AI Startup Nirva Raises $33 Million for a Pendant That Only Listens to Its User

AI-focused wearable technology startup Nirva announced a new $25 million pre-Series A investment round for its jewelry-like pendant device designed to listen exclusively to its user's conversations. Having raised $8 million earlier in the year from investors such as Lightspeed and South Park Commons, the company has brought its total funding to $33 million with this round. Founded by Wei Lyu, Jason Chen, and Hanying Hu, the company will begin taking pre-orders for its first device in November.

Founded in 2025 by former Meta Reality Labs employees Wei Lyu and Jason Chen alongside fashion and jewelry brand founder Hanying Hu, Nirva has developed a pendant weighing approximately eight grams that can also be worn as a bracelet. Offering up to three days of battery life on a single charge, the device builds a profile by passively and continuously listening to the user's voice. Unlike other voice recorders or meeting note takers, the device focuses exclusively on its user, filtering out and discarding the conversations and data of other people in the vicinity thanks to voice samples recorded during the onboarding stage.