Two former Meta employees unveiled their smart ring startup Sandbar today, opening pre-orders for the Stream device that functions as a “mouse for your voice” to capture whispered thoughts and control music playback.

Entering a Crowded Wearable AI Market

The Stream Ring is priced at $249 for the silver version and $299 for gold, with shipments planned for summer 2026. This marks another entry in the rapidly expanding wearable AI market, which already includes card-shaped devices from Plaud, pendants from Friend and Limitless, and the recently acquired Bee wristband.

Sandbar CEO Mina Fahmi and CTO Kirak Hong previously worked together at neural interface startup CTRL-Labs before Meta acquired it in 2019. They designed the ring for discreet note-taking without pulling out phones or speaking aloud in public spaces.

“A lot of my ideas come when I’m walking or commuting to work, and I don’t want to take out my phone to interrupt that moment. I don’t want to yell into my earbuds so the whole world hears me when I’m processing an idea,” Fahmi told TechCrunch.

Touch-Activated Recording and Music Controls

The aluminum ring, designed for the index finger of your dominant hand, activates its microphone only when users press and hold the touchpad, providing tactile feedback confirmation. The device can transcribe whispered conversations through a companion iOS app that organizes notes into editable formats using AI chatbot functionality.

Beyond voice capture, the Stream Ring doubles as a media controller, letting users play, pause, skip tracks, and adjust volume through touch gestures on its flat surface. The device promises all-day battery life and waterproofing for everyday wear.

A distinctive feature called “Inner Voice” uses AI to mimic the user’s speech patterns during playback, designed to feel like “talking to yourself” rather than conversing with a chatbot. Sandbar partnered with ElevenLabs to enable this voice synthesis capability.

Strong Investor Backing Despite Competition

Sandbar raised $13 million from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks, with investors noting the ring’s practical approach compared to previous AI device demonstrations. “When Mina came in and showed us the demo, it just made sense to us,” True Ventures partner Tony Schneider told TechCrunch.

The company offers a freemium model with unlimited notes on the free tier, while a $10 monthly Pro subscription provides unlimited chats and early access to new features. Pre-orders include three months of Pro service free.

Sandbar emphasizes user data control with encryption at rest and in transit, plus planned export capabilities to productivity apps like Notion, distinguishing itself from closed ecosystem approaches.