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The Vision Behind Oculi: From Insightto Initiative
Building for Growth and the RoadAhead
Oculi’s Lasting Connection withLITEON+
Dr. Rizk is the Founder CEO of Oculi, leading the revolution in AI Vision at the edge, previously Associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins ECE and Principal Professional Staff at JHU APL. He has been recognized as a top innovator, thought leader, and successful Principal Investigator / S&T manager. He has spent most of his career developing autonomous systems where vision was always the bottleneck. This experience motivated the development of a new architecture for artificial (machine/computer) vision that combines the best of both worlds: the efficiency of biology and the speed of machines. Dr. Rizk has successfully collaborated with various FFRDC’s, government labs, academia, and industry of various sizes. He is a senior member of IEEE, AIAA, and a member of AUVSI, and Optica.
Oculi finds its roots in Dr. Charbel Rizk's relentless curiosity—born not only from years of scientific research, but also from a deep fascination with the boundary between machine intelligence and human perception. While working in industry and academia, Dr. Rizk built drones and robots that navigated their surroundings with speed and precision, yet time and again found their vision limited by traditional cameras: these sensors generate lots of data, but could not discern significance the way a human eye intuitively finds what matters in a moment.
Frustration led to inspiration. Recognizing that machines were “blind” to relevance—un able to filter out distractions or prioritize what truly needed attention—Dr. Rizk envisioned 3D vision sensors designed for machine vision applications. His journey was not easy. After publishing a white paper and facing a skeptical investment community unwilling to take a leap into the unknown, he decided to turn his vision into reality himself.
Thus, Oculi was founded. Its name, drawn from the Latin for “eyes,” speaks to a mission that is both clear and ambitious: to create visual intelligence for machines, enabling autonomous systems—from consumer electronics to robotics—to see with the nuance, efficiency, and interpretive ability that comes naturally to people. Today, that mission shapes every facet of Oculi’s development and culture,guiding the company as it strives to close the gap between artificial and humanperception.
Founding Oculi was as much a lesson in resilience as it was in technology. Despite deep expertise in engineering and research, Dr. Rizk faced an unfamiliar landscape: translating technical innovations into a compelling business proposition, building investor trust, and transforming prototypes into products. Another challenge? Managing people. Dr. Rizk prefers leading projects over handling personnel issues, but he’s learning to balance both as CEO.
The COVID-19 pandemic added layers of complexity, forcing rapid adjustments in how teams worked, managed global partnerships, and responded to supply chain disruptions. Yet these challenges forged a stronger team, ready to adapt and problem-solve in a rapidly changing environment.
Today, Oculi stands at the threshold of its next chapter. With initial funding secured and partnerships spanning Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and the Middle East, the immediate focus is commercial: getting functional product samples to customers and listening closely to user feedback. Over the coming 12–18 months, Oculi’s primary focus is to accelerate market entry by putting product samples into the hands of potential customers. This growth phase is not just about expanding reach, it’s about translating the original vision into real-world impact.
Forging meaningful connections has played a pivotal role in Oculi’s progress, and the experience with LITEON+ illustrates the value of collaborative innovation.
Based on LITEON’s expertise in the automotive field and Oculi’s advanced vision technology, both companies have actively exchanged technical insights and knowledge. LITEON+ also invited Oculi to demo days and industry events, which helped them connect with potential collaborators and maintain strong ties within the ecosystem. Patrick Oduor, Sr. director at Oculi, recognizes that early feedback and active involvement enable startups like Oculi to maintain industry relevance and build valuable relationships. The bond between Oculi and LITEON+ serves as a prime example of shifting focus from short-term gains to fostering long-lasting connections and influence across the industry. By sharing expertise and learning from one another, both sides open doors to new possibilities, energizing the innovation ecosystem, and laying the foundation for future breakthroughs.
Oculi’s journey is defined by continuous learning and effective communication. The team moves beyond technical details, inspiring confidence and attracting partnerships through adaptability and openness to feedback, which helps refine both product and strategy. This mindset builds mutual trust, expands market access, and creates synergy among collaborators, driving sustainable growth for everyone involved.
Oculi’s experience offers valuable insights for other startups on staying true to vision, embracing collaboration, and viewing challenges as learning opportunities. Success relies not only on innovation, but also on adaptability, clear communication, and the ability to evolve within a supportive network, basically effective teamwork!
Oculi finds its roots in Dr. Charbel Rizk's relentless curiosity—born not only from years of scientific research, but also from a deep fascination with the boundary between machine intelligence and human perception. While working in industry and academia, Dr. Rizk built drones and robots that navigated their surroundings with speed and precision, yet time and again found their vision limited by traditional cameras: these sensors generate lots of data, but could not discern significance the way a human eye intuitively finds what matters in a moment.
Frustration led to inspiration. Recognizing that machines were “blind” to relevance—un able to filter out distractions or prioritize what truly needed attention—Dr. Rizk envisioned 3D vision sensors designed for machine vision applications. His journey was not easy. After publishing a white paper and facing a skeptical investment community unwilling to take a leap into the unknown, he decided to turn his vision into reality himself.
Thus, Oculi was founded. Its name, drawn from the Latin for “eyes,” speaks to a mission that is both clear and ambitious: to create visual intelligence for machines, enabling autonomous systems—from consumer electronics to robotics—to see with the nuance, efficiency, and interpretive ability that comes naturally to people. Today, that mission shapes every facet of Oculi’s development and culture,guiding the company as it strives to close the gap between artificial and humanperception.
Founding Oculi was as much a lesson in resilience as it was in technology. Despite deep expertise in engineering and research, Dr. Rizk faced an unfamiliar landscape: translating technical innovations into a compelling business proposition, building investor trust, and transforming prototypes into products. Another challenge? Managing people. Dr. Rizk prefers leading projects over handling personnel issues, but he’s learning to balance both as CEO.
The COVID-19 pandemic added layers of complexity, forcing rapid adjustments in how teams worked, managed global partnerships, and responded to supply chain disruptions. Yet these challenges forged a stronger team, ready to adapt and problem-solve in a rapidly changing environment.
Today, Oculi stands at the threshold of its next chapter. With initial funding secured and partnerships spanning Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and the Middle East, the immediate focus is commercial: getting functional product samples to customers and listening closely to user feedback. Over the coming 12–18 months, Oculi’s primary focus is to accelerate market entry by putting product samples into the hands of potential customers. This growth phase is not just about expanding reach, it’s about translating the original vision into real-world impact.
Forging meaningful connections has played a pivotal role in Oculi’s progress, and the experience with LITEON+ illustrates the value of collaborative innovation.
Based on LITEON’s expertise in the automotive field and Oculi’s advanced vision technology, both companies have actively exchanged technical insights and knowledge. LITEON+ also invited Oculi to demo days and industry events, which helped them connect with potential collaborators and maintain strong ties within the ecosystem. Patrick Oduor, Sr. director at Oculi, recognizes that early feedback and active involvement enable startups like Oculi to maintain industry relevance and build valuable relationships. The bond between Oculi and LITEON+ serves as a prime example of shifting focus from short-term gains to fostering long-lasting connections and influence across the industry. By sharing expertise and learning from one another, both sides open doors to new possibilities, energizing the innovation ecosystem, and laying the foundation for future breakthroughs.
Oculi’s journey is defined by continuous learning and effective communication. The team moves beyond technical details, inspiring confidence and attracting partnerships through adaptability and openness to feedback, which helps refine both product and strategy. This mindset builds mutual trust, expands market access, and creates synergy among collaborators, driving sustainable growth for everyone involved.
Oculi’s experience offers valuable insights for other startups on staying true to vision, embracing collaboration, and viewing challenges as learning opportunities. Success relies not only on innovation, but also on adaptability, clear communication, and the ability to evolve within a supportive network, basically effective teamwork!
