GoKawiilLegato raises $12M to build AI hearing glasses, led by Bose and EssilorLuxottica alumni
Legato, a hearing-tech startup founded in late 2024 by former Bose and EssilorLuxottica executives Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine, has exited stealth mode with $12 million in funding. The company unveiled Legato Frames, eyewear that embeds hearing-assistance technology into the temple arms of glasses, with a planned launch this fall. Legato is targeting people with mild to moderate hearing loss, the largest untreated segment of hearing-impaired adults.
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Roughly 50 million U.S. adults have hearing loss, yet only about one in five seek treatment, often due to stigma or the inconvenience of dedicated hearing aids. By folding hearing assistance into everyday eyewear—a category already normalized by products like Bose Frames and Meta Ray-Bans—Legato is betting that combining vision and hearing correction into one wearable could dramatically increase treatment adoption. The founders' backgrounds in both hearing care and smart glasses give the startup credibility in a space where hardware miniaturization and consumer acceptance are equally critical.
- Legato exits stealth with $12 million in funding and its first product, Legato Frames.
- The glasses integrate hearing-assistance tech into eyewear arms, launching this fall.
- Founders Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine bring hearing and smart-eyewear expertise from Bose, EssilorLuxottica, and Audicus.
Sony CRE-C10 Self-Fitting OTC Hearing Aids — While Legato's hearing glasses are still months away, the Sony CRE-C10 is an over-the-counter option you can buy and self-fit today using a smartphone app. It's a discreet in-ear design aimed at exactly the huge group of adults with mild to moderate hearing loss who never pursue treatment.
See Sony CRE-C10 Self-Fitting OTC Hearing Aids on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techcrunch.com — Aisha Malik, 2026-08-26
Published there as: “Hearing tech startup Legato emerges from stealth with $12M and a peek at its AI hearing glasses”
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