Berlin-based AI gaming startup Born has secured $15 million in Series A funding, bringing its total raised to $25 million, as it seeks to reframe the role of AI companions in everyday life.
At the center of its pitch is Pengu, a virtual pet app powered by generative AI that requires users to co-parent and collaborate with another human, whether a friend, sibling, or partner. Unlike conventional chatbot companions that focus on one-to-one bonds, Born’s model emphasizes shared experiences, which co-founder and CEO Fabian Kamberi says makes AI companionship less isolating.
“It feels like it fuels the loneliness epidemic, instead of making it more fun and giving users the opportunity to make their lives better,” Kamberi told TechCrunch.
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The Series A round was led by Accel, with participation from Tencent and Laton Ventures, alongside earlier backers. The capital will fund the expansion of Pengu, the release of new AI characters, and a new social AI product for young people.
Pengu’s Model vs. the Chatbot Boom
Born’s push comes at a time when AI companions like Replika, Character.AI, and Inflection’s Pi have drawn millions of users, but also criticism for promoting one-on-one attachment to bots. These platforms often market their AI as “friends” or “partners,” creating what some researchers describe as dependency-driven relationships.
By contrast, Pengu’s freemium model — with a paid Pengu Pass for extra features — places the AI as a mediator between people, not a substitute for them. The app has already attracted more than 15 million users globally, though the company has not disclosed how many are paying subscribers, a key metric for the long-term sustainability of any subscription-driven platform.
The difference, Kamberi argues, is that Pengu functions as a shared project, encouraging users to engage with both the AI and their human relationships.
From Slay to Born
The company’s ethos can be traced back to its origins as Slay, a teen-focused social media app centered on exchanging compliments. Kamberi once described Slay as a place for teens to “rediscover social interactions in various play modes.”
That principle carried over into Born’s pivot: designing AI experiences that build community, not isolation.
The new capital will also help Born open a New York office later this year, led by head of finance Enrico Dal Re, and deepen its investment in AI research. A key focus is improving the character engine, so each AI companion maintains a consistent personality, remembers past interactions, and grows alongside users.
While Born primarily relies on OpenAI’s models, Kamberi said the startup has added extra safety layers tailored to its younger demographic, where children as young as 13 can use the apps.
The Next Product
Born is also preparing a stealth AI social app aimed at users aged 16 to 21. The platform will allow users to create and engage with “culturally relevant AI companions that feel like real friends.” These companions might, for instance, recommend TikTok or Instagram content aligned with a user’s interests and foster network effects by encouraging users to share their AI creations on social media.
“We don’t believe that the current chatbot landscape is the final form factor for how AI friends and consumer AI is done,” Kamberi said. “There must be ways for consumer social AI to be way more engaging to users than just entering a platform and texting a bot that was maybe created by me or another person.”
Investor View
For Luca Bocchio, partner at Accel, Born’s vision represents a new category of consumer social AI — one that emphasizes emotional intelligence and real-world connections rather than solitary chatbot relationships.
“We’ve been really impressed by the team’s ability to develop chart-topping apps and their inspiring product vision, and we’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with them as they scale globally,” Bocchio said.
The contrast between Born and rivals such as Replika or Character.AI highlights a broader debate in consumer AI: whether these technologies should serve as companions that replace human connection or as tools that amplify social bonds.
As Born prepares to scale globally, it faces the dual challenge of converting its large user base into paying subscribers and proving that its “shared experience” model can compete against the entrenched one-to-one chatbot trend that dominates the space today.