Fabian Canberg, a Berlin-based CEO and co-founder of AI gaming startup, believes that the current AI peers in the market are exploitative and are designed to isolate users through a one-on-one relationship with AI chatbots.
“It feels like it’s more fun and encourages the trend of loneliness rather than giving users the opportunity to make their lives better,” Kambelli told TechCrunch.
He says the future of fellow AI is about common experiences that strengthen real-world bonds.
Born’s Flagship AI product is an app that allows users to raise cute virtual pets named Pengu, play mini-games and appeal to co-parents. Think of it as Tamagotchi or Neopet that powered generative AI. But think of it as something like a friend or a romantic partner, that requires collaboration with another person.
This is a freemium app that allows users to pay for Pengu Pass subscriptions for additional features. And, according to Born, the company has reached over 15 million users worldwide, but the company has not revealed how many customers it is paying for. This is an important question for the consumer subscription business.
The idea behind Pengu is that the social aspect turns pets into a shared project, helping users engage in both AI characters and real relationships. Born is preparing to release new characters for the Pengu app and launch another social AI product designed for young people.
The born paper that AI peers should entertain and incorporate social elements has attracted investors’ attention. The startup, formerly known as Slay, raised a $15 million Series A, bringing total funding from investors such as Accel, Tencent and Laton Ventures to $25 million.
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The papers are not very different when they were born. The teenager social media app revolved around giving and receiving compliments. At the time, Kambelli described Slay as “a go-to place for teens to rediscover social interactions in various modes of play.” The pivot to born-against peers advances the same principle of making digital interactions more positive and socially appealing.
With fresh funding, Born will launch a new character on the Pengu app. Kamberi said. The startup opened an office in New York later this year, focusing on marketing and AI research. The research includes improvements to the character engine, which means that each new AI friend will develop a consistent personality, learn interactions, and grow alongside the user. Born Finance Director Enrico d’Al Les leads the company’s expansion in the US
Born is also preparing to launch another AI social product for young people aged 16 to 21, but 13-year-olds can use Born’s app. Kamberi pointed out that Born mainly relies on Openai’s generation AI model, but has built an additional safety layer on top.
While the new product is still in stealth mode, Kamberi says it will allow users to create and engage “culturally relevant AI peers that feel like real friends.” For example, he said bots could potentially send Tiktok videos or Instagram reels based on content they’re already consuming on social media.
Kamberi added that he expects Born’s new products to have a “network effect” as users share their work on social media.
“We don’t think the current chatbot landscape is the ultimate form factor for how AI friends and consumer AI will be done,” Kamberi says. “There must be a way for consumer social AI to be far more attractive to users than getting into the platform and texting a bot that was probably created by me or others.”
For Accel partner Luca Bocchio, this appeal lies in Bourne’s ambition to create a new consumer social category built around emotionally intelligent AI characters.
“I was really impressed with the team’s ability to develop chart topping apps and its exciting product vision. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them as they scale globally,” Bocchio said.
