As North Carolina emerges as a popular retirement destination in the United States, second only to Florida, a unique innovation is gaining attention among its growing senior population. A start-up in a small town east of Raleigh has developed a cutting-edge solution for hearing loss: captioning glasses that transcribe spoken words into text displayed on the lenses.
The brains behind XanderGlasses are Alex and Marilyn Westner, a husband-and-wife team. Their journey began in a modest 900-square-foot apartment in the Boston area, but in October 2024, they relocated to Wendell, North Carolina. This move provided them with a home three times larger than their previous one and the space to accommodate workbenches for charging and testing their innovative glasses. The testing process involves listening to NPR podcasts and sermons by Houston-based televangelist Joel Osteen.
“This product has to be simple,” emphasized Alex. “If it’s any more complicated than ‘push a button,’ our population is just not going to be able to use it.”
“We work with a lot of older adults who live in rural areas and a lot of people don’t have Wi-Fi,” added Marilyn. “So, our glasses work as a stand-alone device. They don’t need to connect to anything.”
Unlike other captioning glasses that require pairing with a smartphone, XanderGlasses operate independently, making them accessible to a wider audience.
Veterans are also among those who benefit from these glasses. The Department of Veterans Affairs has started purchasing XanderGlasses for veterans with hearing impairments. Priced at $5,000, these glasses stand out because they do not require a monthly subscription fee, unlike other smart glasses designed for hearing loss.
In the last six months, VA Medical Centers purchasing XanderGlasses have increased six-fold, according to Marilyn Westner. This includes centers like the Durham VA Health Care System and the Salisbury VA Health Care System. Since moving to North Carolina, the company’s revenue has quadrupled, thanks to both VA purchases and direct-to-consumer sales from its website.
The Westners have not disclosed the total number of glasses sold or their overall revenue figures.
The decision to move was influenced by Alex’s visits to Raleigh through his previous job in Boston. With a background in audio software companies, Alex transitioned to a role at Fidelity Investments, working on product strategy and development in their innovation incubator, Fidelity Labs. His visits to the Raleigh office of Fidelity Labs highlighted the city’s appeal.
“They had a good work-life balance,” Alex noted.
Upon returning from one such visit, Alex shared with Marilyn, “There’s some cool startup stuff happening in Raleigh and it’s a lot less expensive.”
“So, we came down here,” Marilyn recalled. “And we kind of fell in love with it.”
A highlight for the duo was participating in North Carolina State’s Assistive Tech Expo on October 2 at the McKimmon Center. At the event, they engaged with the accessibility coordinator from the Thalian Hall Center for Performing Arts in Wilmington, who showed interest in a potential pilot program to use the glasses at the theater. They also explored possible collaborations with the Morehead Planetarium at UNC Chapel Hill and the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.
Since settling in North Carolina, Xander has hired its first quality assurance engineer, a computer science student from North Carolina State University. The company also secured investment from the Triangle Tweener Fund, a significant venture capital fund in the Southeast that supports early-stage startups in the Research Triangle.
“Relocating here has been very good for the business,” remarked Marilyn.
