Nirva, a young AI hardware startup building a pendant that listens only to its wearer, has raised a $25 million pre-Series A round. The funding adds to the $8 million it raised earlier this year, bringing the company’s total raise to $33 million.
The funding
Nirva announced the new round on October 22, 2026. Earlier investors include Lightspeed and South Park Commons. The company has not disclosed a lead investor or a valuation for the latest round.
Founded in 2025 by former Meta Reality Labs engineers Wei Lyu and Jason Chen, together with jewelry brand founder Hanying Hu, Nirva blends consumer hardware with fashion. Lyu serves as the company’s chief executive.
A pendant that only hears its owner
The startup’s first device is a pendant that can also be worn as a bracelet. It weighs around eight grams, its battery lasts up to three days on a single charge, and it comes in silver, brushed silver, black, and gold finishes.
The standout feature is selective listening. During setup, users record short voice samples so the device builds a personal voice profile. It then filters out conversations from people nearby, capturing only the wearer’s own speech.
Privacy by design
Nirva says the device does not keep audio data or transcripts after processing by default. Before the audio is discarded, it analyzes tone, pitch, volume, and speed to infer emotional states.
“This is a piece of jewelry that only focuses on listening to your own speech. We’re always passively listening to your own speech. So it’s always on. It keeps modeling the user and modeling your mind,” Lyu said.
Personal insights over productivity
The companion app turns the analysis into reflections on the user’s emotions and communication style. Lyu described an incident where she forgot to thank her mother, and the app later nudged her with a reminder about it.
“I think there’s no universal way to help everyone to solve their problems. We are building a tool to help people to improve their self-understanding, self-compassion, and self-awareness,” Lyu said.
A crowded ambient AI market
Nirva enters a busy field. Amazon recently launched a wrist-worn device with Bee, Apple added Voice Intelligence features in September, and startups like Taya and Friend are building their own companion gadgets.
Nirva will open pre-orders in November for the $249 device, with shipments to early users expected before the end of the year. Longer term, the company plans to release more devices.
