BuildForever Launches 'Extra,' a New Email App That Organizes by Life Categories

A new consumer technology company, BuildForever, has launched its first product: an email application called Extra. The app takes a novel approach to inbox management by organizing messages around life categories instead of traditional subject lines, folders, and tags.

The app's central feature is a "Today" tab that displays real-time, actionable information extracted from a user's email.

The Founders and Funding

The company was founded by former Pinterest employees Naveen Gavini, Steven Ramkumar, and Albert Pereta. The idea for Extra reportedly originated from Gavini's personal difficulty managing his personal email inbox.

BuildForever has raised $9.5 million in seed funding from a notable group of investors. Backers include Abstract, A*, Felicis, and Elad Gil, as well as Pinterest co-founders Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp, and Gmail creator Paul Bucheit.

How Extra Works

The application uses artificial intelligence to learn, understand, and organize inbox content, though the company states it is not primarily marketing Extra as an AI app.

The rest of a user's inbox is automatically organized into custom category tabs such as family activities, travel plans, finances, and newsletters. The app currently works with Gmail accounts.

Key Features

• The "Today" View: This central tab categorizes items as needing action, happening today, or being "good to know." Actionable items can be swiped to clear.
• Daily Cleanup: A section for reviewing low-priority emails, unsubscribing from senders, and deleting emails to save storage space.
• Dedicated Tabs: These include:
  • News: Newsletter content presented with images and headlines.
  • Events: For appointments and suggested local happenings.
  • Shop: Shopping-related emails displayed with product photos.
• Users can also access a traditional inbox view if needed.

Current Launch Status

The company reports positive early metrics from its beta testing phase. Beta testers have collectively unsubscribed from over two million emails per year, and over four million emails have been transformed into "Today" view summaries.

The app is now launching on iOS and web to users on a waitlist, who can invite others using special codes. The application is free to use, with plans for monetization at a future date.