Meron Gribetz

Israeli technology entrepreneur

Meron Gribetz

מירון גריבץ

Born|

Israel

Alma mater| Columbia University
Occupation(s)| CEO, Meta

Meron Gribetz (Hebrew: מירון גריבץ) is an Israeli technology entrepreneur.[1][2] He was the founder and CEO of Meta,[3][4][5] a Silicon Valley technology company that produced augmented reality products, closed in 2019.[6][7][8] He was a founder of Inner Cosmos, a company that created a digital pill designed to re-balance brain networks, and continued as CEO As of 2023[update].[9][10]

## Early life and education

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Gribetz was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, where he worked for a number of national start-ups, as well as served in a technological unit in the Israel Defense Forces.[11][12]

Beginning in 2009, he attended Columbia University in New York, where he studied computer science and neuroscience. He left Columbia shortly before the end of his studies to embark on his tech career.[13][14][15] At Columbia, Meron conceived of the idea of a “natural machine” that would replace keyboards, mice, and touchscreens with a more intuitive interface.[citation needed]

## Meta

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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.[16] In 2013, he founded Meta. The company was accepted into Y-Combinator (YC13).[17][18][19][20] In 2014, Meta produced a see-through pair of glasses that allowed wearers to move and manipulate 3D content and holograms using hand gestures.[21][22] The project received one million dollars in seed funding and support from Paul Graham and Steve Mann.

In 2016, Meron Gribetz introduced the Meta 2 at TED conference, an augmented reality headset intended to make it possible for users to see, grab, interact with, and move holograms in a natural fashion.[23] 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 on or distracted by traditional 2D computer screens.[24]

In 2018, Meta furloughed most of its one-hundred employees on short notice after it failed to secure another round of venture-capital funding.[25] In 2019, the company declared itself insolvent and sold all its assets in a foreclosure sale.[26]

## Inner Cosmos

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In 2020, Gribetz launched Inner Cosmos, a technology company. The company's purpose is to develop a minimally invasive brain–computer interface that, implanted in the brain, will treat depression and other mood disorders.[27][28]

## Awards

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* "30 Under 30 Awards" in the Technology category by Forbes.[29]
* The best heads-up display award for the Meta Pro at the Consumer Electronics Show.[30]
* Wired’s list of “25 Geniuses Who Are Creating the Future of Business.”[31]
* "Innovators Under 35" (Honoree of MIT Technology Review, 2016)[32]

## See also

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* Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap
* Optical head-mounted display

## References

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1. ^ "30 under 30 by Forbes". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
2. ^ "Best of CES". TechCrunch. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
3. ^ "TED 2016: Meta augmented reality headset demoed at TED". British Broadcast Corporation. BBC. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
4. ^ "Meta's Meron Gribetz and the rise of the natural machine". CNET. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
5. ^ "Meron Gribetz: A glimpse of the future through an augmented reality headset". NYCaribNews. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
6. ^ "Meron Gribetz Wants To Build The IOS Of The Mind". Forbes. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
7. ^ "How Is Meta Different Than Google Glass?". Bloomberg.
8. ^ "Meta - Google Glass Reborn as Something You'd Actually Want to Wear". Wired.
9. ^ "Meet the founders". Inner Cosmos. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
10. ^ Nissenbaum, Avichay (August 3, 2020) "Why We Invested" Medium.com. (Retrieved October 19, 2010.)
11. ^ "This engineer replaced his 4 monitors with Meta glasses — and it might be the future of work". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
12. ^ "Meta's Meron Gribetz and the rise of the natural machine". CNET.
13. ^ "ROCKSTAR PROFILE: MERON GRIBETZ". M Journal. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
14. ^ "Australian behind futuristic Iron Man-style Meta SpaceGlasses says they're the future of the PC". The Sydney Morning Herald.
15. ^ "Meron Gribetz: A glimpse of the future through an augmented reality headset". New York CaribNews. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
16. ^ Olson, Parmy. "Startup Meta Challenges Google Glass With Sleek, $3,000 Smart Glasses". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
17. ^ "Meta (YC S13) augmented reality glasses now available for pre-order, does what Glass can't". Y Combinator.
18. ^ "Y Combinator Summer 2013 Demo Day, Batch 2: Meet Meta, Lob, Amulyte, Weilos And More". TechCrunch.
19. ^ "CORRECTING and REPLACING Meta Launches Meta 2, First "Natural Machine" Augmented Reality Product - Business Wire". businesswire.com. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
20. ^ "Daily Exchange - Posting". exchangemagazine.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
21. ^ "Meron Gribetz Wants To Build The IOS Of The Mind". exsees.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
22. ^ "AR entrepreneurs mapping out mind-bending trip". The Japan Times. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
23. ^ "First 'natural machine' augmented reality product Meta 2 launches to developers". Retrieved 29 May 2016.
24. ^ "Meta Shows Off Their Next-gen AR Glasses on Stage at TED". Road to VR!. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
25. ^ Wang, Selina (September 9, 2018). "Trade War Is Hurting Silicon Valley Augmented Reality Startup". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
26. ^ Strange, Adario (January 11, 2019) "https://next.reality.news/news/ar-startup-meta-company-shuts-down-amid-asset-foreclosure-sale-patent-fight-executive-departures-0192384/." Next Reality News. (Retrieved January 12, 2019.)
27. ^ Inner Cosmos Website. (Retrieved October 19, 2020.)
28. ^ Nissenbaum, Avichay (August 3, 2020) “Why We Invested.” Medium.com. (Retrieved October 19, 2010.)
29. ^ "Forbes 30 under 30". Forbes Media. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014.
30. ^ "The Best of Consumer Electronics Show 2014". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
31. ^ "25 GENIUSES WHO ARE CREATING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS". Wired. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
32. ^ "Meta's Meron Gribetz is Recognized as an Honoree of MIT Technology Review's 2016 Innovators Under 35 List". Yahoo. Yahoo. Retrieved 7 Sep 2016.

## External links

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* Inner Cosmos website
* Meron Gribetz at TED