Startup Era has secured $11 million in funding to develop a software platform designed to empower the creation of AI-driven gadgets. The investment round included a $9 million seed contribution led by Abstract Ventures and BoxGroup, with participation from Collaborative Fund and Mozilla Ventures. This follows a $2 million pre-seed round from Topology Ventures and Betaworks. Notable angel investors supporting the venture include Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, iPhone keyboard creator Ken Kocienda, and former Rabbit Chief Product Officer ShaoBo Z. Founded last year by CEO Liz Dorman, CTO Alex Ollman, and CPO Megan Gole, Era aims to provide the intelligence layer necessary for the next generation of hardware devices. Unlike traditional hardware manufacturers, the company does not intend to build gadgets itself. Instead, it offers a software framework that enables other makers to build AI agents and orchestration systems for various form factors. This platform handles complex tasks such as custom voice creation and adds cognitive capabilities to classic devices like headphones, jewelry, and home speakers. The core philosophy behind Era is to move away from the traditional app-based model. Dorman argues that current AI models allow developers to replace app interfaces entirely, enabling anyone to create intelligent objects. The team believes that technology should not be dominated by isolated companies in tech hubs, but should offer users diverse choices in their devices. To support this, Era currently integrates over 130 Large Language Models from more than 14 different providers. The platform is designed to manage dynamic routing across various AI models while handling real-world constraints such as connectivity. This capability allows hardware makers to cater to multimodal inputs and inference needs without requiring deep expertise in AI infrastructure. Dorman predicts a surge in device diversity, describing the future as a potential Cambrian explosion of intelligent hardware ranging from glasses to rings. Earlier in April, Era hosted a gathering in New York to demonstrate the platform's versatility. Artists and developers who received the company's developer kit showcased experimental prototypes, including devices that provide facts and jokes about France, gadgets that analyze stock markets to advise on quitting jobs, and tools for monitoring air quality. These examples highlight the platform's ability to support custom AI experiments that appeal to specific user needs. Era plans to open its platform to the open-source and maker communities to further accelerate innovation. The startup also envisions a future where users can select their own memory and model providers within a privacy-preserving framework. The company acknowledges the challenges facing the AI hardware sector, citing the shutdowns of Humane and Rabbit, yet remains optimistic that as users encounter more practical use cases, they will adopt these new device categories. By providing a scalable solution that works across millions of devices, Era positions itself as a foundational player in the emerging AI hardware ecosystem.