Augmented Reality Helmet Startup Daqri Nabs Former SpaceX, Qualcomm And Virgin Group Execs

The augmented reality space is hot and getting hotter, especially among enterprise companies looking to redesign the experience of the onsite employee of the future.

Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch

Patrick Alo2

Patrick Alo

Roy Ashok2

Roy Ashok

Daqri, an AR smart helmet startup, is growing its leadership board significantly today while it continues testing its device. The company is adding three new executive positions today: Mike Lynch, who most recently tackled talent acquisition and human resources at SpaceX, will be joining Daqri as chief human potential officer; Roy Ashok, a former product management leader at Qualcomm, will be coming aboard as chief product officer; and Patrick Alo, a marketing leader from Virgin Group, will be appointed as chief marketing officer.

These latest hires will give Daqri improved flexibility as it looks to aggressively hire top talent and expand the company’s brand presence in the enterprise community.

The device itself doubles as a safety helmet and set of safety glasses in addition to providing “mixed reality work instructions, safety information, mapping and more” for industrial workers. The helmet is already being tested with some major corporations, including Autodesk, GE, Topcon, Hyperloop and KSP Steel.

The LA-based startup gathered headlines at CES 2016 when it unveiled its enterprise-focused augmented reality helmet. Our own Sarah Lane sat down with the Daqri team to discuss potential use cases for the device and the future of AR tech in the workplace.

“Roy, Patrick and Mike are experts in their respective fields and come from some of the world’s most innovative companies,” said Brian Mullins, founder and CEO of Daqri, in a statement. “They are joining at a crucial time as we are making huge advancements in AR technology and holography that will have a game-changing impact on the industry. We are laser focused on our mission of changing the face of work with the deployment of the Daqri Smart Helmet and have the team in place to do just that.”