Recognition highlights journey from a first-generation college background to developing AI-powered assistive wearables for the blind and visually impaired
Muneer Khan, Founder of Cadre Tech Labs, has been named to the IEEE Computer Society’s “Computing’s Top 30 Early Career Professionals” list for 2025. The recognition honors emerging professionals who have made notable contributions to computing in the early stages of their careers.
Khan grew up in a remote village and was the first in his family to attend college. That background shaped his conviction that technology should be human centered and accessible by design.
He completed his undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering at Birla Institute of Applied Sciences, India, followed by a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, where he specialized in intelligent and connected devices.
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Cadre Tech Labs is headquartered in New York, with engineering operations based in Navi Mumbai, India. Under Khan’s leadership, the company develops wearable devices for blind and deaf individuals. Its first flagship product, VisionPro, is a pair of AI-powered smart glasses for blind individuals and has completed more than 4,700 user trials, with the technology refined based on direct community feedback. The glasses were demonstrated for the first time at TechFest 2024, IIT Bombay.
This is not Khan’s first international recognition. He has previously received the Young Scientist Award (2024), the Young Innovator of the Year award from the University of Oxford, and the Engineering for Humanity Award in New York. He was also one of only twelve innovators invited to present at the Wearable Innovations Forum 2025, hosted at the University of Cambridge.
“Awards matter less to me than the moment someone puts on our device and feels more confident and independent in their everyday life,” said Muneer Khan, Founder, Cadre Tech Labs . “Our team in Navi Mumbai and New York works as one unit toward that goal every day. Looking ahead, I believe AI driven sensing, wearables, and low-cost devices can bring healthcare, accessibility, and safety solutions to communities that have historically been left behind.”
Khan’s advice to young professionals entering the field is to stay curious and stay committed to solving real problems. His recognition is seen as encouragement for engineers from smaller cities and non-traditional backgrounds pursuing global impact in technology.
Source: Business Wire India
