Telepathy raises $5 million to develop Google Glass rival

Telepathy, a Silicon Valley startup, has raised $5 million in a first round of funding to develop wearable computing technology that rivals Google Glass.

“Wearable technology will enable the next wave in social networking,” Telepathy CEO Takahito Iguchi said in a statement. “The $5 million funding will enable us to enrich the user experience of Telepathy One, which we expect to bring to market in 2014.”

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Firsthand Technology Value Fund led the series-A investment, Telepathy said. With the money, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based startup plans to hire new hardware and software engineers.

The Telepathy One headset prototype, demonstrated earlier this year, is a hands-free communications device that wraps around the back of a wearer’s head. It has a small screen, earplugs for playing sound, and this fall will get a software developer kit so programmers can write apps for it.

Peter Hoddie, vice president of Marvell Semiconductor’s Kinoma software platform and a video compression developer, has joined the startup’s advisory board, the company also said.

CNET's Scott Stein wearing the prototype Telepathy One headset.CNET's Scott Stein wearing the prototype Telepathy One headset.
CNET’s Scott Stein wearing the prototype Telepathy One headset.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The prototype Telepathy One headsetThe prototype Telepathy One headset
The prototype Telepathy One headset
Sarah Tew/CNET

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