StopDownOpen the app

Funding · AI & Deep Tech

Banza raises $1M pre-seed funding from Campus Fund

By ·

Date
Company
Banza
What it does
Personal AI Twin for user preferences
Kind
Funding
Amount
$1M
Stage
pre-seed
Founded
January 2026
Sector
AI & Deep Tech

What they do

Banza builds a personal AI Twin that learns user habits to assist decisions on food and shopping

What happened

The company secured $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Campus Fund with participation from Avalanche

Why it matters

Founded in January 2026, Banza has over 200,000 users and plans to deepen its product experience

The details

  • Banza raised $1 million in pre-seed funding announced on 4 May 2026 or 5 May 2026.
  • The round was led by Campus Fund with participation from Avalanche and a group of leading angel investors.
  • This is the first known funding event for the Indian startup as it focuses on building its core product.
  • The company aims to use the funds to accelerate product development and strengthen its foundation in the personal AI category.
  • Banza operates a remote-first team spread across different states in India.
  • The funding comes shortly after the company's founding earlier this year in January 2026.

The bigger picture

  • The personal AI space is becoming increasingly competitive with various startups focusing on user-centric data models.
  • Campus Fund's lead investment signals strong interest in early-stage AI ventures with clear utility.
  • The focus on user ownership of data addresses growing privacy concerns among digital consumers.

About the business

  • Banza creates a personal AI Twin that learns from user preferences, habits, and context over time.
  • The product assists users in making proactive decisions about what to eat, watch, go, buy, and plan.
  • It aims to unify fragmented digital behavior data from siloed platforms into a single coherent experience.
  • The value proposition emphasizes user ownership of their personal data and digital identity.
  • The platform handles diverse categories including entertainment, commerce, and lifestyle planning.
  • Banza serves a large base of over 200,000 users who interact with the AI twin.
  • The company operates as a remote-first entity with team members distributed across various states.
  • The business model relies on providing a personalized service that adapts to individual user behaviors.
  • The technology focuses on learning continuously to improve the relevance of its recommendations.

What happens next

  • Banza plans to accelerate product development using the raised capital.
  • The company intends to deepen the user experience of its AI Twin.
  • They aim to grow their team to support expansion efforts.
  • The goal is to strengthen the foundation of the personal AI category.

The deal

Type
Pre-seed

Investors

  • Campus Fund (lead) — Lead investor in the pre-seed round.
  • Avalanche (co-lead) — Participated in the pre-seed funding round.

Founders

  • Mehdi Abdi, CEO
  • Suraj Mulla, CBO
  • Aditya Vijaykumar, CTO

About Banza

Customers
Individual consumers seeking personalized AI recommendations across daily decisions
How it makes money
Direct-to-consumer personalized AI platform with cross-platform recommendations
What sets it apart
User-centric AI that works in user interest rather than platform interest

Other articles talking about it

Read it as a card in the app

Same day

All startup news on 4 May 2026 →