AI startup Banza has secured $1 million in pre-seed funding to advance its personalised “AI Twin” platform, underscoring growing investor interest in privacy-centric consumer AI. The round was led by Campus Fund, with participation from Avalanche and select angel investors, and will support product development, hiring, and user experience enhancements.
Founders, funding use, and product vision
Founded in January 2026 by Mehdi A and Aditya Vijayakumar, Banza is building a personal “AI Twin” that learns from an individual’s online behaviour to deliver increasingly relevant assistance over time. The company positions privacy and data sovereignty at the core of its architecture, promising user-level control over what is collected, how it is used, and with whom it is shared.
Banza says its platform is designed to enable safe data utilisation while preventing misuse. It is also exploring reward mechanisms that allow users to earn when their data contributes to AI workflows—an approach aligned with emerging data ownership and incentive models in consumer AI.
Traction ahead of public launch
Before its official launch, Banza introduced a privacy-focused app in August 2025 on the Avalanche ecosystem with support from infraBUIDL(AI). The app attracted more than 15,000 users, signalling early demand for tools that combine personalisation with robust privacy controls and contributing to investor confidence in the company’s roadmap.
Market backdrop and investor interest
The funding arrives amid sustained momentum in AI and technology dealmaking. Recent activity includes a $5 million raise by AI firm Tsavorite, while Fireside Ventures backed consumer brands such as CHOSEN and Kisah. HealthFab and Ubiqedge also announced fresh capital rounds, reflecting a broad-based recovery in early-stage financing.
Within this landscape, Banza is targeting a fast-evolving niche at the intersection of personal AI, privacy, and data monetisation—areas that are drawing attention from both users and investors as regulatory and consumer expectations around data control continue to rise.
