13-14 October 2026
EPIC Technology Meeting on Photonics for AR: the Tipping Point at EssilorLuxottica
Milan, Italy
Hosted by
Supported By
Sponsors
Silver
Please note, preferably register only one person per company for best possible networking.
The Augmented Reality industry is no longer asking if – but how and when. The answer lies in photonics. As we stand at a critical crossroads, the future of AR will be shaped by the technical and strategic decisions made today. Hosted by EssilorLuxottica, this edition of EPIC’s AR series goes beyond the hype, diving deep into the real-world challenges and opportunities driving industrial and wider adoption by the consumer market.
This meeting will convene C-level executives, R&D leaders, and systems engineers from across the AR value chain – from photonics and component manufacturers to integrators, device makers, and end users. Together, we’ll confront the technical barriers, business needs, and regulatory demands that define the path to scalable, high-performance AR.
Agenda
Venue
Accommodation
Technology Advisory Committee
Speakers
Market and Technology Analyst
at YOLE Group
Vice President and Head of XDO
at Meta
Senior Director of Product Management XR
at Google
Senior Director of Software Engineering
at Snap
Co-Founder and CEO
at HETEROMERGE
Director of Strategic Marketing
at STMicroelectronics
Head of Strategic Partner Management & Business Development
at ZEISS Extended Reality
Technological Researcher
at Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV)
CEO
at Oxford Optical Labs
Optical Engineer
at Sony Semiconductor Solutions
Chief Commercial Officer
at FlexEnable
CTO
at AlphaLum
President & CEO
at Aledia
TBA
TBA
at Tekscend Photomask
Product Manager
at Instrument Systems
Senior Vice President - Head of Augmented Reality
at SCHOTT
CEO
at Cellid
CEO
at Optinvent
Director
at Eulitha
Edgar Auslander is a senior technology executive and entrepreneur with 35+ years of experience across strategic partnerships, venture capital, M&A, and general management in AI, XR, semiconductors, and wearables. As Senior Director at Meta’s Reality Labs, he originated the landmark EssilorLuxottica partnership and drove the original product definition of the Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, reshaping Meta’s AR roadmap. Earlier in his career he co-founded Texas Instruments’ Wireless Business Unit - which grew to $5B+ in annual revenue - served as a Kauffman Fellow and Vice President at VantagePoint Venture Partners, and held senior roles at Qualcomm, Intel, and ST-Ericsson driving billions in M&A and licensing activity. He has served on the boards of QuickLogic (NASDAQ: QUIK) and The AR Alliance, served as SVP at IXI Mobile (SPAC exit), and founded Menlo Business Partners (menlobp.com), an active consulting firm operating across Silicon Valley and Europe. Co-author of a Wiley textbook, he is the creator of a personal AI learning platform. Edgar authored and taoguht Management of Change and Business Negotiating at UC Berkeley Extension, lectured at Haas School of Business and Stanford’s School of Engineering, and holds an MBA from Columbia, an MEEng from Cornell, and an engineering degree from ESME Paris.
Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships Wearables and AI
at Meta
Program Development Lead
at Google
Hardware Product Lead
at TCL RayNeo
Managing Director of Corporate Strategy and Development
at Applied Materials
T.J. Won is a senior technology executive with experience spanning investment banking, media, and consumer technology. His career has been defined by understanding how consumers engage with technology across devices and platforms, and by building the partnerships that shape those experiences.
Today, T.J. serves as Senior Director of Wearables & AI Glasses Partnerships at Meta, where he leads Meta's strategic collaboration with EssilorLuxottica — the partnership behind Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses and one of the most significant bets in consumer AI hardware. In 2026, T.J. relocated to Milan, Italy to deepen this partnership on the ground, working directly with the EssilorLuxottica team to drive the next chapter of AI-powered wearables.
Manager
at Mitsui Chemicals
CEO
at Everysight
Development Engineer
at TechnoTeam
Head of Augmented Vision Lab
at Essilor Luxottica
CEO
at Morphotonics
Managing Partner and Chief Business Officer
at Wielandts UPMT
CEO
at NLOptics
More speakers will be announced soon.
Attendees
- Alberto Fasoli , COO at Tecnottica Consonni
- Alexander Martin , Senior Director at ams Osram
- Angelo Fasoli , Chief Sales Officer at Tecnottica Consonni
- Bharath Rajagopalan , Director, Strategic Marketing at STMicroelectronics
- Brid Connolly , Business Development Manager at Tekscend Photomask
- Chiara Greganti , CEO at VitreaLab
- Christophe Peroz , Program Development Lead at Google
- Daniel Vasseur , Managing Director at SCHOTT
- Daniel Wagner, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Snap
- David McLauchlan, CEO at Everysight
- Douwe Geuzebroek , CTO at Brilliance
- Edgar Auslander , Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships Wearables and AI at Meta
- Francesca Brambilla , Technical Manager at Tecnottica Consonni
- Franziska Zeller, Chief of Staff at tooz technologies
- Hugo da Silva , CEO at Morphotonics
- Jason Hartlove, VP & Head of XDO at Meta
- Jonas Wielandts , Managing Partner at Wielandts UPMT
- Juston Payne, Senior Director of Product Management XR at Google
- Kayvan Mirza , CEO at Optinvent
- Kazue Shimizu , Senior AR Specialist at Sony
- Keiji Kobayashi, Director at Mitsui Chemicals
- Kelsey Wooley , Director at Eulitha
- Khaled Sarayeddine , CTO at Optinvent
- Kilian Kirchhoff , Development Engineer at TechnoTeam
- Leit Ho, General Manager at Sunny Optical Technology
- Louis Dellieu , Business Development Manager, Europe at AGC Glass Europe
- Mantvydas Jasinskas , Chief Sales Officer at EKSPLA
- Mari Motomura , Manager at Mitsui Chemicals
- Mark Ventura , Co-Founder, VP Business Development at Optotune
- Matt Scholz , Global Sales Director at Konica Minolta
- Matthias Imboden , CEO at 4K-MEMS
- Mirko Lohse, Unit Manager NIL Polymers at micro resist technology
- Murat Deveci , Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Business & Ecosystem Development at OptoFidelity
- Nick Rimmer , Business Development at Oxford Optical Laboratories
- Paul Cain , Chief Commercial Officer at FlexEnable Technology
- Pekka Laiho , Chief Commercial Officer at Havuja Solutions
- Pierre Laboisse , President & CEO at Aledia
- Raphaël Mermet-Lyaudoz , Market and Technology Analyst at YOLE Group
- Remi Corlin , CFO at Oxford Optical Labs
- Richard Harding, AR/VR Business Development at Merck Performance Materials
- Rob Stevens , Group CEO at Adlens / Oxford Optical Laboratories
- Robert Kirchner , Co-Founder and CEO at HETEROMERGE
- Ruediger Sprengard , Senior Vice President - Head of Augmented Reality at SCHOTT
- Sascha Reinhardt , Product Manager at Instrument Systems
- Satoshi Shiraga , CEO at Cellid
- Shree Deshpande , General Manager, Global Business Development at Tokyo Ohka Kogyo
- Simon Dubuis , CEO at NLOPTICS
- Stefano Guerrieri , Portfolio Director at imec
- Stephan Prinz , Senior Product Manager Optics & Photonics at DELO
- Theo Marescaux , Founder at Swave Photonics
- TJ Won, Senior Director Partnerships at Meta
- Tobias Porsch , Photometry Application Developer at TechnoTeam
Contact Information
Technology Manager
Technology scope and agenda
Jeremy Picot-Clemente, PhD
Technology Expert for Optics and Optical Systems
Programme Manager
Coordination
Event Manager
Logistics, venue, accommodation, and transportation
Media Partners
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