Meron Gribetz is an Israeli technology entrepreneur. He was the founder and CEO of
Meta
Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending".
In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...
, a Silicon Valley technology company that produced
augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...
products (the company shut down in 2019). He is currently the CEO and founder of Inner Cosmos, makers of a digital pill designed to re-balance brain networks.
Early life and education
Gribetz was born and raised in Israel, where he worked for a number of national start-ups, as well as served in a technological unit in the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
.
Beginning in 2009, he attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, where he studied
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
and
neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...
. He left Columbia shortly before the end of his studies to embark on his tech career. At Columbia, Meron conceived of the idea of a “natural machine” that would replace keyboards, mice, and touchscreens with a more intuitive interface.
Meta
In 2012, while at Columbia University, Meron built a prototype
AR headset by hacking a pair of 3D glasses from Epson and fusing them with an Intel-made camera that could track hand movements. In 2013, he founded Meta. The company was accepted into
Y-Combinator
Y Combinator (YC) is an American technology startup accelerator launched in March 2005. It has been used to launch more than 3,000 companies, including Airbnb, Coinbase, Cruise, DoorDash, Dropbox, Instacart, Quora, PagerDuty, Reddit, Stripe ...
(YC13). In 2014, Meta produced a see-through pair of glasses that allowed wearers to move and manipulate 3D content and holograms using hand gestures. The project received one million dollars in seed funding and support from
Paul Graham and
Steve Mann.
In 2018, Meta furloughed most of its one-hundred employees on short notice after it failed to secure another round of venture-capital funding. In 2019, the company declared itself insolvent and sold all its assets in a
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
sale.
Inner Cosmos
In 2020, Gribetz launched Inner Cosmos, a technology company. The company's purpose is to develop a minimally invasive
brain–computer interface
A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI) or smartbrain, is a direct communication pathway between the brain, brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic l ...
that, implanted in the brain, will treat
depression and other mood disorders.
TED2016
In 2016, Meron Gribetz introduced the Meta 2 at
TED conference
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
(TED). The Meta 2 consisted of an augmented reality headset that made it possible for users to see, grab, interact with, and move holograms in a natural fashion. At TED, Gribetz suggested this new technology was designed to allow users to interact with virtual objects yet maintain their sense of presence and interaction with their natural surroundings rather than being focused or distracted by traditional 2D computer screens.
Awards
*"30 Under 30 Awards" in the Technology category by Forbes.
* The best heads-up display award for the Meta Pro at the Consumer Electronics Show.
* Wired’s list of “25 Geniuses Who Are Creating the Future of Business.”
* "Innovators Under 35" (Honoree of MIT Technology Review, 2016)
See also
*
Rony Abovitz
Rony Abovitz (born 1971) is an American entrepreneur. Abovitz founded MAKO Surgical Corp., a company manufacturing surgical robotic arm assistance platforms, in 2004. MAKO was acquired by Stryker Corporation in 2013 for $1.65B.
Abovitz is the ...
, founder of
Magic Leap
Magic Leap, Inc. is an American technology company that released a head-mounted virtual retinal display, called ''Magic Leap One'', which superimposes 3D computer-generated imagery over real world objects, by "projecting a digital light field ...
*
Optical head-mounted display
References
External links
Inner Cosmos website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gribetz, Meron
21st-century American businesspeople
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
Columbia University alumni
Israeli chief executives