Ultrahuman’s former hardware VP raises $5.5M for devices that control AI agents, not just record you

The competition to redefine human-AI interaction is intensifying as a wave of innovative devices emerge. Products like the Sandbar ring, Plaud’s AI pin, desktop notetaker, and Pocket’s compact pucks are all aiming to decode human intent through wearable and ambient technology. Meta’s Ray-Bans and Even Realities’ smart glasses complement this trend, while Friend and Bee explore companion-device ecosystems. Enter Aina, a hybrid Bengaluru-San Francisco startup founded by Apoorv Shankar – a veteran hardware executive previously overseeing wearables development at Ultrahuman.

Founded as Project Mirage, Aina has secured $5.5 million in pre-Series A funding led by Redstart Labs and 360 ONE, with participation from MIXI Global Investments, Antler, and Blume Founders Fund. The investor roster includes WhatsApp’s new leader Kunal Shah, Razorpay co-founders Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, and Scribd’s Tikhon Bernstam. The capital infusion will accelerate development of Aina’s first commercially viable product.

Aina’s inaugural offering is Dune – a three-key contextual keyboard designed for task automation. This hardware innovation enables meeting participants to control audio/video interfaces through pre-configured shortcuts while automatically executing scripted workflows based on active applications. Complementing Dune are two initial prototypes: Radiance, a tabletop remote with dedicated AI interaction buttons, and Shift, a single-touch “agent invocation” button for repetitive task automation.

Early user trials revealed unexpected preferences: Dune’s streamlined design resonated most strongly, prompting the company to prioritize its market launch while incorporating lessons learned from all three prototypes. Aina’s upcoming product generation will integrate these insights, though specifics remain confidential pending early testing phase completion. The startup explicitly positions itself as an action-oriented alternative to passive recording devices like Always’s voice recorder or Bee’s capture-focused wearables.

“While devices like Rabbit and Humane’s Pin demonstrated early market potential, they contained execution flaws that limit effectiveness,” explains Shankar, emphasizing Aina’s differentiated approach. The company’s engineering focus centers on creating hardware that proactively coordinates with software agents rather than merely capturing contextual data. This aligns with emerging industry trends as developers leverage AI tools like Claude Code and Codex for technical workflows, creating demand for dedicated control interfaces.

Industry analysts note a growing convergence between consumer wearables innovation and enterprise AI integration, particularly around Qualcomm’s development of over 40 AI-centric interaction prototypes. The embryonic market’s trajectory suggests specialized hardware will form crucial bridges between ambient AI capabilities and actionable automation.

(Note: Further product specifications and development timelines will be revealed following initial testing rounds later this year.)