19-Year-Old Founder Raises $11 Million for Ghost’s $3,499 Personal AI Computer
Ghost exits stealth with $11 million for Core, a $3,499 local AI computer built to run autonomous agents while keeping personal data encrypted on the device.
Summary
Ghost emerged from a year in stealth on October 5, 2026, with an $11 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz and joined by Abstract, Audacious Ventures, SV Angel and Nova. Zain Javaid, 19, founded the company after ChatGPT’s 2022 release alongside Nicholas Chua, 19, Yifei Chen, 24, and Gautam Sharda, 23.
Ghost’s first product, Core, is a $3,499 screenless computer for continuously running AI agents across desktop files, apps and smart home devices. Access comes through a phone or app, while voice input works only through the Core app. Each unit includes an Nvidia RTX Pro 4000 SFF Blackwell GPU, custom software, a browser and filing system, plus Qwen-3.8-Next, Qwen-3.8-27B and Gemma-4-31B. Users can add Hugging Face or self-trained models, approve model changes or enable over-the-air updates. Unlike a general-purpose Mac Mini configured for AI, Core is purpose-built and preconfigured.
Models, memory, source code, logic, weights and encrypted personal data run locally, without meaningful access for Ghost, cloud providers or third parties. Owners set agent autonomy, and Core is designed to function if Ghost closes. Ghost is building a firewall to block and flag unauthorized outbound requests involving credentials or data. Units are assembled at its San Francisco facility, with preorders opening October 5 and shipping planned for October’s final week. Javaid says Core could combine health, computer and seasonal context to warn users of illness.
Positives
- $11 million from Andreessen Horowitz and four other investors gives Ghost substantial seed funding after one year in stealth.
- Nvidia’s RTX Pro 4000 SFF Blackwell GPU is included in Core’s $3,499 price rather than requiring a separate purchase.
- Models, memory and encrypted personal information run locally, limiting meaningful access by Ghost, cloud providers and third parties.
- Qwen-3.8-Next, Qwen-3.8-27B and Gemma-4-31B arrive preinstalled, while Hugging Face and self-trained models remain supported.
- Core is designed to continue operating if Ghost closes because its source code, logic and model weights reside on the device.
- Owners can control agent autonomy, approve model changes or enable automatic over-the-air updates.
Risks & concerns
- Core’s $3,499 price places Ghost’s first product well above many general-purpose personal computers.
- Ghost is still building the firewall intended to stop agents from misusing credentials or sending unauthorized data.
- Voice control requires the Core app because the screenless computer cannot receive spoken commands directly.
- The first batch is not scheduled to ship until October’s final week, leaving Core’s real-world performance untested.
- Core faces alternatives including Apple’s Mac Mini, which users can already configure to run AI tools.