# Friend

> Friend is a consumer AI startup making a $129 always-listening pendant that texts the wearer with commentary, jokes and emotional support. Founded by Harvard dropout Avi Schiffmann - the teenager behind the viral nCoV2019 COVID tracker - Friend bet $1.8 million on its one-word domain and then $1 million on a deliberately graffiti-bait subway campaign that turned New York City into an unfiltered focus group.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Avi Schiffmann (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~49 employees (LinkedIn)
- **Products:** Friend Pendant, Friend iOS app
- **Notable:** Raised an initial $2.5M seed in 2024 and a reported $10M cumulatively., Bought friend.com for $1.8M after the domain sat unclaimed for 17 years., Ran the largest NYC subway ad campaign of 2025 with 11,000+ placements.

## Products & services

- **Friend Pendant** — A $129 always-listening white pendant on a cord. Pairs to an iPhone, streams audio context to Google's Gemini model, and replies to the wearer by text message.
- **Friend iOS app** — Companion app that surfaces the Friend's messages, manages memories and personality, and stores a visual memory graph.

## Achievements

- Raised an initial $2.5M seed in 2024 and a reported $10M cumulatively.
- Bought friend.com for $1.8M after the domain sat unclaimed for 17 years.
- Ran the largest NYC subway ad campaign of 2025 with 11,000+ placements.
- Founder previously built nCoV2019.live, used by hundreds of millions during the pandemic.
- Avi Schiffmann named Webby Person of the Year 2020 (presented by Dr. Anthony Fauci).

## Latest updates

- **2024-07** — Closed a $2.5M seed round and unveiled the Friend pendant concept.
- **2024** — Acquired friend.com for $1.8 million.
- **2025-01** — First production batch of pendants begins shipping to early buyers.
- **2025-10** — Launches $1M New York City subway campaign; ads are immediately and extensively defaced.
- **2025-11** — CNN reports the device has become a cultural symbol for the AI backlash.

## Links

- Website: https://friend.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frienddotcom
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/frienddotcom
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frienddotcom
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frienddotcom

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/friend
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-29