US tech giant Qualcomm to develop ‘smart eyewear’ with Bath-based firm

The California-headquartered business has invested $10m in the Somerset company

A Bath spectacles company has secured a $10m investment from a US technology giant as it looks to develop ‘smart eyewear’.

Inspecs announced a subscription for 7,503,001 new ordinary shares of 1 pence each in the company by Qualcomm Technologies, with the funds used to support its growth.

Inspecs, which recently agreed to be acquired by entrepreneurs Luke Johnson and Ian Livingstone for £85.4m, said the commercial collaboration would create “a connected, technology-enabled platform that intends to redefine eyewear.”

Robin Totterman, founder of Inspecs Group, said: “For many years we have believed that smart eyewear is the next frontier for wearable technology and we are delighted to be partnering with Qualcomm Technologies to deliver on our ambitions.

“We believe this investment and strategic collaboration will accelerate adoption in a category that is about to scale rapidly, and position Inspecs and Qualcomm Technologies among leaders in the industry.”

Qualcomm Technologies is a subsidiary of California-headquartered Qualcomm Group which specialises in the research, development and commercialisation of wireless and computing technologies.

The company has already developed smart eyewear that employs AI under its Snapdragon brand.

Ziad Asghar, senior vice president and general manager of XR, wearables and personal AI at Qualcomm Technologies, said: “Qualcomm Technologies’ collaboration with Inspecs reflects our focus on enabling a new generation of personal AI devices across industries such as enterprise, healthcare, and industrial applications.

“We’re also pleased that Inspecs will be the first partner to adopt our Snapdragon START program, helping bring smart glasses to market that fit naturally into everyday life—blending timeless design with powerful, intuitive technology.”

Inspecs was founded in 1988 by Robin Totterman, a former City bond trader, and now has operations around the world including in the US Portugal, Scandinavia and China, and manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, China and Italy.