Born is a Berlin-founded consumer AI company building emotionally resonant AI companions and characters at the intersection of artificial intelligence and consumer social. Founded in 2022 and formerly known as Slay, Born designs AI characters meant to enter people's lives at the right moment and stay, creating experiences that feel natural, joyful, and lasting rather than transactional. The company releases its characters as App Store apps aimed at a young, social-first audience.
Born's flagship app is Pengu, a generative-AI virtual pet with a distinctive social twist: instead of a solitary experience, Pengu is co-parented by friends and family who raise it together, play minigames, and care for the same pet collaboratively. This shared-ownership mechanic transforms a familiar Tamagotchi-style concept into a social activity that strengthens real relationships. Pengu has grown to more than 15 million users globally, making it one of the largest AI character apps with its own original intellectual property in the United States.
The company frames its mission around combating loneliness, betting that AI companions designed for shared, wholesome interaction can foster connection rather than isolation. By centering social play and collaboration, Born differentiates itself from one-to-one AI companion apps and aims to build characters and worlds that people return to with their friends over time.
Born raised a $15 million Series A in September 2025, bringing its total funding to $25 million from investors including Accel, Tencent, and Laton Ventures. Accel led the company's earlier seed round and participated again in the Series A alongside Tencent and Laton Ventures. The new capital funds an expanded product roadmap, including a new US office in New York, additional characters for Pengu, and a new social AI product the company has been developing in stealth with strong early traction.
Born is best suited for Gen Z and young users who want playful, social AI experiences they can share with friends. Its bet is that the next generation of consumer social will be built around AI characters and collaborative play, with companions that feel like a natural, joyful part of everyday life.