Modar Alaoui

Modar Alaoui is an American tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley, known for his work in artificial intelligence (AI), humanoid robotics, and computer vision. He is the founder and general partner of ALM Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. He is also the founder and chair of the Humanoids Summit and the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Eyeris Technologies, Inc., an AI software company based in Mountain View, California.

Modar Alaoui
Born	Fez, Morocco
Nationality	Moroccan-American
Alma mater	Concordia University HEC Montréal

Alaoui's work has been featured and appeared in Bloomberg TV, CNBC TV, Reuters TV, The Wall Street Journal, and Time magazine.^[1]

Early life and education

Born in Fez, Morocco, Alaoui moved to Montréal for his education, attending HEC Montréal and Concordia University.^[2][3] While at Concordia, Alaoui founded AIM Banking; a fintech company providing card terminals and managing processing rates for merchants. He later sold the company and moved to the United States.^[4][5]

Career

After completing his education at Concordia University, Alaoui worked at Dell for two years before joining InVision. Following InVision's acquisition by AudioVox, two years later, he left the company.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2008, Modar founded Eyeris TV, a U.S.-based in-store television network that applied facial recognition technology to measure audience demographics and deliver targeted short-form video content and advertisements.^[2] The company received several awards, including one for innovation and technology from the Florida Business Expo.^[6] In 2011, it initiated a research and development project focused on facial microexpression-based emotion recognition and additional facial analytics beyond age and gender classification.^[7] In 2013, the company relocated to Silicon Valley. It then adopted deep learning methods built on artificial neural networks for emotion recognition and related facial analytics, and rebranded as Eyeris Technologies, Inc. Its primary product at that time was computer vision software designed to analyze facial microexpressions in real-time.^[8]

In early 2014, Alaoui and his engineering team adapted the technology for automotive applications to support Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). In June 2014, in Detroit, Michigan, Alaoui publicly announced a driver monitoring system (DMS) that detects driver attention, cognitive awareness and emotional distraction.^[9][10]

In 2019, regulatory developments in the automotive industry, such as Euro NCAP mandate for camera-based Driver Monitoring System and Occupant Monitoring System (OMS) aligned with Eyeris' interior monitoring technology. In 2020, Alaoui introduced an in-cabin sensor fusion AI at the CES 2020 which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[11]

In 2022, Alaoui unveiled a monocular 3D sensing technology that converts 2D sensor data into depth-aware outputs for 3D scene reconstruction. It debuted at the first InCabin conference in Brussels.^[12]

Awards and recognition

Alaoui is a recipient of several technology and innovation awards.^[13][14] Alaoui, together with Eyeris have been named award finalists for 10 consecutive years at the AutoTech Awards (formerly known as TU Automotive Awards) in Detroit. He has won 4 awards at the AutoTech Awards, and 3 additional awards at AutoSens in Brussels and at the Global Automotive Awards including:

• 2024: AutoTech Awards winner in the “Automotive Tech Company of the Year” and “Automotive Product of the Year” categories.
• 2023: Informa Tech Automotive Award finalist in the Software Supplier of the Year and the Automotive Cockpit of the Future categories.^[15]
• 2022: Informa Tech Automotive Award finalist in the Cockpit of the Future Product/Service of the Year and the Automotive AI Product/Service of the Year categories.^[16]
• 2022: AutoSens Award finalist in the Most Novel Research Award category.^[17]
• 2021: Informa Tech Automotive Awards finalist in the Startup of the Year, Automotive Tech Company of the Year, and Cockpit of the Future Product/Service of the Year categories.^[18]
• 2021: Informa Tech Automotive Awards winner in the Cockpit of the Future Product/Service of the Year category.^[19]
• 2020: Global Automotive Awards winner in the Best AV In-Cabin Sensor Innovator category.^[20]
• 2020: Informa Tech Automotive Awards finalist in the Best Automotive AI Product of the Year Mobility Product/Service category.^[21]
• 2019: AutoSens Silver Awards winner in the Best Automotive Safety System and the Most Innovative In-Cabin Application categories.^[22]
• 2019: TU Automotive Awards finalist in the Best Auto Mobility Product/Service and the Best Data/A.I. Product/Service categories.^[23]
• 2018: TU Automotive Awards finalist in the Best Auto Mobility Product or Service and the Best Connected Product or Service categories.^[24]
• 2017: TU Automotive Awards winner in the Best Connected Service or Product for Commercial Market for Driver and Occupants Monitoring AI category.^[25]
• 2015: TU Automotive Awards finalist in the Best Commercial Vehicle System Integrator, the Best Safety or ADAS Solution and the Best Industry Newcomer categories.^[26]