Co-Founder / CEO at Taya
Elena Wagenmans
Co-founder and CEO of Taya, where we’re building the future of wearable AI. I studied Product Design B.S. and Mechanical Engineering M.S. at Stanford and worked on the iPad Pro at Apple, designing components like speakers and RF systems. Formerly NCAA DI Athlete and First Team All-American and Captain, I’m foregoing training for the LA 2028 Olympics to pursue this startup full-time, making intelligence something beautiful, personal, and wearable.
Questions & Answers
What sets you apart from others in your industry?
Most AI wearables today look and feel like gadgets - bulky goggles, pins, or headsets that scream “tech.” They may be powerful, but they’re obtrusive, overengineered, and not something most people actually want to wear every day. At Tai, we flipped the approach: jewelry first, technology second. We design with the same craftsmanship and timeless aesthetics as luxury jewelry, then seamlessly integrate intelligence inside. That means our product isn’t just another device, it’s something you’d be proud to wear regardless of the tech. Our backgrounds in Apple hardware and Stanford product design give us the rare ability to merge high-performance engineering with beauty, scale, and manufacturability. We’re not chasing another gadget. We’re creating an entirely new category: AI you actually want to wear.
