Orcam Opens European HQ in London, After Trade Visit to Israel by London Mayor Boris Johnson

LONDON, December 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Meeting London Mayor Boris Johnson in Jerusalem in November helped convince wearable device maker OrCam Technologies to establish its European headquarters in the capital. On 30 November, OrCam opened the doors to its first office in Europe.

OrCam is the creator of the world's first wearable device to help people who are visually impaired or blind. It is currently in a pre-launch phase in the UK and will be available across Britain from January.

Dr. Yonatan Wexler, OrCam's VP for R&D, attended the UKTI event, where Boris Johnson tried on the device.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "Our trade mission to Israel was a fantastic chance to promote London as a thriving tech city and an opportunity to encourage lasting partnerships with some of Israel's most innovative and creative minds. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with companies like OrCam and I am delighted that they have now opened an office in London."

OrCam's cutting edge technology interprets visual information through a smart camera placed on a pair of glasses and connected to a pocket-sized computer. With a point of a finger, it instantly recognises text, products and people. It then relays that information to the wearer discreetly via a small personal speaker.

OrCam's VP Sales & Operations, Rami Ben Yehuda said: "UKTI Israel and London & Partners have been incredibly supportive of us as we planned our market entry and expansion into the UK. Following our meeting with Mayor Boris Johnson during his visit to Israel, we are delighted to announce that we are opening our European headquarters in London.  With its thriving tech sector, the ease of doing business and government support, this is the ideal location for us."

Notes to editors: 

• OrCam was founded in Jerusalem by computer science researcher Professor Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram.
• Approximately 2 million people in the UK live with sight loss, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). That number will reach 4 million by 2050 as the population ages.
• High resolution photos, video and audio available on request.
• For more information about OrCam, visit http://www.orcam.com .

Media Contact:

Rachel Stafler
media@orcam.com