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    • Hark, an AI Hardware Startup, Raises $700 Million

    By Any May 21, 2026
    Hark, an AI hardware startup founded by Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock, has raised over $700 million in a Series A funding round, valuing the company at $6 billion. The company is developing a "personal AI platform" that combines in-house AI models with native hardware.
    Hark, an AI Hardware Startup, Raises $700 Million

    Hark, an AI Hardware Startup, Raises $700 Million Hark, a little-known AI hardware startup founded less than a year ago, has vaulted into the top tier of AI bets by securing a massive funding round before unveiling a single consumer product.

    Late 2025: A new Adcock venture in stealth

    In late 2025, serial founder Brett Adcock — known for Archer Aviation and humanoid-robot maker Figure AI — began funding Hark with $100 million of his own money to build an “agentic AI system that serves as a universal interface with the digital world.” The San Jose–based lab positioned itself around a “personal AI platform” that would pair in-house foundation models, software, and custom hardware.

    Early 2026: From stealth to upper-tier AI bet

    Hark emerged from stealth in early 2026, describing plans to release its first multimodal AI models in the summer, followed by hardware devices designed specifically for those systems. The company said the models would power a personal assistant able to work across existing products and services, aiming to be the “universal interface” for everyday users rather than just developers.

    May 21, 2026: A $700 million Series A at a $6 billion valuation

    On May 21, 2026, Hark announced it had raised over $700 million in Series A funding at a $6 billion valuation. Parkway Venture Capital led the round, joined by a who’s who of the chip and cloud ecosystem, including Nvidia, AMD Ventures, Intel Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and others.

    Adcock framed the mission in unusually consumer-focused terms: “We’re building the AI that everyone deserves, but no one has built yet — one that actually knows you, speaks your language, is highly personalized, and lives on hardware made for you.”

    Competing visions and lingering doubts

    With this raise, Hark moves directly into competition with OpenAI, Apple, Google, and Meta, all racing to define AI-native hardware. Investors were reportedly impressed by internal demos, even as Hark kept product details secret. Yet the company faces a market “littered with failures,” from Humane’s AI Pin to Rabbit’s R1, and the unresolved challenge of giving AI enough personal context without eroding user privacy or comfort.

    Whether Hark’s universal interface becomes the first must-have AI consumer device—or another expensive cautionary tale—will depend on what it finally ships later this year.

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