StrictlyVC Download Competing in the post-Humane AI wearables era with Sandbar CEO Mina Fahmi
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Dec 31, 2025 Mina Fahmi, Founder and CEO of Sandbar, introduces Stream, an AI ring that captures whispered thoughts, while Toni Schneider, Partner at True Ventures, shares insights on investment in hardware. They discuss the importance of privacy in wearable tech and how Stream's design focuses on user control. Mina contrasts her product with competitors, emphasizing a single-use excellence before expanding features. The conversation also touches on competing with giants like OpenAI and the value of intimate, thoughtfully designed devices in the wearable market.
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Whispered Thoughts As A New Interface
- Sandbar's Stream pairs a ring with an app to capture whispered thoughts and organize them into notes.
- The interaction is designed to feel like talking to yourself, not an assistant, keeping conversations private and controllable.
Prototype Walk That Changed Everything
- Mina recounts venting about her childhood while walking with an early ring prototype on the West Side Highway.
- That moment revealed how whispering, holding to record, and tapping to interrupt created a new private conversational dynamic.
Control Over Turn-Taking
- Stream prioritizes control: hold to speak, tap to interrupt, and whisper for privacy to avoid AI interrupting you.
- That interaction model aims to replace turn-taking companion dynamics with user-led conversation.