Sandbar Raises $23M to Build a Wearable Conversational Interface for an Agentic World

Stream, Sandbar's private voice ring and conversational interface, mark a new step in human-computer interaction, designed for individual augmentation in an agentic world

NEW YORK, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandbar, an interface company based in New York City, announced today it has raised $23M in a Series A funding round led by Adjacent and Kindred Ventures, bringing total funding to $36M. The round follows a $10M Seed led by True Ventures in early 2025 and a $3M pre-seed led by Upfront Ventures and Betaworks in early 2024.

Stream, Sandbar's first product, is a private voice ring and conversational interface. It gained early attention at launch in November through in-person demos and word of mouth — earning coverage from The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Bloomberg, and Wired. The funding will accelerate hiring across machine learning, interaction design, and software ahead of Stream's Summer 2026 ship.

Sandbar was founded with a simple north star: self extension– technology that extends human agency rather than replacing it. Co-founders Mina Fahmi (CEO) and Kirak Hong (CTO) worked together at CTRL-labs—acquired by Meta in 2019 — where they worked on bridging the gap between human intent and action, including on the Meta Neural Band. At Sandbar, they're working with a team of engineers, designers, and technologists focused on expanding human capabilities–to think, remember, and create wherever they are.

"We believe in self augmentation in an agentic world," said Mina Fahmi, cofounder and CEO. "With the right interface, everyone should be able to develop ideas and get things done wherever they are, with the speed, privacy, and ease of thinking."

Stream pairs Stream Ring—a private voice ring with a touchpad, personal mic, and haptic feedback–—with a conversational interface that helps you capture notes, talk through ideas, retrieve web info, and take actions on-the-go. No unlocks. No interruptions. Stream is a faster, more private way to think out loud, build on it, and act.

Unlike AI companions, Stream is designed without an identity of its own. It remembers what you share, listens only when you hold the button to speak — even at a whisper — and uses multiple AI models to organize, respond, and search the web in real time. Your data stays yours and can be shared with other apps. This spring, Sandbar will launch a closed Beta to refine software interactions and introduce Inner Voice, a feature that responds in a voice personalized to the user — creating a more natural way to develop ideas.

Sandbar's team of 15 has shipped some consumer products including iPhone, Vision Pro, Fitbit, and Kindle. Key hires include Sam Bowen (VP of Hardware, previously Amazon, Fitbit, and Peloton) and Brooke Travis (VP of Marketing, previously Equinox, Dior, and Gap).

Pre-orders for Stream are open now at sandbar.com with early pricing. Batch 1 has sold out; Batch 2 is available now, shipping this Summer.

About Sandbar

Sandbar is an interface company based in New York City. Its mission is to bridge gaps — to better navigate the world around and inside us. Stream, its first product, is a private voice ring and conversational interface that lets people think, capture, and create wherever they are. Sandbar is backed by Adjacent, Kindred Ventures, True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, Betaworks, and others. Learn more at sandbar.com.

SOURCE Sandbar