Kalogon Names Former Meta, Magic Leap Executive Marty Evans as Chief Technology Officer

MELBOURNE, Florida—Kalogon, a provider of smart seating, announced that Marty Evans has joined the company as its first chief technology officer.

Evans brings more than 25 years of experience designing and shipping consumer hardware at Microsoft, Meta, Magic Leap and HP, and he’ll lead Kalogon’s engineering and product development teams as the company brings its smart seating technology to more people who spend hours in a seat, from wheelchair users to pilots and passengers.

Evans began his career as a U.S. Air Force avionics technician, maintaining F-16 and F-117A stealth fighters. After earning his electrical engineering degree with top honors, he entered the consumer electronics industry in 1999. He most recently served as VP of engineering at Magic Leap, and before that was director of electrical engineering at Meta’s Reality Labs. He has also built hardware at Valve and on Microsoft’s Surface product line. He holds more than 20 patents spanning pressure sensing, wireless charging, electromechanical actuation, power management and accessory usability. At Kalogon, Evans will shape the company’s technology and lead engineering execution from concept through production as the company grows into new markets.

“Joining Kalogon feels like coming full circle, getting closer to the technology again while applying the same principles of empathy-driven design to a new sector,” said Evans. “In AR, we explored ways technology could extend someone’s abilities, from helping someone follow a conversation in a noisy room to making visual information easier to see. Adaptive seating calls for the same mindset—understanding what each person needs, then using hardware and thoughtful design to improve their daily experience. Finding a team of passionate engineers, makers and tinkerers doing exactly that, right here in Melbourne, felt like a match made in engineering heaven.”

For Evans, Kalogon’s aviation work is a return to where his career began. Kalogon’s work with the U.S. Air Force offers a preview of what its technology can do in the air. The company has secured multiple SBIR Phase II grants totaling $3.5 million to adapt its seating for B-52 and E-4B aircrews, who can spend 30 to 40 hours in seats designed decades ago. In Air Force testing, Kalogon’s cushions reduced peak pressure by 51% and significantly reduced pilot fatigue, results that point to real potential applications in long-haul commercial aviation.

“Marty has built some of the most sophisticated consumer devices on the market, and he knows how to make advanced technology disappear into the background of someone’s day,” said Tim Balz, founder and CEO of Kalogon. “That’s exactly what great seating should do. His experience will help us move faster as we take what we’ve learned from wheelchair users into new places people sit, including the airplane cabin.”

To learn more, visit kalogon.com.