Startup Persona launched a free AI assistant beta and raised 10 million dollars
Startup Persona has raised 10 million dollars and launched a free beta of its personal AI assistant through iMessage. Vine Ventures led the funding round. A wearable wristband priced at 179 dollars is expected to be available in December.
Startup Persona, founded by Zach Yadegari, has raised 10 million dollars in funding. Vine Ventures led the funding round. The Persona personal AI assistant is available as a free beta through messages in iMessage. A standalone app is in development.
According to the founder, the assistant can order food or rides, take notes, book travel, and answer questions and emails. Purchases are expected to require user consent, and payments are expected to be handled by external providers, for example through Stripe Link. According to the founder, the assistant will not see payment card details.
A wearable wristband priced at 179 dollars is expected to be available in December. According to the founder, it will not listen or record continuously; a button or wrist movement is intended to activate the assistant. The model will run in the Persona cloud, where user data will be sent. The company says it encrypts data in transit and at rest and allows users to delete it.
The business model includes advertising when users search for products. According to the founder, sponsored items will appear among the recommendations, but the assistant will not know which ones are paid for. The founder claims the recommendations are unbiased.
Why it matters
The free beta lets users try the assistant for everyday tasks through iMessage before the wristband becomes available. When deciding whether to use it, a key consideration is that the service processes data in the cloud and its shopping recommendations are expected to include sponsored items.
Relevant practical impact
What this means
For individuals
An iMessage user can try assigning notes or other personal tasks to the assistant without buying the wristband.
Check the original
Event sources
only one source so far · 1 publisher, 1 independent. We count feeds from the same owner only once.