In early April, the innovative startup Era Computer hosted a gathering in New York, bringing together artists who had received its developer kit. These artists showcased a diverse array of miniature gadgets they had conceptualized and built, ranging from a souvenir that delivers facts and jokes about France, to a phone-like device that monitors stock performance to advise on potential career changes, and even a gadget designed to report on air quality.
While these showcased devices are currently experimental, they are unified by Era’s underlying platform. This platform empowers hardware manufacturers to develop AI agents and orchestrations specifically for AI-powered devices. Era Computer itself does not intend to produce hardware; instead, its mission is to enable other creators by providing a sophisticated software layer. This layer is capable of handling complex tasks such as customized voice generation or integrating advanced intelligence into traditional devices like headphones.
To date, the startup has successfully secured $11 million in funding. This includes a substantial $9 million seed round spearheaded by Abstract Ventures and BoxGroup, with additional contributions from Collaborative Fund and Mozilla Ventures. Prior to this, Era had raised $2 million in pre-seed funding, with investments from Topology Ventures and Betaworks.
The company also boasts an impressive list of individual angel investors, including Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, iPhone keyboard creator Ken Kocienda, OAS founder Tony Wang, Little Guy co-founder Daniel Kuntz, Sandbar co-founder Mina Fahmi, former Rabbit CPO ShaoBo Z, and Poetry Camera creator Kelin Zhang.
Era was established last year by CEO Liz Dorman, CTO Alex Ollman, and CPO Megan Bole. Dorman previously contributed to AI orchestration at Humane and subsequently transitioned to HP following its acquisition. Ollman's expertise at HP focused on agentic frameworks for enterprises. Bole’s background includes work at Sutter Hill Ventures on the Jony Ive and Sam Altman’s io project, before she ultimately joined Era.
Casey Caruso, a founder and managing partner at Topology Ventures and an investor in Era, highlighted the startup’s orchestration platform as particularly noteworthy. She stated that its strength lies in its dynamic routing capabilities across various models and its adeptness at managing real-world limitations, such as connectivity issues.
Liz Dorman articulated that the fundamental concept behind Era was to construct a platform capable of powering the next generation of devices, envisioning a future where the traditional app model might become obsolete.
“I think one of the incredible things that we can do with these AI models today is that you can replace that app layer. So what we’re building is the intelligence layer to allow anyone to create these types of intelligent objects, intelligent devices. And what we really believe is that the future of tech should not be made by people in San Francisco…It should not be people in their high fortresses who are so out of touch with reality, making devices and forcing them onto everyone. I want a choice over my devices again,” Dorman passionately expressed.
Currently, Era provides access to over 130 Large Language Models (LLMs) from more than 14 different providers, facilitating the development of various AI gadget form factors, including smart glasses, jewelry, and home speakers. Era anticipates that as an increasing number of diverse form factors emerge, hardware manufacturers will require a sophisticated software layer capable of handling multimodal inputs and inference to effectively power intelligent functionalities.
“You can imagine this intelligence layer going to many different types of hardware. So we believe it’s not gonna be just glasses or rings or just bracelets. We’re gonna have a Cambrian explosion of what’s possible, and this is because tech is commoditized,” Dorman elaborated on the expansive potential.
Dorman further indicated that the startup’s platform is engineered for scalability, designed to support millions of devices. Moreover, it is equipped to facilitate custom AI device experiments that brands might undertake to specifically engage particular user segments.
Era’s overarching vision is that as AI gadgets gain widespread adoption, the platform will empower users to select their preferred memory and model providers in a manner that meticulously preserves privacy. mirroring its artist showcase, Era plans to extend its platform to the open-source and maker communities, demonstrating its versatility in powering a wide array of devices.
A significant hurdle within the AI hardware sector is the absence of a proven, successful company model. While Humane was acquired by HP and Rabbit has maintained a low profile, companies like Plaud have seen some success in meeting note-taking. Other startups, such as Sandbar and Taya, are still in their early stages. Despite these challenges, Era remains optimistic, believing that as users discover more practical applications for AI devices, a substantial portion will integrate them into their daily lives.
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