Innovega Adds Senior Executive to Help Lead Capital Formation and Corporate Strategy

World Economic Forum Young Global Leader Tamer Makary brings decades of experience across investment banking, healthcare, innovative finance and global eye-care philanthropy

SAN DIEGO – August 31, 2026 – Innovega, a developer of lightweight, AI-enabled smart glasses designed to enhance functional vision for people living with vision loss, today announced that Tamer Makary has joined the company as a senior executive, with a mandate to help lead capital formation and support the company’s broader corporate and commercialization strategy.

Makary joins Innovega at an important inflection point as the company advances its Smart Eyewear platform toward commercial launch, expands manufacturing and strategic partnerships, and builds the capital base required to support commercialization and scale.

In his role, Makary will work closely with CEO Steve Willey and the broader leadership team on capital formation, investor development, strategic partnerships, corporate strategy and global commercialization initiatives, drawing on relationships developed over more than two decades across international capital markets, healthcare, philanthropy and academia.

“Tamer brings an unusual combination of capital markets experience, healthcare knowledge, strategic relationships and a longstanding commitment to expanding access to eye care,” said Steve Willey, CEO of Innovega. “As we move toward commercialization, strengthening our capital base and building the right strategic relationships are critical priorities. Tamer will work closely with me and the leadership team to help drive those efforts while contributing more broadly to our corporate strategy and global growth.”

Makary previously led one of the Middle East’s top investment banking teams at Arqaam Capital and has spent much of his career at the intersection of commerce, healthcare and philanthropy, with a particular focus on developing innovative approaches to financing and expanding access to eye care in underserved populations.

In 2018, he was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in recognition of his work developing innovative financing models to address global eye-care needs. Among those efforts, he helped originate and execute a pioneering development impact bond in eye care, bringing together private capital, philanthropy and measurable healthcare outcomes.

Makary subsequently served as Chief Development Officer of Magrabi Retail, the Middle East’s leading eye-care group, while also leading the Magrabi Foundation, where his work focused on mobilizing capital, partnerships and resources to combat avoidable blindness and expand access to quality eye care among underserved communities.

He currently serves on the Board of the Africa Eye Foundation, supporting efforts to strengthen sustainable eye-care delivery and clinical capacity across Africa. He also previously served as Entrepreneur in Residence at Florida International University, contributing during the university’s milestone $750 million capital campaign and working across entrepreneurship, institutional advancement and external partnerships.

“Much of my career has been spent bringing capital, strategy and partnerships together around opportunities where commercial success and meaningful impact can reinforce one another,” said Makary. “Innovega represents an extraordinary convergence of those interests. The technology is compelling, the unmet need is enormous, and the opportunity now is to assemble the capital, relationships and strategic partnerships required to translate years of innovation into commercialization and scale. I am incredibly excited to work alongside Steve and the team at this pivotal stage.”

Innovega is developing next-generation smart eyewear and vision technologies designed to enhance functional vision and help people living with visual impairment regain greater independence in everyday life. Its platform combines advanced optics, lightweight smart glasses, digital displays and personalized visual enhancement, with a longer-term roadmap incorporating AI-enabled vision applications and proprietary smart contact-lens technology.