Most speakers just play music. Monar lets you see it.
In a world where every tech company is racing to make their smart speaker slightly smarter, Monar is doing something different. It doesn’t just stream your playlists or respond to voice commands—it transforms sound into visuals, creating an experience that blends music, art, and AI in a way no other device does.
Imagine listening to your favorite song and watching an AI-generated painting unfold in real-time, inspired by the lyrics and tone. That’s Monar.
The idea comes from Lianyuan (Ben) Yu, an entrepreneur who saw a gap in entertainment technology: smart speakers had gotten smarter, but they hadn’t gotten better.
So he built something better.
Why Do We Still Go to Concerts?
It’s a question Ben kept coming back to. With unlimited music on our phones and high-end speakers in our homes, why do people still spend money to pack into arenas and listen to songs they could stream for free?
The answer was simple: experience.
A concert isn’t just about the music. It’s about immersion—the lights, the energy, the feeling of being inside the sound.
Monar was built to bring that experience home.
What Makes Monar Different?
🔹 Live Lyrics Mode – AI turns song lyrics into real-time visual art, so no two songs ever look the same.
🔹 50,000+ Classic Artworks – A built-in collection of history’s greatest paintings, displayed on command.
🔹 Premium Sound – It doesn’t just look good; it sounds incredible, rivaling top-tier speakers.
🔹 Meditation Mode – A feature that users fell in love with, even though it wasn’t part of the original plan.
Ben thought people would buy Monar for the AI art. Instead, many are using it for deep focus and relaxation, letting the visuals guide their minds as they disconnect from daily noise.
“We designed Monar for music. But people started using it for mindfulness. That changed everything.”
From Idea to Reality
Like any great startup, Monar didn’t happen overnight.
Ben didn’t have corporate backing or unlimited resources. He built a team from scratch, joined a hardware incubator, and created the first prototypes using a 3D printer.
🚀 Step 1: Build the team – Recruited top talent from AI and design fields.
🚀 Step 2: Develop the AI – Trained a model to understand lyrics, rhythm, and mood to generate unique artwork.
🚀 Step 3: Secure funding – Joined an incubator that provided seed capital, workspace, and access to manufacturing resources.
🚀 Step 4: Iterate fast – Took prototypes to London for real-world feedback, refining the product based on what users loved.
The result? A first-of-its-kind AI speaker that’s gearing up to hit the market.
The Future of AI Entertainment
Monar is just the beginning.
While today it’s a speaker that turns sound into visuals, Ben’s vision goes much further. He sees a world where AI doesn’t just play music—it creates experiences.
🔹 Next-gen entertainment tech – AI-powered projectors, immersive sound systems, and interactive home experiences.
🔹 Custom AI models – Fine-tuned AI that understands your mood, music taste, and artistic preferences.
🔹 A new category of smart devices – Not just speakers, but AI-driven entertainment hubs that evolve over time.
“We don’t want to make tools. We want to make experiences.”
Launching Soon: Monar on Kickstarter
Monar is set to launch in May 2025, with backers getting early access to exclusive AI features.
📌 Pre-orders open soon
📌 Limited early-bird pricing for first adopters
📌 Shipping starts later this year
This isn’t just a speaker. It’s the future of music and AI.
And it’s only getting started. 🚀
