TMTPOST -- Chinese AI glasses maker INMO has completed a new financing round that values the company at about 2 billion yuan ($280 million).

The Series C1 round was backed by Chengdu Science and Technology Investment, Nanshan SEI Investment and Pufeng Capital, the company confirmed, marking INMO’s third consecutive financing within a year.

The latest raise brings the company’s total funding over the past 12 months to nearly 500 million yuan, making it one of the most intensively funded startups in China’s fast-emerging AI-plus-AR smart glasses sector.

The funding comes as AI glasses drew significant attention at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, where Chinese brands dominated the exhibition floor in terms of the number of products launched and the speed of iteration. Visitors queued to test translation, teleprompting and contextual AI features built into wearable displays, underlining growing interest in what many see as the next generation of personal computing devices.

Founded in 2020, INMO was among the earliest Chinese companies to focus on AI glasses as a standalone category. It has developed several product lines, including the INMO AIR series of wireless, all-in-one AI+AR smart glasses, the INMO GO series focused on high-frequency productivity use cases such as translation and meeting assistance, and the INMO X line, which explores collaborations with brands and ecosystem partners.

In 2022, the company launched what it described as China’s first wireless, all-in-one AR smart glasses. A year later it released the INMO GO, which it marketed as the world’s first AI-focused smart glasses, followed in 2024 by the GO2 model, which gained attention for its real-time translation functions.

“Our goal is to bring AI and AR out of the lab and into daily life,” INMO founder and chief executive Yang Longsheng said in a statement. “This round of financing reflects market recognition of our technical direction and product vision.”

At the core of INMO’s devices is its self-developed IMOS spatial operating system and proprietary array waveguide optical technology. The company has partnered with Chinese large-language-model developer Zhipu to integrate conversational AI into its products, enabling features such as context-aware meeting assistance, scenario-based prompts and voice-driven system control.

Users can perform actions such as navigating interfaces, sending messages, launching applications or ordering food using voice commands. The glasses also incorporate visual recognition and contextual understanding, allowing the system to respond to what the user sees and hears in real time.

Yang said the market is now moving beyond a single product format.

“There will not be one standard form of AI glasses,” he said. “Some products will be lightweight and designed for all-day wear and efficiency, while others will focus on immersive, all-in-one experiences.”

China has become the world’s most active market for AI glasses in terms of the number of brands and the pace of product iteration, industry observers say. This year’s CES reinforced that trend, with multiple Chinese startups unveiling new hardware and software features alongside global competitors.

Despite that momentum, Chinese brands still trail U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms in global shipment volumes. Yang said the gap lies less in technology and more in supply chain influence and branding.

“Meta’s advantage is its ability to define the supply chain — from optics to chips — and require partners to meet its specifications,” he said. “Chinese companies are faster and more flexible, but we often rely on more standardized components.”

To strengthen its brand presence and customer service, INMO is expanding offline distribution through partnerships with optical retailers such as LOHO, EssilorLuxottica and Asia Optical. The company is also investing in experience stores and placing large advertising displays in major Chinese airports.

INMO expects sales of around 300,000 units this year, Yang said, adding that reaching annual sales of one million units would be a critical milestone that could trigger a new phase of growth for the industry, potentially within the next two to three years.

As more technology giants and well-funded startups enter the field, competition is set to intensify. Yang said the sector is likely to become noisier in the short term, as companies showcase ambitious visions, but only a subset will focus on products ready for mass adoption.

“The real question,” he said, “is not who can show the most futuristic concept, but who can build something people actually use every day.”

With fresh capital and rising market interest, INMO is positioning itself to be one of those players — betting that the future of personal computing may not be a phone or a laptop, but a pair of glasses powered by AI.

(Note: 1 USD equals about 7.02 yuan)