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COLD START / catalog / c/friendretrieved 2026-08-03T05:39 UTC · 15 sources read

Friend

Friend sells an always-listening AI companion pendant that talks to wearers to combat loneliness.

friend.com · San Francisco

CALL NO.CS·FRIEND·26
StageSeedDecember 2024 · led by Pace Capital[8]
Raised$7.9Mdisclosed rounds[8]
Headcount5as of Jun 2026[8]
Valuationnot publicly disclosedno source in ledger
Founded2023[9]
Money

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]

People

Avi Schiffmann, Co-founder and CEO[1][9][15]

Avi Schiffmann, Chief Executive Officer[8][9][15]

Signals
Jul 31 2026launchFriend 2.0 Adds Speaker, Subscription to Pendant That Research Links to Deepening Loneliness[6]
Oct 13 2025newsFriend AI spent millions on mimicking friendship -- now it's just another chatbot[5]
Jan 20 2025newsFriend delays shipments of its AI companion pendant[2][7]
Jul 30 2024launchFriend's $99 necklace uses AI to help combat loneliness[1]
Comps

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]

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Sourcestracings · 15

Aug 2026 · finance.yahoo.com

reported

Aug 2026 · friend.com

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Aug 2026 · linkedin.com

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Aug 2026 · linkedin.com

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Aug 2026 · linkedin.com

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Aug 2026 · linkedin.com

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Aug 2026 · hackernoon.com

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Friend

CALL NO.CS·FRIEND·26

Friend sells an always-listening AI companion pendant that talks to wearers to combat loneliness.

friend.com · San Francisco

StageSeed
Raised$7.9M
Headcount5
Valuationnot publicly disclosed
Founded2023
CompsReplika +3