Nirva Announces $25M in Funding for AI Pendant That Listens Only to Its Wearer
aiinsider ·
Nirva, a startup founded in 2025 by former Meta Reality Labs employees Wei Lyu and Jason Chen, has secured a $25 million pre-Series A funding round. This investment brings the company's total capital to $33 million, following an earlier $8 million raise from investors such as Lightspeed and South Park Commons. The company is developing an ambient AI wearable that functions as an eight-gram pendant or bracelet with up to three days of battery life. Unlike competitors like Taya, Nirva’s device is always active but designed to listen exclusively to its wearer to address privacy concerns. During onboarding, the system builds a voice model and filters out other people's speech, keeping no audio or transcripts after processing. Instead, it analyzes tone, pitch, volume, and speed to infer emotional patterns and provide insights through a companion app. CEO Lyu stated the goal is to help users build self-understanding and improve their interactions with others. Orders for the $249 device will open in November, with shipments scheduled to begin by the end of the year.
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