Assistive technology for visual impairments and reading disabilities
Strategic Profile
The company was jointly founded by Israeli innovators Prof. Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram, who are also co-founders of collision avoidance system leader Mobileye, acquired by Intel Corp. in 2017. By 2025 the company had shrunk to fewer than 50 employees and was fighting for financial survival.
Cyborg Score Rationale
The company conducted its first round of layoffs at the end of 2022, laid off 50 employees in February 2024, cut another 100 roles in June 2024 representing approximately half the remaining workforce, and announced closure of its entire reading-glasses development division in July 2024. A serious dispute emerged between OrCam's controlling shareholders and institutional investors over a SAFE financing round in which founders sought to convert investment into shares at a valuation of only $30–40 million, sharply down from previous valuations of several hundred million dollars.
Top Insights
Contributing factors to decline included a sharp decline in sales to Arab countries, the impact of the Israel–Hamas war on sales, and the emergence of generative AI technologies allowing smartphones to perform functions similar to OrCam's reading device.
The company planned to go public during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting annual revenue approaching $100 million and profitability, and in March 2021 raised $50 million at a valuation of $1.5 billion, aiming for a valuation above $2.5 billion in an IPO.
As of current status, OrCam's technology is operating across 50 countries and in 25 languages, empowering tens of thousands of users.
By early 2025, OrCam had shrunk to the scale of an early-stage startup with 10–49 employees, having abandoned all vision-related products to focus entirely on hearing-aid technology.