A Finnish startup is making waves with a new approach to prescription eyewear. Helsinki-based IXI has emerged from stealth with a bold mission: to create autofocus smart glasses that use eye-tracking and liquid crystal lenses to automatically correct presbyopia (age-related farsightedness).
On Tuesday, IXI announced it has raised $36.5 million in funding from top-tier investors, including the Amazon Alexa Fund. The round was led by Plural, a London-based VC firm, with participation from Tesi, byFounders, Heartcore, Eurazeo, FOV Ventures, Tiny Supercomputer, and returning backers like Maki.vc, First Fellow, and firstminute capital.
IXI is taking on what co-founder and CEO Niko Eiden calls “the last great frontier” in consumer hardware—eyewear. The global market for glasses is estimated at $200 billion and growing at over 8% annually, surpassing even smartwatches and smartphones in growth rate.
Eiden, along with chief algorithm officer Ville Miettinen, previously worked on mobile innovations at Nokia, technology that later ended up in Microsoft’s HoloLens. They later co-founded Varjo, a mixed-reality headset maker that raised over $200 million. But after years in the VR space, they saw an opportunity in a more pressing and practical need: solving real-world vision problems using advanced tech.
How IXI’s Glasses Work
IXI’s smart glasses are designed to look and feel like traditional eyewear. Hidden inside is a low-power eye-tracking device that communicates with liquid crystal lenses, adjusting the lens focus in real time. The result? The lenses automatically fine-tune your vision depending on what you’re looking at—no switching glasses or dealing with clunky bifocals.
The glasses are primarily aimed at users with presbyopia, offering a seamless alternative to reading glasses, progressive lenses, or multiple pairs of eyewear. Even people who had laser eye surgery and now struggle with near vision can benefit.
While the final pricing is not set, IXI says the smart glasses will be priced similarly to a high-end iPhone, targeting a premium consumer market while remaining accessible.
Unlike AR/VR headsets, IXI’s glasses don’t offer smart features like email or AR overlays. Instead, they’re laser-focused—pun intended—on improving human vision. With battery life estimated at two days, the glasses default to a prescription that supports long-distance viewing, so users can still see far even if the battery dies.
IXI is not alone in the autofocus eyewear space. Companies like Laclarée in France and Elcyo in Japan are developing similar solutions, though they’ve faced delays and product hurdles. Vixion, another Japanese firm, has launched a version with bulky components. IXI aims to beat them all with a truly invisible smart eyewear design.
Strategic Investors and Visionary Backing
IXI’s pedigree has helped draw high-profile investors. Amazon’s Alexa Fund backed the startup early, thanks in part to Eiden’s past connections with Jeff Bezos. The retail giant sees potential in merging prescription eyewear with advanced tech, especially as it expands into healthcare and pharmacy.
“Auto-tuning lenses that adjust at high speed using low-power eye tracking are a game changer,” said Paul Bernard, head of the Alexa Fund. He highlighted IXI’s strong foundation in VR/XR from their work at Varjo as key to their ability to succeed in this new market.
While IXI hasn’t shared a product launch date, COO Jussi Havu confirmed that a working prototype will debut later this year. Regulatory approval will be required to market the glasses as medical devices, but the company is confident in its patents and technical readiness.
IXI is betting on a future where smart glasses isn’t about showing digital content but enhancing real-life vision in an effortless way. Backers believe the team has the expertise and innovation to transform how people see the world, literally.
“Niko, Ville, and the team’s rare European hardware expertise puts them at the forefront,” said Sten Tamkivi of Plural. “They’re pioneering a new approach that will finally improve human eyesight once and for all.”
