to Mira reflects the company’s broader vision as it works to build glasses that can instantly retrieve information, recall conversations, translate languages, assist with problem-solving, and more through a secure private display. Company leadership notes that while hundreds of millions of people rely on platforms like ChatGPT for daily tasks—from brainstorming and writing to coding and learning—AI tools today remain limited primarily to typed interactions on conventional screens.
Mira’s glasses are positioned as a solution for professionals who need hands-free access to intelligence in critical moments. Early target users include executives, sales teams, and engineers. According to the company, the product offers half the weight and twice the battery life of existing smart-glasses options, aiming to make advanced AI assistance both practical and comfortable for everyday use.
Nguyen oversees the product experience, focusing on daily usability, comfort, and how the glasses feel to wear, while Ardayfio is responsible for the low-latency infrastructure powering the device. Unlike camera-oriented competitors, Mira’s glasses rely solely on audio for context, enabling faster response times while reducing privacy concerns. The glasses continuously listen, transcribe, and surface relevant information directly on the lens, allowing users to extend recall and maintain focus in everyday environments. The company says the glasses can achieve sub-700 millisecond latency.
General Catalyst said it is backing the founders from day one and sees the product as an example of how ambient AI can be applied in real-world settings. The firm highlighted Mira’s approach to privacy, including storing transcripts on a user’s device rather than company servers and deleting all audio after transcription. The founders believe the timing for consumer smart glasses has finally arrived, driven by lighter hardware, lower component costs, and significant improvements in inference speed.
Mira said its prototype outperforms incumbent solutions on speed and is engineered as a cognitive copilot rather than a traditional recording or productivity device. The founders explained that the system is designed to help users stay present while maintaining instant access to details, insights, and stored context. Early versions of the glasses gained significant attention online, which the team said validated consumer interest in everyday wearable AI technology.
The company said it aims to provide a secure, private assistant that learns throughout daily life and offers contextual support in both professional and personal settings. According to Mira, the platform weighs half as much as competing smart glasses and offers double the battery life, positioning the device for broader adoption as the technology continues to evolve.
