Wearable AI startup Nirva has raised US$33 million in total funding as it prepares to launch a jewelry-like pendant that listens only to its wearer. The company announced a US$25 million Pre-Series A round, which adds to the US$8 million it raised earlier this year from investors including Lightspeed and South Park Commons. Founded by former Meta Reality Labs employees, Nirva is entering an increasingly crowded ambient AI market with a device that blends fashion and passive speech analysis.
Funding and Founding Team
Nirva was founded in 2025 by Wei Lyu, Jason Chen, and Hanying Hu. Lyu and Chen previously worked at Meta Reality Labs, while Hu founded a fashion and jewelry brand. The company's latest US$25 million Pre-Series A round brings its total capital raised to US$33 million and will support its first hardware launch as well as future devices.
A Lightweight Device for Everyday Wear
The company's first product is a pendant that can also be worn as a bracelet. It weighs approximately eight grams and has a battery life of up to three days on a single charge. Nirva plans to begin taking orders in November and aims to ship the US$249 device to early users by the end of the year.
Design and Future Hardware
The pendant will be available in silver, brushed silver, black, and gold color options. Its small size and three-day battery life are intended to make it suitable for all-day wear without frequent charging. Nirva also has longer-term plans to release more devices beyond the pendant, though the company has not disclosed details about its future hardware roadmap.
Privacy Through Wearer Voice Recognition
Privacy remains a major concern for ambient devices, especially since smart glasses have raised fears about recording nearby people. Nirva addresses this by asking users to record snippets of their voice during onboarding and then building a model based on those samples. During regular use, the pendant filters out conversations and data from other people, and it does not retain audio or transcripts by default after processing.
Tracking Emotion Without Storing Audio
Before discarding audio, Nirva is able to analyze tone, pitch, volume, and speed to derive emotion-related insights. This approach allows the device to capture useful information without keeping raw recordings. The company says this focus on the wearer's own voice sets it apart from voice recorders, meeting note takers, and companion gadgets.
Personal Insights Rather Than Productivity
Nirva positions itself as a personal insights company rather than a productivity startup. Its companion app surfaces reminders, action items, and ways to act on them, while also offering observations about emotions, communication style, and areas for improvement. CEO Wei Lyu said the goal is to help users develop self-understanding, self-compassion, and self-awareness rather than provide a universal fix for every problem.
A Competitive Ambient AI Market
Ambient AI has gained momentum with recent launches from Amazon, Apple, and a startup called Ambi founded by a former Plaud executive. Nirva competes with intelligent jewelry makers such as Taya and companion devices from Friend and Bee, among others. The startup argues that its always-on, passive listening to the wearer's own speech differentiates it by continuously modeling the user's mind.
Nirva is betting that a lightweight, privacy-conscious pendant can stand out in the rapidly expanding AI wearables sector. With US$33 million in funding and a device slated to ship by the end of the year, the startup is moving quickly to turn its vision into a consumer product. Its success may depend on whether users embrace always-on voice insights as a tool for personal growth rather than a privacy risk.
Source: Techcrunch