With global tech firms racing to build AI-driven wearables that act as personal assistants, NeoSapien said on Thursday it has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Merak Ventures to develop its AI-based device and expand its engineering team.
The round also saw participation from several angel investors including founders and executives from Pixxel, Shaadi.com, boAt and Emcure Pharmaceuticals.
The Bengaluru-based startup has developed Neo 1, a wearable that records and processes everyday conversations and tasks to act as what it calls a “second brain”.
The device is part of a growing category of ambient AI gadgets designed to operate continuously, store long-term context and surface reminders or insights without users having to issue repeated commands.
NeoSapien, founded in 2024 by Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav, said the funding will be used to speed up product development and increase market visibility as large technology companies test similar ideas in voice-based assistants, smart glasses and AI-powered pins.
The startup positions Neo 1 as an assistant that works across more than 100 languages, including Kannada and Mandarin.
The founders said the technology is designed to help people manage the volume of information in their daily lives by capturing and organising conversations and follow-up tasks.
NeoSapien pushes AI wearables
“We’re building technology that fades into the background so you can stay present in your life,” they said, adding that the device aims to reduce the cognitive load of remembering details or context from earlier interactions.
Investors have shown growing interest in AI wearables as companies look for the next wave of consumer hardware beyond smartphones.
Merak Ventures partner Sheetal Bahl said India has an opportunity to compete in this emerging segment, adding that NeoSapien has moved quickly in building a consumer product and may eventually supply software for other wearable form factors.
NeoSapien said it ultimately aims to develop an operating system layer for AI-driven devices ranging from pendants to watches and glasses and plans to offer an SDK that would allow businesses to build applications on top of its technology.
