Social AI Companions for $15M: Raised in Series A funding

At IGF, we support startups and investors who have decided to change the industry with new solutions. This time, we’re going to talk about one interesting startup that is about to change how technology connects people. One of the latest examples is Born, a Berlin-based AI gaming startup that just raised $15 million in Series A funding from Accel, Tencent, and Laton Ventures. The total funding of $25 million is about to make AI companions more social and closer to people. So, let’s dive deeper into this startup and find what’s new.

Rethinking the Role of AI Companions

While there are more and more AI companions, most of them encourage one-to-one connection and interaction. This, in turn, can deepen people’s loneliness. To solve this problem, CEO and co-founder Fabian Kamberi decided to take AI companions to a new level. Born is focusing on sharing experiences in real time with real people.

The thing that attracts attention to this startup is that it’s based on a generative AI-powered digital pet, Pengu. You can co-parent, raise the pet, but there is an important condition – you must do it in collaboration. So, you need to bring a friend or a partner to use the platform and enjoy the experience. In this case, it becomes not only an app but a shared project that helps people communicate and engage with AI.

Nowadays, more than 15 million users worldwide use the platform. The app has several types of subscriptions: a freemium model and a subscription itself. With these options, the app is continuing to expand, while Born develops more and more AI characters for different needs.

Expansion and Next Steps

The new funding will allow Born to:

• Create and launch new characters for the app.
• Open a New York office to focus on marketing and AI research.
• Develop a new social AI product for young users aged 16 to 21, designed to integrate naturally with the content and platforms they already use.

Kamberi notes that Born’s upcoming products won’t resemble traditional chatbots. Instead, they’ll allow users to create culturally relevant AI companions that feel like real friends — sharing content such as TikTok videos or Reels, and sparking natural social interactions online.

For IGF, such startups mean that AI can also be used for people who struggle using AI and have some loneliness issues. We support investors and startups that transform the industry by creating new and adaptable solutions. Contact us to bring your idea to life.