Afference
Cleveland, US · Founded 2022 · Delaware corporation · 26 employees on LinkedIn · 15 known investors
Find your way into Afference
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Afference develops neurotechnology that enables remote sensory perception through wearable devices, allowing people at a distance to share tactile sensations. The company combines neural interface engineering with consumer electronics to restore or create the sensation of touch in communication.
Also known as Afference Inc. · Afference Ring
Founders & leadership
Afference was founded in 2022 by Jacob Segil and Dustin Tyler.
Board
Investors · 15
Also in the syndicate · 2
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$19.8M disclosed across 3 of 5 rounds · 2022–2025
▶$15.3MraisedDec 2025 · 19 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Dustin TylerExecutive Officer, Director
- Jacob SegilExecutive Officer, Director
- Taylor HurstDirector
- Trevor ZimmermanDirector
- Offering amount
- $15.3M
- Amount sold
- $15.3M
- First sale
- Dec 2025
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2022
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$3MraisedJun 2024 · 12 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Taylor HurstDirector
- Jacob SegilExecutive Officer, Director
- Dustin TylerExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $3.5M
- Amount sold
- $3M
- First sale
- May 2024
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2022
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.5MraisedNov 2022 · 15 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Taylor HurstDirector
- Jacob SegilExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Dustin TylerExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $1.5M
- Amount sold
- $1.5M
- First sale
- Oct 2022
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2022
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Afference develops "neural haptics," a technology that stimulates the nerves connecting the skin to the brain with small electrical signals in order to generate artificial touch sensations. The company positions the approach as an analogue to virtual reality for the visual field: rather than pressing on or vibrating against the skin, the system introduces new information into the nerves so that the brain perceives sensations that are not physically present. A distinguishing property the company calls "referred sensation" means the perceived touch can occur away from the device itself — for example, a ring can create sensation extending from the ring to the fingertip — without covering the skin.
The company's flagship output is the Afference Ring, described as a reference design for embedding neural haptics into wearables and equipment such as rings, watches, surgical robots, teleoperation systems and military radios. The actuator is solid state with no moving parts, operates at chip scale, and is stated to use 5-7x less power than other haptic actuators. Devices connect wirelessly over Bluetooth, allowing untethered use with phones, computers, televisions, tablets, game consoles and AI glasses, so that content such as movies, games and applications can carry tactile feedback. Afference frames the technology as built on decades of academic neural engineering research and states that its stimulation methods derive from medical-grade neuromodulation, with the sensation described as a buzzing or tingling that can be patterned much like phone ringtones or alerts.
Business model
Afference supplies neural haptic technology for integration into third-party hardware, offering the Afference Ring as a reference design for wearables and tools and inviting partnership inquiries through its website.
Traction
Won a Best of Innovation Award at CES 2024, reached the finals of the SXSW Pitch Competition in the Extended Reality category in March 2024, raised a $3.5 million seed round in October 2024, and debuted the Afference Ring at CES 2025.
Latest developments
In January 2025 press coverage described the Afference smart ring as creating haptic sensations for touchless interfaces such as those used with smart glasses, following the ring's CES 2025 debut and the October 2024 seed round.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
An early-stage neurotechnology and haptics supplier positioning its technology as an input/output layer for touchless and AI-era interfaces.
The company states that neural haptics are the only haptic actuator that works at chip scale, consume 5-7x less power than other haptics, require no moving parts, do not cover or press on the skin, and can produce sensation at a location away from the device.
Technology
Electrical nerve stimulation delivered by a solid-state, chip-scale actuator with no moving parts, patterned to evoke tactile percepts both beneath and away from the wearable (referred sensation), using stated medical-grade neuromodulation techniques and Bluetooth wireless connectivity to host devices.
Go-to-market
Partnership and integration focused, supported by public product showcases including CES 2024 and CES 2025 and pitch competitions such as SXSW, plus press coverage of the Afference Ring.
Makers and users of wearables and interface-dependent equipment, including ring and watch form factors, AI/smart glasses, game consoles, mobile devices, computers, surgical robots, teleoperation systems and military radios.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 6
by search overlap
Companies competing with Afference for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsThe Afference Ring, a haptic device generating sensations for touchless interfaces such as those used with smart glasses, was set to debut at CES 2025 in January.
Seed round reported to fund development of the Afference Ring, with investors including Hannah Grey VC, Konvoy and Samsung Next.
$3.5M source ↗
Afference presented as a finalist in the SXSW Pitch Competition in the Extended Reality category.
Afference received a Best of Innovation Award at CES 2024.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Afferenceafference.io · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Afference do?
- Afference builds neural haptics that create artificial touch sensations for rings, wearables and other devices.
- Who founded Afference?
- Afference was founded by Jacob Segil, Dustin Tyler in 2022.
- Who are Afference's investors?
- Afference's investors include Anthropy Partners, CWRU Technology Ventures, Evolution VC Partners, Hannah Grey Ventures, JobsOhio Ventures, Konvoy Ventures, Mighty Capital, Ohio Innovation Fund and 5 more.
- How much funding has Afference raised?
- Afference has disclosed $19.8M raised across 3 of its 5 known rounds.
- Where is Afference headquartered?
- Afference is headquartered in Cleveland, US.