Meron Gribetz

Meron Gribetz is an Israeli technology entrepreneur. He is best known as the Founder and CEO of Meta, a Silicon Valley company that is known for producing innovative Augmented Reality products.

Early life and education

Meron 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. Beginning of 2009, he attended Columbia University in New York where he studied Computer Science and Neuroscience. It was at Columbia that Meron conceived of the idea of a “Natural Machine” that would replace keyboards, mice and touch screens with a more intuitive interface.

Meta

In 2012, Meron Gribetz built his first prototype of an AR headset with an oven-heated knife, hot glue gun and the best components he could acquire. The next year, the company he founded Meta was accepted into Y-Combinator (YC13). One year later, Meta the company entered the market with its first see-through glasses that allowed wearers to move and manipulate 3D content and holograms using hand gestures. The project received $1m in seed funding and support from Paul Graham and Steve Mann. Meta soon established itself as a prominent company in Augmented Reality, partnering with other various organizations and academics to assist in 3D technological development.

TED2016

In February 2016, Meron Gribetz introduced the Meta 2 at TED (conference). The Meta 2 consisted of an augmented reality headset that makes it possible for users to see, grab and interact with move holograms in a natural fashion. The headset has an onboard color camera (720p) and four speakers for near-ear audio. It supports Windows-based applications (Mac applications expected later in 2016). Meta 2 is fully hand-controlled, with types of AR applications that include 3D modeling, web browsing, and remote collaboration (e.g., colleagues in different locations can view and manipulate holograms with their hands). 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. Meta currently produces augmented reality technology that enables users to interact with virtual objects rendered by a head-mounted display.

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)

• "Forbes 30 under 30". Forbes Media LLC. 
• "The Best of Consumer Electronics Show 2014". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016. 
• "25 GENIUSES WHO ARE CREATING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS". Wired.com. Wired. Retrieved 29 May 2016. 
• "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.