What if your devices could see and understand the world around them as well as you do?
For Charbel Rizk, founder and CEO of Oculi, this isn't just a hypothetical—it’s the driving force behind his work in visual intelligence. Charbel’s journey into this field began when he recognized that the limitations of current vision technology were preventing the advancement of autonomous systems.
"My background was in developing mobile autonomous systems, and vision was always the limiting factor," Charbel Rizk shared. "The world has moved so much in technology, but vision is still so far behind."
In the latest episode of Founder Shares, Charbel dives into the revolutionary advancements his company, Oculi, is making in visual intelligence, and the significant challenges they’re overcoming to bring these innovations to market.
Unlike traditional cameras and motion sensors, Oculi's technology does not simply create an image; it processes information directly at the pixel level, providing intelligent outputs that could revolutionize everything from home automation to autonomous vehicles. "We are bringing a vision level intelligence to the edge," Charbel explained. "Our technology will give you the same sensitivity to light, but with built-in processing, so it outputs vision instead of just an image."
This breakthrough has the potential to save tremendous amounts of energy, as well. Charbel highlighted the inefficiency of current systems by noting, “The amount of energy we waste today because of imaging technology is more than that of 65 countries combined.” With Oculi's innovation, devices will become smarter, more efficient, and less invasive when it comes to privacy—a key concern in today's world.
Charbel’s entrepreneurial journey, however, was not without its hurdles. Transitioning from an academic environment at Johns Hopkins University to the rough-and-tumble world of startups required him to build a network from scratch and navigate the complexities of scaling a hardware company.
"It’s very hard. In fact, I would easily say it’s ten times harder for a company like ours," Charbel said when asked about raising funds for a deep tech startup. Yet, through perseverance and focus, Oculi has managed to attract interest from major players, proving the market’s readiness for such a disruptive technology.
Despite these challenges, Charbel remains passionate about solving simpler, everyday problems with advanced technology. "We’re trying to automate a car to drive in a busy street, but we can’t effectively automate a faucet today," Charbel remarked, underscoring his desire to bring intelligence to even the most mundane tasks.
As Charbel continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with visual intelligence, his story is a powerful reminder of the impact that innovative thinking and relentless determination can have on the future of technology.
To learn more about Charbel Rizk’s journey and Oculi’s groundbreaking work, don’t miss this episode of Founder Shares. Tune in to hear the full story, available wherever you like to listen.
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