Two years ago, Harvey Mudd College students Ket Hollingsworth HM ’25 and Dominick Quaye HM ’25 developed the first prototype of an affordable, wearable accessibility device built to empower the blind and visually impaired. Now, they’ve completed a market-ready prototype and are preparing to launch their product.
Technology startup ExploraVist is constructing a device that attaches to any pair of glasses, capturing photos and then audibly describing the user’s surroundings. The device can be used for a variety of everyday tasks, from reading a menu to grocery shopping. ExploraVist was founded by Hollingsworth and Quaye with current Mudd student Bilal Abraham HM ’27.
Hollingsworth said that inspiration struck when OpenAI released its multi-model capabilities in 2023.
“What that means is that it was able to describe really well, with contextual understanding, what’s in an image,” Hollingsworth said. “I was like ‘Oh snap, what’s the first application [of] providing descriptions of what’s in front of you … people who can’t see.’”
He then crossed through the Jack-and-Jill bathroom he shared with his suitemate, Quaye, and pitched the idea for a mobile app using the technology.
Quaye responded positively to the idea, but noted that a visual interface might not be the best medium for visually impaired individuals. Thus, the wearable concept was born.
“It’s super easy to use, you click one button and it describes what’s in front of you and it can read out text and help you,” Hollingsworth said. “For example, in a restaurant, [it can] read out what’s on the menu.”
In their early days, ExploraVist’s founders brought their first prototypes to the Inland Empire Lighthouse for the Blind, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching legally and totally blind individuals independent daily living skills and providing them with social recreational services. ExploraVist has since cemented their relationship with the Inland Empire Lighthouse for the Blind, visiting the center on seven occasions to date.
Then, last summer, ExploraVist became more intertwined with the founders’ home campus.
“We were able to sign up and get funding from The Hive and they gave us $60,000 to be able to enroll in [Mudd’s] Clinic program,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said that working with The Hive allowed ExploraVist to focus on human-centered design and build a greater understanding of its consumer base, as there are many types of blindness and visual impairment that require various treatments.
In spring 2024, the company took second place at Pomona College’s annual SageTank startup pitch competition; one year later, they returned and placed first. Thanks in part to SageTank as well as the Claremont Accelerator, CMC’s Randall Lewis Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and The Hive, ExploraVist now has multiple investors and advisors. When allocating their funds, ExploraVist continues to prioritize affordability for consumers.
“We’re dedicated to keeping the price low-cost,” Abraham said, adding that connecting with investors who agreed on this point was crucial. “[Comparable products] can start at $2,000 to $3,000, which is usually not realistic for a proportion of the population.”
In the two years since they began, ExploraVist has taken on over a dozen new team members, including Max Conine HM ’28.
Conine got involved with ExploraVist last spring as a software intern, stating that he applied because the company’s mission resonated with him.
“I come from a high school [FIRST Robotics Competition] background, and I love programming physical systems and watching them work,” Conine said. “There’s something satisfying to me about writing code that a physical device can use, I love it.”
When the end of the 2025 spring semester arrived, the team agreed that there was more work to do. Conine invited them all to his house in Boston, where they spent five weeks developing their product.
“At the end of those weeks we had a fully functional device that satisfied our initial requirements with a few small bugs,” Conine said.
Now, with the fall semester underway, the company has continued to source investments and is planning to release a beta version of their product in late October.
ExploraVist is also planning on sending out 50 devices as a part of their beta testing program.
“We are always looking for users to work with and get feedback,” Hollingsworth said. “We are planning on initiating our beta testing program late October, so if you know someone who may be interested, send them our way at exploravist@exploravist.net.”
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