Sandbar, a startup behind the innovative voice ring Stream, is making waves in the wearable tech industry with its unique approach to voice-enabled devices. By prioritizing human control and social acceptability, the company aims to succeed where others have failed.
Key Insights
The company has raised $36 million to date, including a $23 million Series A led by Adjacent and Kindred Ventures. Notably, Sandbar's voice-enabled ring, Stream, is designed to be push-to-talk instead of always-on, and the company chose to build fully custom hardware instead of reskinning an off-the-shelf device. This deliberate design ensures that the human remains firmly in control, avoiding the pitfalls of overly reliant AI hardware.
