Built for the world. Starting with those who need it most.
IKKIO was born from a deep belief that spatial computing and AI can make everyday life genuinely better for millions.
Our mission is to make the world more accessible to millions of people.
We started in Finland, with the belief that technology should solve real problems for real people. IKKIO begins with the blind and visually impaired community and evolves from there.
A seed planted ten years ago
We can say that IKKIO began in Joensuu, Finland, over a decade ago when our founder Iara met Azra while volunteering. Azra is a powerhouse: a blind computer scientist, developer, speaker, and accessibility advocate who travels the world, plays sports, and connects with people everywhere she goes.
Her talk on echolocation changed the way Iara saw the world. That conversation planted a seed: what if technology could give back the kind of spatial awareness and independence that sighted people take for granted?
In 2023, Iara began exploring smart glasses as the vehicle for that vision. After leaving her role at Decentraland, she dedicated herself full-time to the idea — and reached out to Azra for feedback. Not only did Azra love it: she joined the mission from the inside as the first team member.
How we got here
- 2015
The encounter that started it all
Iara meets Azra while volunteering in Joensuu. Azra's talk on echolocation opens a new perspective on accessibility and independence.
- 2023
Diving into smart glasses
Iara begins exploring wearable AI technology full-time after leaving Decentraland, convinced that smart glasses are the right form factor for hands-free assistance.
- 2024
Antler, validation and Azra joins
Iara joins Antler, meets an AI specialist who joins as a co-founder. Azra loves the idea and joins as an advisor and community bridge. Overwhelming support from the blind community confirms the need. Testing begins with a web app and Brilliant Labs Frame.
- 2025
Co-founders join
Amir and Aleksei join Iara, forming the core team. IKKIO is part of NVIDIA Inception Program, Slush Top 50 and we get access to Meta Ray-Ban SDK.
- 2026
MVP launch — Europe & US
Beta launching publicly in Europe and the United States. First 1,000 downloads enter a draw to win a pair of smart glasses.
235M
people living with blindness or low vision worldwide
What IKKIO can do
- Smart glasses agnostic
- Real-time responses
- Object detection
- Contextual memory
- Voice activation
- Spatial awareness
- Text recognition
- Private by design
IKKIO is a proud member of
Slush Top 50 — one of the most competitive startup competitions in the Nordics
Meet the team behind IKKIO
Pioneers and builders reimagining accessibility.
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