Skye, an iPhone app in private testing that aims to replace the traditional home screen with an AI-driven interface, has raised more than $3.58 million in pre-seed funding and attracted tens of thousands of waitlist users — all before a public launch, according to its creator and SEC filings.
The app is being built by New York-based Signull Labs, founded by Nirav Savjani, who goes by the pseudonym signüll on X. The funding round closed in September 2025, and PitchBook lists the company’s post-money valuation at $19.5 million. Backers include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), True Ventures, SV Angel, and Offline Ventures, among other individual investors.
Rather than functioning as a standalone app or chatbot, Skye uses iOS widgets to create what its creator calls an “agentic homescreen.” The interface is designed to surface personalized information — local weather, health data, meeting prep, email drafts, bank charge alerts, and location-based recommendations — pulled through user-authorized data connections.
Savjani, who says he previously worked at Google and Meta, announced the startup’s plans on X in April 2026. A video about the app drew roughly one million views, and the waitlist — which already stood at 25,000 — grew by tens of thousands more, according to a post he shared on the platform. He told TechCrunch that a launch to waitlist users is planned soon, though he declined to provide a specific date.
The level of pre-launch interest may suggest consumer appetite for a more AI-integrated iPhone experience. Savjani’s source also noted it could point to broader viability for AI-first devices, such as a rumored OpenAI smartphone.
Source: TechCrunch