Rewind’s AI Pendant Records Conversations, Backed by a16z

Limitless: The AI-Powered Meeting Suite and Conversation-Recording Pendant

In a significant pivot from its previous focus, Rewind, a startup that had raised $10 million from a16z in 2022 to build a personal data recording service, has rebranded as “Limitless” and is now offering an AI-powered meeting suite and a hardware pendant that can record your conversations. The shift comes in the wake of OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT, which has made generative AI a game-changer in the realm of personal data recording and searchability.

The Limitless Pendant: A Wearable Conversation Recorder

Co-founder Dan Siroker first introduced the idea of a conversation-recording pendant in October 2022, accepting preorders at $59. The company has since finalized the design and aims to ship the product in Q4 2024. The $99 pendant, which can easily attach to your shirt like a wireless mic or be worn as a necklace, is designed to record and transcribe meetings, eliminating the need for manual note-taking. Siroker announced that the company has already received more than 10,000 preorders for the product.

The Limitless App: AI-Powered Meeting Tools

While the hardware product is still a few months away from shipping, Limitless has released an app available on the web, Mac, and Windows. The app uses system audio and a microphone to record meetings, eliminating the need for a bot to join. It offers features similar to those found in meeting tools like Otter, Zoom, TimeOS, and TLDV. However, Limitless aims to differentiate itself with tools like real-time automated notes and automatically generated meeting briefs based on participants and previous meetings.

Image Credits: Limitless

Confidential Cloud: Secure Data Storage

One of the major differentiators of Limitless is its new confidential cloud product, which stores data in an encrypted format. Unlike Rewind, which was largely a local product, the cloud feature allows users to access their data from anywhere. Siroker emphasized the security of the solution, stating:

“Confidential Cloud might sound like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. It is private by design. Unlike the traditional cloud, your employer, us as a software provider and the government cannot decrypt your data without your permission, even if given a subpoena. Only you control the decryption of your data.”

The Future of Limitless: AI Agents and Developer Platform

Limitless has raised more than $33 million in funding from backers such as a16z, First Round Capital, and NEA. The company plans to continue supporting Rewind in its current state but will focus on adding new features to Limitless. The hardware product is expected to answer questions through an AI-powered bot based on meeting recordings, connections with personal accounts, and information on the web. Limitless also plans to offer a platform for developers to build apps or experiences surrounding the product.

The company’s larger vision is to build AI agents that can perform tasks on behalf of users, a trend that is gaining traction among startups working with AI. While the idea of AI-powered agents handling tasks sounds promising, there are still challenges to overcome, such as the potential for errors in AI output and the difficulty in making AI understand context and user intentions.