Roman Axelrod is the Founder and Managing Partner of XPANCEO. He has a background in constructing firms across computer vision, esports, and fintech, with experience expanding operations into Western Europe, the USA, and the Asia-Pacific region. Axelrod has negotiated and structured deals totaling over $5 billion and led three successful exits.
XPANCEO is developing a next-generation smart contact lens that goals to switch traditional computing devices by seamlessly merging the actual and digital worlds right into a single prolonged reality experience. The corporate brings together leading scientists, engineers, and executives to push the boundaries of human-technology interaction beyond the bounds of silicon-based systems. XPANCEO’s work is driven by a culture of innovation, excellence, and impact—focused on creating elegant, high-performance solutions that prioritize motion, embrace challenges, and strive to make a meaningful difference for each people and the planet.
What inspired you to found XPANCEO, and what was the initial “aha” moment that convinced you smart contact lenses were the subsequent frontier in computing?
For years, it was evident to me that our current computing devices — fragile, cumbersome, and aesthetically lacking — were relics of a bygone era. Give it some thought. It doesn’t take much to appreciate that they hold us back from fulfilling humanity’s loftiest ambitions, equivalent to deeply exploring space and significantly extending human lifespans. Achieving such feats requires a technological leap, not mere incremental upgrades. Personally, I envision the subsequent computer as something that, powered by AI, integrates seamlessly into our surroundings and could be effortlessly controlled with our minds.
This vision crystallized after I was 31, during a chaotic apartment renovation. My belongings were stacked haphazardly, obstructing the TV, rendering even easy pleasures like playing PlayStation inconceivable. Frustrated, I imagined projecting the sport onto the ceiling, with WhatsApp open in a single corner and Excel sprawled across the ground. That was the moment it struck me. The world needed an AI-powered XR device that had a revolutionary, ultimate form factor. Yet, for weeks, I grappled with identifying what that form factor may very well be.
That struggle created enormous despair. Until, one late night on the office — feeling mentally and emotionally drained, after all — I made a decision to move home, and as I walked down the corridor and mindlessly scrolled through Pinterest, a picture of a female astronaut caught my eye. Her vivid eyes, framed by a helmet displaying a celestial scene with orbiting planets, completely captivated me. In that easy, it became clear. This device needed to be a chic, weightless contact lens that would seamlessly mix into life. Overwhelmed by this realization, I sank to the office floor and commenced researching obsessively. That was the true genesis of XPANCEO.
XPANCEO’s mission goes far beyond wearable tech—it’s about redefining human-computer interaction. How do you envision that transformation playing out over the subsequent 5–10 years?
I’m a firm believer in transhumanism — the combination of biology and technology to transcend our current limitations. This gains additional relevance because, when considering humanity’s ambitious goals for the subsequent century — equivalent to colonizing space or significantly extending our life expectancy — it’s greater than evident that our existing technology won’t suffice.
The fusion of humans and technology will, fundamentally and absolutely, redefine our capabilities. Over the subsequent a long time, as more firms blur the road between biology and technology, I foresee this integration enabling us to develop into a species with abilities far beyond our current state. This might potentially transform us into a very interplanetary and enhanced civilization.
On this regard, we anticipate that our product will eventually develop into mainstream. While, initially, our target market comprises individuals already accustomed to wearing contact lenses and the evident early-adopters, we project that our user base will grow from 15,000 in 2027 to 10 million by 2032.
Due to these high ambitions, safety stays our paramount concern. Provided that our smart contact lens is a medical device, it must undergo rigorous regulatory approval processes before it may possibly be worn by anyone. These processes encompass multiple phases, including evaluating biocompatibility and undergoing clinical trials in controlled environments. Just like other medical developments, the lens is being extensively tested to make sure safety and efficacy. Without meeting stringent standards, it’ll not have the option to achieve the market.
Nonetheless, these regulatory processes could be time-consuming, and our market availability timeline heavily depends upon them. While we cannot specify an actual release 12 months, we’re actively pursuing the obligatory approvals. We plan to begin pre-clinical trials for certain prototypes this 12 months and aim to start out testing the whole contact lens with all features by the top of 2026. Only after these trials are accomplished successfully will the lens be ready for market launch.
What are the core technological breakthroughs that make an invisible, weightless smart contact lens even possible today, when it was science fiction just a couple of years ago?
The materialization of our smart contact lens prototypes stems from a confluence of cutting-edge technologies and a paradigm shift in approach. Moderately than miniaturizing components from existing devices, we’ve focused on implementing next-generation technologies specifically designed for ultra-small-scale applications.
Nonetheless, it isn’t only about size. A good tougher challenge to crack is combining optical performance with transparency and functionality — all in something you possibly can wear in your eye. Traditional materials can’t deliver that. You would like something that may let light through like glass, guide it like fiber optics, and still carry electrical signals like a microchip. Here’s where 2D materials are available. Their extreme thinness gives them almost perfect transparency, while their optical properties — for example, a high refractive index — allow us to manipulate lights in ways in which simply weren’t possible before at this scale. These materials are essential for creating components which are small and light-weight enough to suit right into a contact lens while maintaining high performance.
One other key element to think about is anisotropy, which is the flexibility of those materials to behave in another way depending on the direction of sunshine or current. It’s a bit like wood grain — it cuts easily a technique and resists the opposite. We use this to construct microscopic structures that may control light very precisely, enabling things like waveguides contained in the lens — effectively roads for light — without distortion or scattering.
This marks a brand new era in material science, and it’s allowed us to resolve problems that were previously thought inconceivable. How do you embed electronics in a transparent object? How do you shrink down optical systems without losing function? How do you make all of it weightless, seamless, and wearable? Besides higher engineering, you wish higher materials, and that’s what we’ve done.
This astonishing work is led by my co-founder, Dr. Valentyn Volkov. He’s a globally recognized expert in nano-optics and nanophotonics. His insights, combined with AI-assisted design, have made it possible to construct systems which are smaller, fundamentally smarter, and more efficient. This fashion, we’re completely reimagining what a contact lens can do and rewriting the science behind it, paving the way in which for myriad additional applications in any industry you possibly can consider.
Your work relies heavily on advanced 2D materials and photonics. Could you walk us through the science behind how these lenses display information or process data?
Photonics is important for image projection, particularly nanophotonics, given the minuscule scale involved. Placing a picture source directly on the contact lens is incredibly, extremely difficult, because the human eye can’t give attention to such proximity. And there are two possible approaches: either projecting the image forward onto a plane where the attention can focus, or sending pre-focused light beams directly into the attention. First, we developed an answer that progressively reduces the external image source to a size comparable to smart glasses, projecting the image forward onto a plane where the attention can focus.
After, we’ve developed a brand new prototype where the image source is integrated directly into the contact lens. This employs a distinct optical system. As an alternative of projecting the image forward, it focuses light beams and directs them straight onto the retina, already focused. This process is often called collimation.
The smart lens, itself, is incredibly compact, so we pair it with a companion device, which is roughly the dimensions of a daily contact lens case. This device serves multiple functions — it charges the lens and handles data processing. This design allows the lens to stay lightweight while still supporting advanced features.
Last but not least, the revolutionary use of 2D materials enables us to integrate electronics into the lens without compromising its transparency or flexibility, something critical to make it each functional and cozy for the wearer.
How does XPANCEO approach the challenge of miniaturization—especially fitting complex computing capabilities into something smaller than a grain of rice?
As I discussed earlier, at XPANCEO, we transcend squeezing existing technologies right into a smaller form factor. Moderately than taking parts from larger devices, we give attention to materials and technologies which are built for small-scale use from the get-go.
Considered one of our key breakthroughs, as mentioned, has been the usage of 2D materials. Because these are flexible and conductive, they are perfect for creating tiny, lightweight components that also perform at a high level.
Our scientific team, led by Dr. Volkov, has been combining these materials with advances in nanophotonics. By doing so, we’ve been capable of design systems that operate efficiently even at a microscopic scale.
I have to remark and emphasize that traditional tech, like what’s utilized in smartphones and laptops, is solely too bulky and inefficient for something the dimensions of a contact lens. Through the use of these next-generation materials, we’ve been capable of break past those limitations, and develop something truly groundbreaking.
In your view, why is XR—especially immersive, real-time interaction—so critical for advancing artificial intelligence beyond current limitations?
The present state of AI has led to plenty of hype, but on the subject of real-world applications, we’re hitting a wall. Despite the guarantees of a revolution, general AI still struggles to adapt to the complexity of the actual world. The models we depend on can quickly develop into outdated, since AI lacks real-time learning and human-like understanding of the context of the world. Although we have now more computational power than ever, we’re still, from my perception, not getting closer to achieving human-like intelligence.
Where AI excels, though, is in narrow, structured tasks. Things like chess, coding, or other problems which have clear rules and outcomes and are relatively easy to optimize. Nonetheless, these capabilities don’t translate to more nuanced, day-to-day human challenges. As an illustration, automation breakthroughs are impressive, but they don’t make AI truly “intelligent,” for therefore to say, they simply make it higher at one specific thing. I imagine the core issue with that is that AI doesn’t experience the world in the identical way humans do. It operates based on raw data, not lived experiences. It’s that straightforward.
That is where XR (prolonged reality) may very well be the missing link. By immersing AI in the actual world — or a minimum of a virtual world that mirrors it — XR can offer a way for AI to learn more dynamically. Unlike static datasets, XR creates an interactive environment where AI can engage and adapt in real time, constructing a sort of intuition that goes beyond raw data. The long run of AI may not lie simply in constructing larger models, but in giving these models the flexibility to learn from and interact with the world around them in a way that’s more akin to how humans learn.
Beyond health monitoring and content consumption, what are among the most compelling use cases you foresee for XPANCEO’s smart lenses across industries?
XPANCEO’s smart lenses go far beyond health monitoring or content consumption. Our intention and vision is that they’ll redefine entire industries. By combining cutting-edge features like night vision, zoom, and real-time health tracking, these lenses will seamlessly integrate into every day life, enhancing routine tasks without disruption.
The potential impact extends to fields like automation, manufacturing, and fintech. In automation, for instance, our lenses could enhance operational safety by providing real-time data. In fintech, biometric transactions develop into a reality, adding each security and ease to financial processes. For navigation, the lenses offer hands-free, context-aware guidance, which completely transforms how we interact with the world around us.
The advantages could even extend to space exploration. In truth, on this sector, the lenses offer a natural fit, giving astronauts easy access to mission-critical information. With 80% of astronauts already wearing contact lenses, this technology aligns seamlessly with their existing needs.
The medical possibilities are equally transformative. XPANCEO’s lenses can assist individuals managing diabetes, stress, dry eye syndrome, and strabismus. Moreover, they’ll enhance vision for many who are visually impaired and offer color vision for the color-blind. In low-light environments, our lenses improve safety, while our reasonably priced neural interface offers a way for people with paralysis to regulate the lenses non-invasively, making a major difference in communication and accessibility, particularly for those with severe mobility impairments. That is one other proof of the solid social impact we’re set to create.
Do you envision a future where your lenses could develop into the default computing interface—replacing smartphones entirely? What must occur for that to develop into reality?
The potential of smart contact lenses to develop into the subsequent computing interface is undeniable. Their seamless integration into every day life makes them way more intuitive than today’s smartphones, eliminating the necessity for a further device. Yet, I have to say that even when smartphones fade into the background, other tools — equivalent to speakers, controllers, and specialized devices — will proceed to play essential roles across industries. This will probably be in a wide selection of industries — automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and beyond.
Looking back on the evolution of computing, we’ve already seen how smartphones have transformed our lives by consolidating many tasks once reserved for desktop computers. But despite the rise of smartphones, desktop computers remain indispensable for certain tasks and functions. What smartphones did was make a brand new type of computing widely accessible, creating a regular that when seemed unimaginable.
In an identical way, smart contact lenses won’t replace every thing. As an alternative, they’ll redefine the ways we interact with technology. It is going to proceed to evolve into forms that enhance human capabilities, making what was once considered futuristic simply a part of how we live and work. At the top of the day, technology isn’t only about replacing old tools. It’s, at its core, about expanding the probabilities of how we experience the world.
XPANCEO talks about ‘inherent elegance’ and ‘embracing challenges.’ How do these values show up in day-to-day decision-making and product design?
Elegance, to us, is greater than surface or aesthetic beauty — it’s the essence of how every aspect of an organization operates — how your team presents itself, how seamless your customer interactions are, and the pace at which support is delivered.
Take Apple, for example. Their products and design principles radiate elegance in every corner of their operation — from the minimalism of their logo to the careful and sleek design of their stores. While our product may not mirror theirs, our philosophy is similar. We got down to create an experience that feels intuitive, cohesive, and effortlessly integrated into every day life.
As we navigate the rapidly evolving tech landscape, we recognize that innovation, especially on the innovative, often requires working through tough problems that may seem insurmountable. Nonetheless, for us, these challenges are what propel us forward.
To deal with these, the tactic we depend on is rooted in hypothesis testing. We don’t let the size of an issue overwhelm us, we embrace it as a likelihood to explore myriad solutions. This iterative process, continuously, results in unexpected breakthroughs and pushes the boundaries of what we will achieve.
In a world where digital interfaces are quite literally becoming a part of our biology, how do you strike the precise balance between augmentation and intrusion?
The role of technology in our lives is to boost, not hinder. Gadgets — and all technological developments, for this matter — should improve how we live, not develop into an obstruction. Yet, as we push the boundaries of innovation, we face valid concerns in regards to the potential for digital interfaces to develop into invasive. At XPANCEO, even when we’re still within the R&D phase, we’re already considering these challenges.
Take the smart contact lens, for instance. The mixing of a camera throughout the lens raises obvious privacy concerns, in addition to the potential for misuse. There are jokes about students using it to cheat during exams and real concerns about XR features being activated in unsafe scenarios, like while driving or near the subway tracks. These are valid preoccupations that we take very seriously.
Nonetheless, it’s necessary to do not forget that our smart contact lens isn’t simply an XR device. It’s powered by AI, which suggests we will design the lens with built-in algorithms to make sure safety and respect for privacy. These algorithms can implement obligatory boundaries, ensuring that the technology stays inside legal and ethical guidelines. As an illustration, just as we discourage texting while driving, the lens will probably be designed to limit usage in dangerous scenarios, stopping distractions in context like driving or when near potentially hazardous environments.
While it’s true that technology can never fully eliminate misuse — people still use smartphones in ways and situations they shouldn’t — the goal is to supply safeguards that encourage responsible usage. As these technologies evolve and develop into a more natural a part of on a regular basis life, public perception will likely shift. Devices like smart contact lenses will develop into less of an intrusion and more of an unobtrusive enhancement, seamlessly integrating into our lives while respecting each personal freedom and societal norms.
If XPANCEO achieves its full vision, how will the common person’s relationship with technology change?
At the center of XPANCEO’s mission is a desire to remodel the very essence of how we interact with technology. My motivation, thus, is about reinventing the connection between humans and the tech tools we use. I’m a firm believer that technology, at its best, has the potential to make us healthier, happier, and more practical in every aspect of life.
Nonetheless, the present generation of gadgets falls wanting fulfilling the profound ambitions we have now for the long run. At XPANCEO, we see what we’re working on because the dawn of a brand new technological era, a future where technology seamlessly integrates into our lives as an invisible yet indispensable component, enhancing our capabilities and becoming an extension of our minds and bodies.
Once we succeed, technology is not going to be something we simply “use,” but something we’re. It is going to work in harmony with us to achieve recent dimensions of our potential that we hadn’t even imagined before. This shift will redefine what it means to live, and completely bolster the very core of who we’re.
