Aina secures $5.5 million to build hardware that actively controls AI agents
Led by Redstart Labs and 360 ONE, the funding round supports the development of a new undisclosed device set to pilot in the coming weeks, distinguishing itself from the growing market of context-recording gadgets.
Aina, a dual-headquartered startup in Bengaluru and San Francisco, has raised $5.5 million in funding to develop hardware designed to actively control artificial intelligence agents. The investment round was led by Redstart Labs and 360 ONE, with participation from MIXI Global Investments, Antler, and Blume Founders Fund. Individual investors in the round include Kunal Shah, Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar, and Tikhon Bernstam.
Founded by Apoorv Shankar, the former vice-president of hardware at smart ring maker Ultrahuman, the company aims to bridge the gap between user intent and AI execution. Shankar, who previously ran hardware interface design startup LazyCo before it was acquired by Ultrahuman, left the company last year to pursue AI interfaces. He cited disappointment with existing devices such as Rabbit and the Humane Pin, noting a desire to build tools that do more than passively record user activity.
The startup’s current offering, Dune, is a context-aware macro keyboard featuring three keys that run pre-set shortcuts based on the application in use. While Aina previously developed two other prototypes, Radiance and Shift, early user testing identified Dune as the most popular. Consequently, the company has chosen to ship Dune first to learn which tasks users wish to automate, with plans to bundle features from the other devices into future iterations.
Aina is preparing to pilot a new, undisclosed device in the coming weeks. Shankar described the upcoming hardware as action-oriented, designed to trigger workflows and control agents using existing context from smartphones and laptops. This approach distinguishes Aina from competitors such as Sandbar, Plaud, and Pocket, which focus on capturing audio or visual data, and Meta Ray-Bans, which explore smart glasses.
The broader market for AI interaction hardware is expanding rapidly, with Qualcomm reportedly experimenting with more than 40 devices to interact with AI. OpenAI has also entered the space with a custom keypad for its Codex tool developed in partnership with Work Louder. As the industry searches for a definitive form factor, Aina’s funding signals continued investor interest in hardware that facilitates direct control over AI systems.
