Technology has the power to change lives, and one budding startup is committed to illuminating a safer path for the blind and visually impaired. SIER Technologies, cofounded by four USC Iovine and Young Academy students, is developing video and audio-enhanced electronic glasses that notify users of surrounding dangers. Their vision just won the $50,000 grand prize in the Min Family Challenge. 

SIER (Seeing is Everyone’s Right) is the brainchild of Ezra Bird, Irie Cooper, Henry Fox, Louis Xie, and Henry Warren. The squad is currently prototyping glasses that are equipped with speakers and sensors connected to a phone app, emitting alerts when the wearer approaches something that could potentially compromise their safety or get in their way. What started out as an effort to create an affordable response to traditional high-cost vision products transformed into the design of a hardware device that holistically meets low vision individuals’ needs. 

“For me, SIER is about giving back. As a kid I had a lot of learning issues, and I remember how life-changing it was when a device could help me but also didn't stick out,” says cofounder Henry Fox of the concept’s catalyst. “That really inspires me because I want to make something that's extremely useful but also makes them feel good using it.” 

Bird, Fox, Xie, and Warren are all IYA students “obsessed with making something as good as possible according to Fox. He notes that the experience honed at IYA took their teamwork and prototyping prowess to the next level.

“IYA emphasizes fast prototyping in the first year, so we were directly translating those skills to work better together and toward a common goal. That is what makes IYA kids stand out, in my opinion, because everyone knows how to work in a team, and everyone goes above and beyond on their work,” he states. 

The Min Family Engineering Social Entrepreneurial Challenge gives undergraduate and graduate students the chance to “develop sustainable and effective solutions to global problems and to positively affect the greater global society.” After a series of workshops culminating in a final showcase on April 19, SIER Technologies was awarded the esteemed title of grand prize-winning team. They’re not just doing good work, they’re doing good. 

Extensive research and testing helped get SIER Technologies where they are today, and the Min Family Challenge win will propel them into their next phase of development. Celebration is in order, but so is actively working towards an enduring goal to support vulnerable populations through a potentially life-altering product. Social entrepreneurship is at the heart of the Min Family Challenge mission, and SIER Technologies is doing just that. 

“We are deeply grateful for the generous support from the Min Family, and it is an honor to be selected from such a talented group of competitors,” Fox says. “Moving forward, our primary focus is to refine our product, expand our reach, and ultimately, empower even more individuals with disabilities. Fight On!” 

SIER (Seeing is Everyone’s Right) is prototyping glasses that are equipped with speakers and sensors connected to a phone app.

IYA Student Startup Wins 2023 Min Family Challenge Grand Prize