Interview with Cornel Amariei

Cornel Amariei is a renowned Romanian inventor, speaker, and entrepreneur known for creating .lumen – a startup that builds glasses that empower the blind to live a better life.

Cornel was born in a family where his parents and sister lived with disabilities, severely limiting their mobility. Growing up in such an environment allowed Cornel to understand the role of assistive technology.

Founding his first two companies in high school, he managed to support himself while studying in Germany at Jacobs University Bremen – the place where he first came up with the idea of “glasses for the blind”.

When he realized how little is being done for people with disabilities, Cornel had one purpose – to help. This way, .lumen became an opportunity to work on something that would soon change the world.

Before founding .lumen, Cornel Amariei was known for operating as Head of Innovation at Continental Automotive Systems, one of the largest automotive manufacturers in the world, where he had developed more than 20 innovations.

For his work, and amongst 70 international distinctions, Cornel was recognized as the first Romanian on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list, the first Romanian to win the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World award, and the first Romanian inducted into the Global Business Hall of Fame. Awards previously won by personalities such as Elvis Presley, Levi Strauss, and John F. Kennedy.

Disclaimer
As Jacobs has adopted changes in curricula over the years, some of the study programs the alumni have been in might no longer be offered. However, the elements of interdisciplinarity, woven in with diverse perspectives to foster a holistic education, is and will always be the principle that governs all of the study programs Jacobs offers. Alumni featured on this website may have studied different subjects, but their appreciation for Jacobs, their journey at Jacobs, and their journey beyond Jacobs stays the same.