Tolan is a San Francisco-based AI company building embodied, voice-native companions. Its product, Tolans, consists of delightfully designed characters that users can converse with about interests, feelings, goals, and deep questions. The company operates from downtown San Francisco with a small, experienced team that works together in-person.
The company's technical work spans AI research, character design, and voice-native interaction. Tolan has raised over $30 million in funding to develop its AI companions, which are designed to be engaging conversational partners rather than simple task-oriented assistants.
The team includes talent drawn from Pixar, Meta, Oculus, and Apple, including Apple Design Award-winning artists. The company has also hired a science fiction novelist to help give its companions a sense of soul. Tolan emphasizes autonomy, ownership, and shipping quickly within its working culture.
