Imagine cloning your brain, not some clunky chatbot knockoff, but a full-stack digital extension of you. Your expertise, your tone, your weirdly specific hot takes on quarterly OKRs and oat milk lattes, preserved, fluent in multiple languages, and available on-demand via text, voice, or video. Welcome to Delphi, the San Francisco AI company turning personal knowledge into programmable presence. And they’re not whispering into the void. They just raised $16 million in Series A led by Sequoia Capital, with heat from Menlo Ventures, Anthropic’s Anthology Fund, Proximity Ventures, Crossbeam, Parable, Abstract Ventures, 49Palms, MVP Ventures, and an angel list that reads like a who’s who of tech’s Mount Rushmore, Gokul Rajaram, Soleio, and founders from Zoom, YouTube, DoorDash, and Lyft.
Credit where it’s due, Dara Ladjevardian (CEO) and Sam Spelsberg (CTO) didn’t stumble into this. They built it. From Georgetown physics labs and UVA’s cyber defense war rooms, to engineering stints at C3.ai, OpenStore, and Apple’s Crypto Services team, they’ve stitched together a platform that doesn’t just talk back, it thinks like you. Delphi’s not in the business of selling AI buzzwords. They’re preserving wisdom, yours, mine, and your uncle’s unsolicited startup advice, and making it scalable.
The idea was born from a stroke. Literally. Dara’s grandfather, an Iranian businessman and family pillar, lost his ability to communicate. So Dara trained an AI on his memoirs, creating the first digital mind. What started as a deeply personal tribute evolved into a business that now helps creators, coaches, consultants, and operators scale themselves across time zones and touchpoints. Think, a digital clone that can coach execs, prep board decks, optimize sales scripts, or follow up with leads while you sleep. No interns harmed in the process.
No hype necessary when the product performs. Over $500K ARR in five months with zero marketing spend. Not bad for a startup operating out of a warehouse on St. John Street with a brain-shaped tech stack and a waiting list full of names like Jay Shetty, Lenny Rachitsky, Codie Sanchez, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Dr. Mark Hyman. Delphi doesn’t ask for attention, it earns it, automating human connection without losing the soul in the syntax.
The funding fuels more fire: multilanguage fluency, deeper integrations (Zoom, Slack, WhatsApp, SMS), and “Delphi Actions,” AI that doesn’t just talk but does. Follow-ups, calendar drops, nudges, all wrapped in your voice, style, and intent. The monetization model? Free for light use, but $79 to $2,499/month tiers unlock premium functionality and keep creators earning 85%+ of their revenue. Smart founders know: ownership is leverage.
From startup decks to soul-searching sessions, Delphi’s digital minds are showing us what comes after chatbots. Congratulations Dara Ladjevardian, Sam Spelsberg, and the entire Delphi team. You’re not just preserving voices, you’re amplifying them. And the signal is only getting stronger.
