Legato unveils AI hearing glasses after $12m funding
Legato, a hearing tech startup, has emerged from stealth with $12 million in funding and revealed its first product, Legato Frames — glasses that embed AI-powered hearing-assistance technology into their arms. The company aims to make hearing correction as normalised and stigma-free as wearing prescription glasses, targeting the roughly 50 million American adults with hearing loss, only about 20% of whom currently seek treatment.
The glasses, due to launch this autumn, were developed by co-founders Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine, both veterans of Bose's wearables and hearing aid divisions who went on to work at EssilorLuxottica and Audicus respectively. Unlike traditional hearing aids, which use directional microphones and can struggle in noisy settings, Legato Frames use AI to distinguish voices from background noise and amplify only speech. The open-ear design uses a dual-speaker system that directs sound to the wearer while cutting escaping sound by 99% just inches away, aiming to deliver a discreet, low-maintenance product that looks and feels like ordinary eyewear.
- Legato raises $12M, unveils AI-powered hearing glasses called Legato Frames
- Founded by former Bose wearables and hearing-aid executives
- AI isolates voices from noise; launch expected this autumn
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Hearing loss affects many people, but some do not seek help because conventional hearing aids can be conspicuous or difficult to use in noisy places. Hearing aids commonly use microphones to pick up nearby sound, but separating speech from background noise can be challenging.
Legato is a start-up founded by Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine, who have worked in hearing technology and eyewear. Its product combines hearing assistance with glasses, using artificial intelligence to pick out speech and an open-ear speaker system to deliver sound to the wearer.
The idea reflects a wider effort to make hearing support part of everyday products. It matters because untreated hearing loss can affect communication, while people’s willingness to seek support may depend on how practical and comfortable they find the options.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “Hearing tech startup Legato emerges from stealth with $12M and a peek at its AI hearing glasses”.