Former Pinterest team reimagines email with Extra — and it actually works

When was the last time email felt genuinely exciting? For many users, it may go back to 2004, when Gmail first launched its beta invites. For others, the answer is never. Over the years, numerous startups have attempted to reinvent email. Still, most have only added incremental features such as productivity tools or AI assistants on top of the traditional inbox structure.

Now, a new company built by former Pinterest designers and engineers is attempting a more fundamental rethink of email itself.

BuildForever, a consumer tech startup, has launched its first product called Extra, which aims to rebuild the inbox from the ground up. Instead of relying on subject lines, folders, and tags, Extra organises email around a user’s daily life, consolidating everything important into a single “Today” view.

This “Today” tab updates in real time and highlights key information extracted from the user’s inbox, surfacing the most relevant messages and tasks in one place.

Beyond that, Extra automatically sorts the rest of the inbox into personalised categories based on email content and user behaviour. These appear as separate tabs, potentially covering areas such as family, travel, finances, newsletters, and more, creating a more structured and individualised email experience.

The idea for Extra emerged from a personal frustration shared by its founder. Naveen Gavini, co-founder and CEO of BuildForever and former SVP and chief product officer at Pinterest, described struggling with overwhelming personal email after years of managing work inboxes efficiently.

“I was a religious inbox zero person by day [at work] … you’re just constantly checking this email. And then I would open up my personal email, and it was just this wall of to-dos,” Gavini explained.

After long days of email-heavy work, he said he often lacked the energy to manage personal messages, leading to missed communication and overlooked tasks.

“That’s what we’re focused on — solving those user problems, versus pitching the next AI that can do everything,” Gavini said, emphasising that Extra is not being marketed primarily as an AI product, even though AI plays a key role behind the scenes.

Extra uses machine learning to understand, categorise, and prioritise emails automatically. It also includes an AI assistant that can help users search for messages, unsubscribe from mailing lists, and even respond using voice commands.

A restructured inbox built around action.

Instead of opening to a traditional inbox, Extra begins with the “Today” view, which acts as a dashboard of everything requiring attention. Messages are grouped into actionable items, daily events, and informational updates.

Users can treat these items like a task list, swiping to complete or clear them as needed. The system also predicts next steps, surfacing relevant actions such as opening files, reviewing links, or responding to requests.

Below this section, Extra displays “Good to Know” updates, which may include delivery updates, medical results, and curated newsletter summaries. At the bottom of the interface is a “Daily Cleanup” section, which highlights lower-priority emails. From here, users can unsubscribe from unwanted senders or delete entire message histories from specific sources to reduce clutter.

Completed actions are automatically synced with Gmail. At present, Extra is compatible only with Gmail, although broader support and even potential proprietary email addresses may be introduced in the future.

Personalised content beyond email

Extra also includes additional tabs tailored to different aspects of a user’s life. A “News” tab surfaces newsletter content in a visually rich format similar to news aggregation apps, encouraging users to read full articles.

An “Events” tab extracts appointments and suggests new activities based on email content, such as local events or concerts. It can also prompt follow-up actions, such as purchasing tickets or adding events to a calendar.

A “Shop” tab organises promotional emails into a curated browsing experience, presenting products visually instead of burying them in inbox promotions folders. This aims to make brand emails more discoverable and engaging. Gavini noted that the system is designed to give users more control over their inbox while improving how content is presented and consumed.

Usage, growth, and monetisation plans

According to the company, beta users have collectively unsubscribed from more than 2 million emails annually using Extra, while over 4 million emails have been summarised into “Today” view insights.

The app is currently launching on iOS and web for users on its waitlist, with invite-based access rolling out gradually.

BuildForever was co-founded by Steven Ramkumar and Albert Pereta, both former Pinterest employees with over a decade of experience in product and design. The broader mission, according to the founders, is to bring more joy, simplicity, and usability to everyday consumer software.

The company is backed by $9.5 million in seed funding from investors including Abstract, A* (Kevin Hartz), Felicis, and Elad Gil. Additional investors include notable figures from Pinterest, Gmail, and OpenAI, as well as major tech and design companies. Extra is currently free to use, with monetisation plans expected as the product evolves.