Rokid Glasses, a pair of AR glasses from Rokid. PHOTO: ROKID
From pre-orders to market entry, Rokid’s Taiwan campaign reflects how AI hardware is being introduced to consumers today.
Updated
December 17, 2025 1:43 PM
Rokid Glasses, a pair of AR glasses from Rokid. PHOTO: ROKID
Rokid has reached a significant crowdfunding milestone in Taiwan. Its Rokid Glasses campaign surpassed NT$62 million in pre-order funding on zeczec, Taiwan’s creative-oriented crowdfunding platform. The campaign ranked No. 1 across all categories on the platform in 2025 and entered the Top 10 funded campaigns in zeczec’s history, setting new records for AI and XR-related projects.
The campaign launched on October 28 and became one of the platform’s most prominent technology initiatives of the year. According to the company, the outcome followed growing visibility for Rokid Glasses after product showcases in New York, Berlin, Singapore and Paris, positioning the Taiwan campaign within a broader international rollout.
The crowdfunding achievement coincided with Rokid’s official market entry in Taiwan. On December 10, the company debuted Rokid Glasses locally, introducing the product to media, partners and early users in the region. The Taiwan launch mirrored earlier international events and connected the online crowdfunding campaign with a physical market presence.
Rokid Glasses combine augmented reality displays with built-in AI functions, including real-time multilingual translation, live transcription, navigation, object recognition and voice assistance. These capabilities were central to how the product was presented during both the crowdfunding campaign and the Taiwan launch, without framing the project as a traditional consumer electronics release.
The Taiwan campaign builds on Rokid’s prior crowdfunding history. The company previously raised more than US$4 million on Kickstarter, where Rokid Glasses became the highest-funded XR wearable project on the platform. The zeczec campaign extends that track record into one of Asia’s most established consumer electronics markets.
“Taiwan has one of the world's most mature and discerning consumer electronics markets”, said Said Justo Chang, Head of Global Channels at Rokid. “Reaching the top of Taiwan's crowdfunding platform is a great commercial achievement. We are excited to finally introduce Rokid Glasses to Taiwan”.
More broadly, the campaign highlights how crowdfunding platforms continue to function as launch and distribution channels for emerging AI and XR hardware. In Rokid’s case, product rollout, market entry and public participation converged within a single campaign, marking a notable moment for AI-enabled wearables in Taiwan’s technology landscape.
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With Phia’s AI, the new luxury is knowing what’s worth buying.
Updated
December 19, 2025 9:26 PM
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, founders of Phia. PHOTO: PHIA
AI has transformed how we shop—predicting trends, powering virtual try-ons and streamlining fashion logistics. Yet some of the biggest pain points remain: endless scrolling, too many tabs and never knowing if you’ve overpaid. That’s the gap Phia aims to close.
Co-founded by Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, and climate activist Sophia Kianni, Phia was born in a Stanford dorm room and launched in April 2025. The app, available on mobile and as a browser extension, compares prices across over 40,000 retailers and thrift platforms to show what an item really costs. Its hallmark feature, “Should I Buy This?”, instantly flags whether something is overpriced, fair or a genuine deal.
The mission is simple: make shopping smarter, fairer and more sustainable. In just five months, Phia has attracted more than 500,000 users, indexed billions of products and built over 5,000 brand partnerships. It also secured a US$8 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins, joined by Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely and Sheryl Sandberg—investors who bridge tech, retail and culture. “Phia is redefining how people make purchase decisions,” said Annie Case, partner at Kleiner Perkins.
Phia’s AI engine scans real-time data from more than 250 million products across its network, including Vestiaire Collective, StockX, eBay and Poshmark. Beyond comparing prices, the app helps users discover cheaper or more sustainable options by displaying pre-owned items next to new ones—helping users see the full spectrum of choices before they buy. It also evaluates how different brands perform over time, analysing how well their products hold resale value. This insight helps shoppers judge whether a purchase is likely to last in value or if opting for a second-hand version makes more sense. The result is a platform that naturally encourages circular shopping—keeping items in use longer through resale, repair or recycling—and resonates strongly with Gen Z and millennial values of sustainability and mindful spending.
By encouraging transparency and smarter choices, Phia signals a broader shift in consumer technology: one where AI doesn’t just automate decisions but empowers users to understand them. Instead of merely digitizing the act of shopping, Phia embodies data-driven accountability—using intelligent search to help consumers make informed and ethical choices in markets long clouded by complexity. Retail analysts believe this level of visibility could push brands to maintain accurate and competitive pricing. Skeptics, however, argue that Phia must evolve beyond comparison to create emotional connection and loyalty. Still, one fact stands out: algorithms are no longer just recommending what we buy—they’re rewriting how we decide.
With new funding powering GPU expansion and advanced personalization tools, Phia’s next step is to build a true AI shopping agent—one that helps people buy better, live smarter and rethink what it means to shop with purpose.