A wearable ring, conversational AI and US$23M in funding. Sandbar wants to rethink how we interact with technology
Updated
March 12, 2026 5:59 PM
Sandbar's Stream ring. PHOTO: SANDBAR
Sandbar, a New York–based interface startup, has raised US$23 million in Series A funding to develop a wearable device that lets people interact with artificial intelligence via voice rather than screens.
Adjacent and Kindred Ventures led the round; both venture firms focused on early-stage technology startups. The investment brings Sandbar’s total funding to us$36 million. Earlier backing included a US$10 million seed round led by True Ventures, a venture capital firm, as well as a US$3 million pre-seed round supported by Upfront Ventures, a venture firm and Betaworks, a startup studio and investment firm.
Sandbar was founded by Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, who previously worked together at CTRL-labs, a neural interface startup acquired by Meta in 2019. Their earlier work explored how computers could respond more directly to human intent — an idea that continues to shape Sandbar’s approach to AI interfaces.
The new funding will help the company expand its team across machine learning, interaction design and software engineering as it prepares to launch its first product. That product, called Stream, combines a wearable ring with a conversational AI interface. The system allows users to speak to an AI assistant without unlocking a phone or opening an app.
The concept is simple. Instead of typing into a screen, users press a button on the ring and talk. The system can capture notes, organize ideas, retrieve information from the web or trigger actions through connected applications.
The ring includes a microphone, a touchpad and subtle haptic feedback. These elements allow the device to respond through gentle vibrations rather than visual alerts. According to the company, the ring only listens when the user presses the button — a design meant to address common concerns around always-on microphones.
That design reflects a larger shift Sandbar believes is underway. As AI assistants become more capable, many startups are experimenting with new ways to interact with them. The focus is moving away from screens and keyboards toward interfaces that feel more natural and immediate.
Stream uses multiple AI models working together to process requests, search the web and structure information in real time. The company says users remain in control of their data and can choose whether to share information with other apps.
Sandbar is also developing a feature called Inner Voice, which responds using a voice customized to the user. The feature will debut during a closed beta planned for this spring, giving the company time to refine how the software behaves in everyday use.
The startup currently employs a team of 15 people. Many have worked on well-known consumer devices including the iPhone, Fitbit, Kindle and Vision Pro. Recent hires include Sam Bowen, formerly of Amazon and Fitbit, who joined as vice president of hardware and Brooke Travis, previously at Equinox, Dior and Gap, who now leads marketing.
Sandbar plans to begin shipping Stream in summer 2026 after completing early testing. As artificial intelligence tools become more integrated into daily life, the company is betting that the next shift in computing will not come from another app — but from new ways for people to interact with AI itself.
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Structured AI interviews and human judgment combine to address the global talent shortage
Updated
March 4, 2026 4:46 PM
ManpowerGroup World Headquarters in Milwaukee. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
As hiring pressures mount across global markets, ManpowerGroup is turning to technology to strengthen how it connects people to work. The workforce solutions major has announced a global partnership with Hubert, a startup focused on AI-driven structured interviews. The aim is simple: make hiring faster and fairer, without removing the human touch.
ManpowerGroup has spent decades operating at the center of the global labor market. The company works with employers across industries to fill roles, manage workforce planning and build talent pipelines. With millions of placements each year, it has a clear view of how strained hiring has become. A large share of employers today report difficulty finding skilled talent. At the same time, candidates expect more transparency, quicker feedback and flexibility in how they engage with employers.
Hubert enters this picture as a specialist in structured digital interviewing. The startup has built tools that allow candidates to complete interviews online, at any time, while being assessed against consistent criteria. Instead of relying on informal screening calls or resume filters, its system focuses on standardized questions tied directly to job requirements. The idea is to bring more consistency to early-stage hiring.
The partnership brings these capabilities into ManpowerGroup’s global operations. AI-powered interviews will now support the first stage of screening, helping recruiters identify qualified candidates earlier in the process. This does not replace recruiters. Final decisions and contextual judgment remain with experienced hiring professionals. What changes is the speed and structure of the initial assessment.
For employers, this could mean earlier visibility into job-ready talent and less time spent on manual screening. For candidates, it offers more flexibility. A significant portion of interviews on Hubert’s platform are completed outside regular office hours, allowing applicants to engage when it suits them. That flexibility can make a difference in competitive labor markets where timing matters.
The collaboration is also positioned as a step toward reducing bias. By evaluating each candidate against the same transparent standards, the process becomes more consistent. While no system can remove bias entirely, structured assessments can reduce the variability that often comes with unstructured interviews.
At its core, the partnership addresses a gap many large organizations are facing. They need scale and speed, but they cannot afford to lose the human judgment that good hiring depends on. Manual processes are too slow. Fully automated systems can feel impersonal and risky. ManpowerGroup’s approach suggests a middle path, where technology handles repetition and structure and recruiters focus on potential and fit.
The move also reflects a broader shift in the workforce industry. AI is no longer being tested on the sidelines. It is being built into the foundation of hiring operations. For established players like ManpowerGroup, the challenge is not whether to adopt AI, but how to do so responsibly and at scale.
By working with Hubert, the company is signaling that the future of recruitment will likely blend structured digital tools with human expertise. In a market defined by talent shortages and rising expectations, that balance may prove critical.