Meta Alumni Startup Nirva Raises $33M for AI Pendant That Listens Only to the Wearer

Nirva, an AI wearable startup founded by former Meta Reality Labs employees, announced on October 22 that it has raised $25 million in a pre-Series A round, bringing its total funding to $33 million including $8 million raised earlier this year. Lightspeed and South Park Commons participated in the investment.

Founded in 2025 by Wei Lyu, Jason Chen, and fashion brand founder Hanying Hu, Nirva is developing a jewelry-like pendant that can also be worn as a bracelet. The device weighs roughly eight grams and offers up to three days of battery life. Orders are expected to open in November, with deliveries to early users targeted by the end of the year.

Unlike voice recorders or meeting note takers, the Nirva device passively listens only to the wearer's own speech. It analyzes vocal tone, pitch, volume, and pace to generate personalized insights and reminders in a companion app. The company says it builds its model from voice samples recorded during onboarding, filters out surrounding conversations, and by default does not retain audio data or transcripts after processing.

Nirva positions itself as a personal insights company rather than a productivity startup. CEO Lyu said the goal is to create a wearable that blends into everyday fashion while helping users improve self-understanding and self-awareness. The company faces competition from other AI wearables startups including Taya, Friend, and Bee.