Friend
Friend sells an always-listening AI companion pendant that talks to wearers to combat loneliness.
Raised $7.9M across disclosed rounds.[8]
Seed closed December 2024, led by Pace Capital.[8]
post-money valuation is not publicly disclosed.
Named investors include Caffeinated Capital, Pace Capital, Z Fellows, Perplexity, Solana, Morning Brew.[1][8]
Avi Schiffmann, Co-founder and CEO[1][9][15]
Avi Schiffmann, Chief Executive Officer[8][9][15]
Replika · replika.com · Same buyer and same job to be done: an AI companion for emotional connection, named directly in coverage as the category Friend competes with.[1][6]
Character.AI · character.ai · Same buyer and same job to be done: an AI companion for conversation and emotional connection, named directly in coverage as a category competitor.[1][6]
Humane AI Pin · humane.com · Same buyer and same hardware category: a screenless AI wearable, cited in coverage as the failed predecessor in the same market.[3][6]
Rabbit R1 · rabbit.tech · Same buyer and same hardware category: an AI wearable device in the same consumer market, cited in coverage as a failed comparable.[1][6]
Filled in the side panel for invited readers. This card carries sourced facts only.
Aug 2026 · techcrunch.com
reported
Aug 2026 · techcrunch.com
reported
Aug 2026 · geekwire.com
reported
Aug 2026 · theverge.com
reported
Aug 2026 · protos.com
reported
Aug 2026 · techtimes.com
reported
Friend
Friend sells an always-listening AI companion pendant that talks to wearers to combat loneliness.