Technology

The Trump administration has a major ask to make of big tech companies. In a meeting at the White House today, officials will ask Amazon, Microsoft, Google and IBM, among others, to make it easier for employees to do stints in the government.

Ita heavy lift, of course, asking well-compensated workers to take time out from demanding gigs for the betterment of federal and state governments. A number of companies, including Facebook and Google, already allow employees to take time off for this exact reason. However, the particularly polarizing nature of politics in 2018 and all of the ill-will surrounding the current administration, have further complicated the ask.

The Washington Post quotes an anonymous official, who stressed the importance of &put[ting] politics aside& for the greater good.&This event on Monday is not just about our efforts, itabout our successor, and their successor after that,& the person told the paper. &Itgood for the country in the long term for technology professionals to have civil service in their career at some point.&

The notoriously slow pace of government innovation was something the Obama administration looked to address during its eight years in power, and TrumpWhite House appears to be interested in continuing that trend. Ahead of his inauguration, Trump met with tech leaders, including Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Satya Nadella, though the administrationpolicies have been an on-going source of friction with Silicon Valley

Pair Eyewear, the customizable glasses brand for kids, has today announced the close of a $1 million Seed round, with investors including Corigin Ventures, Outbound Ventures, Precursor Ventures, and Bolt Ventures.

The company has a simple premise: Pair sells affordable glasses to children. But beyond simple frames, Pair sells both base frames (regular glasses) and top frames (snap-on fronts for base frames that let you change the color and style of glasses).

Base frames, which include hand-polished acetate frames and anti-reflective, shatterproof polycarbonate lenses, cost $95 and top frames can be purchased for $25.

While the product is glasses, the mission is to change the way that kids and parents think about glasses, changing that perception from one of a medical device to a fun accessory.

Much of the inspiration for Pair came from Warby Parker, so it makes sense that Pair also has a give-back program. For every pair of Pair glasses sold, another pair goes to a child in need through and partnership with EYElliance, a non-profit founded by the Vision Spring founder Dr. Jordan Kassalow.

Pair took yet another page out of the Warby Parker book by also offering at-home try-on. However, unlike Warby which sends a handful of real glasses to your home, Pair sends out cardboard replicas of their designs for kids to try on. That way, parents don&t have to worry about sending back the try-on pairs of glasses.

The company says that since launch, 15 percent of customers have come back to purchase additional top frames. Itworth noting that, between Pairlaunch and now, Warby Parker has entered the field of competition, launching a pilot program for kids glasses in January of this year.

&What sets us apart and what we&re focused on is designing for kids and by kids,& said co-founder and co-CEO Nathan Kondamuri. &We want to change the narrative around what glasses can be for kids, and that mission and focus will set us apart and drive us on a different path [from competitors].&

Pair launched in October of 2017, and this latest round brings total funding to $1.15 million.

The company says it will use a big chunk of the funding on national marketing initiatives to spread the word about the brand.

EditorNote: Pairtotal amount of funding raised has been corrected from $1.5 million to $1.15 million. The round type was also corrected from a Series A to a seed round.

Brendan Iribe, the co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, has announced his departure from the VR company via a Facebook post, stating that it will be his first real break in over 20 years.

This has led to a number of rumors circulating around the cancelation of the Oculus Rift 2, – the successor to the company's PC VR flagship device – as Iribe had b