Category: Voice / Speech AI
A screen-free AI wearable device and platform designed to capture, transcribe, and summarize real-world conversations and meetings in real-time. Pocket was founded in 2024. The company is led by Akshay Narisetti. Based in San Francisco, USA. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $11.5M. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Accel, Y Combinator, Peak XV Partners, Guillermo Rauch (Vercel), Mati Staniszewski (ElevenLabs), Kaz Nejatian (Opendoor), The Residency.
- Founded
- 2024
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, USA
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $11.5M
Value proposition
Provides an 'external brain' that eliminates the need for manual note-taking, allowing users to remain fully present in conversations while ensuring all key insights are captured and organized.
Products and solutions
Pocket AI Wearable (Hardware), Pocket Mobile & Web App (Transcription/Analysis Dashboard), Pocket for Teams (Collaborative meeting intelligence), Pocket API (For developers and enterprise integrations)
Unique value
Combines a screen-free, 'ambient' hardware form factor with high-velocity software iteration, moving away from traditional smartphone-based recording to a dedicated, always-ready AI assistant.
Target customer
Busy professionals, executives, journalists, researchers, and students who need to document verbal interactions without the distraction of a screen.
Industries served
Professional Services, Education & Research, Healthcare, Legal, Enterprise Productivity
Technology advantage
Vertical integration of custom audio-capture hardware with proprietary LLM-based summarization logic; leverages a 'builder' ethos to achieve rapid market penetration and high revenue traction compared to traditional hardware startups.
How they differentiate
Pocket differentiates through a 'screen-free' philosophy and vertical integration. Unlike software-heavy competitors that rely on smartphone interfaces, Pocket focuses on a dedicated ambient hardware device that captures real-world interactions with high-fidelity audio, processing them through a proprietary 'external brain' logic that emphasizes presence over digital distraction.
Main competitors
Plaud.ai, Omi (Based Hardware), Granola, Otter.ai
Key partnerships
Y Combinator (W26 Batch), Accel (Lead investor, Jun 2026), Peak XV Partners, The Residency (AI Hardware Program), Based Hardware / Omi (Founder legacy)
Notable customers
DoorDash, Uber, Amazon, ElevenLabs, Vercel, Individual Executives, Journalists, Research Teams, YC Startup Founders
Major milestones
Raised $11M seed led by Accel (Jun 2026), Reached ~$100M annualized revenue run rate (Aug 2026), Sold 200,000+ devices (company/BI Aug 2026), $27M ARR and 35,000+ units by Mar 2026, YC W26; most-watched cohort launch, Oct 2025 commercial launch with 10,000+ day-one shipments
Growth metrics
CEO-reported ~$100M annualized revenue run rate (Aug 2026) with 50% MoM growth; 200,000+ devices sold; earlier $27M ARR / 35k+ units by Mar 2026.
Market positioning
High-growth leader in the 'Ambient AI' and wearable productivity hardware space, targeting the 'prosumer' and executive market.
Geographic focus
Headquartered in San Francisco, USA; ~85% US revenue (BI Aug 2026); ships NA/Europe/APAC/ME; 200,000+ units sold globally.
Patents and IP
No registered patents publicly disclosed; likely relying on trade secrets and proprietary hardware-software integration.
About Akshay Narisetti
Akshay Narisetti is a hardware and AI engineer and founding member of Omi (Based Hardware), one of the world's largest open-source AI note-taking wearables. He gained viral attention for hacking Google's Dino Game, later rejecting multiple Google offers (including VR team) to build Pocket. SRM IST Chennai graduate; On Deck (ODF) and The Residency AI hardware fellow; co-founded Pocket / Open Vision Engineering with Gabriel Dymowski.
Latest news about Pocket
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Official website: https://heypocket.com/