Sandbar Raises $23 Million to Bring Stream Voice Ring to Market

AI wearables have struggled to move beyond novelty as consumers question their utility, privacy and need for another always-on device. Founded by former Meta interface specialists Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, New York-based Sandbar is taking a more deliberate approach with Stream, a voice-first ring it calls a “mouse for voice.” Its microphone activates only when the wearer presses a touch-sensitive panel, enabling note capture, AI conversations and media controls while keeping the user in charge.

Sandbar said on March 10, 2026, that it raised $23 million in a Series A round led by Adjacent and Kindred Ventures, bringing total funding to $36 million. The financing follows a $10 million seed round led by True Ventures in early 2025 and a $3 million pre-seed led by Upfront Ventures and Betaworks in early 2024. Sandbar plans to expand its machine-learning, interaction-design and software teams before Stream, priced from $249, begins shipping in the U.S. in summer 2026.