Bengaluru- and San Francisco-based startup Aina has secured $5.5 million in fresh funding to develop hardware designed not just to capture context, but to help users actively control AI agents.
The round was led by Redstart Labs and 360 ONE, with participation from MIXI Global Investments, Antler, and Blume Founders Fund. Individual backers include Kunal Shah, Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar, and Tikhon Bernstam.
Founded by Apoorv Shankar, formerly VP of Hardware at Ultrahuman, Aina began as Project Mirage and is now positioning itself in the fast-growing market for AI-native interfaces. Shankar previously led LazyCo, a hardware interface startup later acquired by Ultrahuman.
The company's first product, Dune, is a three-key context-aware macro keyboard built to manage meeting controls, launch shortcuts, and trigger scripts based on the app in use. Aina also developed Radiance, a tabletop remote for video calls, and Shift, a one-tap button that activates repeated AI tasks through a connected phone.
Early testing showed Dune was the most popular device, leading Aina to prioritize it for launch. The startup says the product will help it learn which workflows users most want to automate in real-world settings.
Looking ahead, Aina plans to test its next device with a small group of users in the coming weeks. The company says the new hardware will focus on action, enabling people to invoke and steer AI agents more directly. As AI tools spread across work and creativity, this shift could shape the next generation of intuitive human-machine interaction.
