Berlin, Germany - Sep 10, 2025 (UTC) - Born, the Berlin-based AI gaming startup maker of virtual pet Pengu, has raised a $15 million Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to $25 million. The round was backed by investors including Accel, Tencent, and Laton Ventures as the company prepares to launch new AI companions designed to strengthen real-world relationships rather than isolate users.
Born’s flagship AI product is an app where users can raise, play mini-games with, and co-parent a cute virtual pet named Pengu. Think of it as a generative AI-powered Tamagotchi or Neopet, but one that requires collaboration with another human, like a friend or romantic partner. It’s a freemium app where users can pay for a Pengu Pass subscription for additional features. The app has reached more than 15 million users globally, according to Born.
“It feels like it fuels the loneliness epidemic, instead of making it more fun and giving users the opportunity to make their lives better,” CEO and co-founder Fabian Kamberi said about current AI companions on the market. The future of AI companions, he says, is about shared experiences that strengthen real-world bonds. “We don’t believe that the current chatbot landscape is the final form factor for how AI friends and consumer AI is done. 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.”
The idea behind Pengu is that the social aspect turns the pet into a shared project, helping users engage with both the AI character and their real-life relationships. Born’s thesis that AI companions should both entertain and incorporate a social element has attracted investor attention, representing a contrast with one-to-one chatbot models like Replika or Character.ai.
“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,” said Luca Bocchio, partner at Accel.
With the fresh funds, Born plans to launch new characters on the Pengu app, including another “cute” digital companion that would double as a learning companion. The startup is also opening an office in New York later this year focused on marketing and AI research. That research will include improving its character engine so that each new AI friend can form a consistent personality, remember interactions, and grow alongside the user. Enrico Dal Re, Born’s head of finance, will lead the company’s expansion in the U.S.
Born is also preparing to launch another AI social product specifically for young people ages 16 to 21 – though kids as young as 13 can use Born’s apps. The new product is still in stealth mode, but Kamberi says it will allow users to create and engage with “culturally relevant AI companions that feel like real friends.” For example, the bots might send you TikTok videos or Instagram Reels based on the content you already consume on social media. Kamberi added that he expects Born’s new product to have “network effects” as users share their creations on social media.
Born mainly relies on OpenAI’s generative AI models, but has built additional safety layers on top. The company was formerly known as Slay, a social media app for teenagers that revolved around giving and receiving compliments. The pivot to Born’s AI companions carries forward that same principle of making digital interactions more positive and socially engaging.
About Born
Born is a Berlin-based AI gaming startup that develops social AI companions designed to combat loneliness through shared digital experiences. The company’s flagship product, Pengu, is a virtual pet app that encourages collaboration between users, requiring them to co-parent an AI-powered digital companion. Founded by CEO Fabian Kamberi, the company was previously known as Slay, a compliment-based social media platform for teenagers. Born has reached over 15 million global users with its Pengu app and is expanding to launch new AI companion products for different age groups. The company primarily uses OpenAI’s generative AI models with additional proprietary safety layers and is opening a New York office to support its U.S. expansion and AI research efforts.
