Captify won AARP’s AgeTech pitch at CES, taking US$10,000 for captioning glasses that show real-time subtitles for people with hearing loss.
San Francisco-based Captify beat four other AgeTech firms at the 2026 AgeTech After Dark event.
The glasses show captions in the wearer’s field of view and are claimed to be 98 per cent accurate, including in noisy settings.
The frames resemble standard eyewear and cost US$499 or US$799 depending on the model.
An optional US$15 monthly subscription offers AI-generated conversation summaries and other features. Captions can be translated into more than 70 languages.
The AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, which backs technologies to help adults age well, has hosted pitch competitions since 2015.
Other start-ups featured were Accelera, which makes wearable bands using gentle vibrations to improve balance and help prevent falls; ATDev, developing personal robotics for people with mobility impairments; Kinemo Proprio, enabling hands-free control of digital devices via body gestures; and Memcara, using music therapy to help people with dementia communicate.
Memcara co-founder Christina Tadin, a board-certified music therapist, said: “Even as memory fades, the capacity to communicate, feel and express identity remains far more intact than most people realise.
“What is missing is the infrastructure to support what remains.”
