Former Apple engineer raises $5M for a note-taking pendant that only records your voice

Former Apple engineer Wagenmans founded Taya, a startup that has raised $5 million in seed funding to develop a privacy-focused note-taking pendant designed exclusively to record the user’s voice. Unlike many existing wearable recorders that capture ambient sound and conversations around the user, Taya’s necklace uses voice prioritization technology—starting with a voice snippet recorded during onboarding—to minimize background noise and ensure only the wearer’s voice is captured. The device, priced at $89, features a button to manually start and stop recording, with the microphone off by default, addressing privacy concerns and social stigma associated with wearable recording gadgets. Taya also offers an iOS app that saves voice notes and enables users to interact with their recordings through an AI-powered chat feature. The company is exploring directional microphones and other mechanisms to improve note-taking ease and provide user feedback when notes are saved. With a small team based in San Francisco, Taya aims to appeal beyond early adopters by emphasizing a stylish, single-user design that supports