Nectir improves GPAs, boosts student motivation, and supports faculty success across 100+ campuses—without compromising academic integrity

SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2026 — AI is rapidly transforming education, creating as much uncertainty as opportunity. Faculty, parents, and students share anxiety about AI, and yet, students are using AI every day, often without guidance, guardrails, or standards. It’s even leading some schools to return to “blue books.” However, the reality is AI is here to stay, and higher education is facing a turning point: adapt quickly or fall behind.

To meet this moment, Nectir, the first secure AI infrastructure purpose-built for education that has proven to save educators time, provide 24/7 personalized learning support, and increase educational outcomes, today announced it has raised $12.5 million led by Rethink Impact. This round also includes participation from Gingerbread Capital and Strada, along with existing investors.

Founded by Kavitta Ghai and Jordan Long, Nectir was inspired by the challenges they faced as students in college. “With this new chapter of funding, we are scaling our vision to meet the needs of the modern educational landscape,” said Kavitta Ghai, CEO and Co-Founder of Nectir. “At Nectir, we are not looking at the 30,000-student problems; we are architecting solutions for the 30-million-student reality. We believe educational accessibility is paramount, and our infrastructure provides a personalized learning partner for every single student, ensuring that high-quality, AI-driven support is a universal standard, not a luxury.”

Nectir is customizable, secure, and designed for academic integrity

While grappling with the pervasiveness of AI, higher education is facing a growing crisis, and institutions are under pressure to prove their value. Only 36% of Americans trust higher education, down from 48% just six years ago (Gallup). At the same time, AI adoption is widespread: nearly 90% of college students use AI, and students who say their schools allow AI use are 25% more likely to feel prepared to use the technology after graduation than those whose schools do not allow AI (Gallup). That preparation matters: the World Economic Forum projects 39% of core job skills will change by 2030, with AI literacy and analytical thinking both ranking among the fastest-growing capabilities employers demand.

AI itself is not the threat: it’s unstructured, unsecured, and unprincipled AI. Higher education needs institutional AI that is aligned with pedagogy, privacy, and outcomes. Nectir was built to do just that through its AI infrastructure, enabling schools and institutions to securely deploy AI Assistants at scale.

• Nectir deploys custom AI Assistants across students, faculty, and administrators, providing teaching support to professors, personalized guidance for students, and a lighter, more efficient workload for admin teams.
   
• Nectir AI Assistants are built on the school’s institutional knowledge, grounded in course content, and integrated into Learning Management Systems.
   
• The platform does not use student data to train models and is fully FERPA- and SOC 2-compliant.

Nectir is already delivering measurable impact:

• Trusted by 80,000 students across 100+ campuses, everywhere from Stanford University and community colleges to private high schools.
   
• Landmark deal with California Community Colleges made Nectir available to all 2.1 million students across 116+ campuses.
   
• Los Angeles Pacific University demonstrated a 7.5% GPA increase campuswide in a peer-reviewed study, making Nectir one of the only AI infrastructure solutions in education with independent, published research of academic outcomes.
   
• 74% of students reported a better learning experience, including improved understanding of complex content and critical thinking.
   
• 36% of students reported a boost in motivation.

“This is a 24/7 program, so even in the middle of the night, students can get accurate feedback,” said Adam Hathaway, Chabot College. “It’s also very customizable. If you sent this over to ChatGPT, you’d get very different answers. Nectir AI locks them into a system that I get to control.”

“AI use is pervasive in higher education and is here to stay. Yet it carries massive risk when used in an unstructured, unsecured, and unprincipled way,” said Jenny Abramson and Jill Ni of Rethink Impact, the largest fund in the country backing women-led tech companies. “Nectir’s compliant platform is driving better learning experiences, better student motivation, and, ultimately, better outcomes in both secondary and higher education. This is edtech innovation at its best, and we couldn’t be more excited to back the team in this next phase of growth!”

About Nectir
Nectir is the secure AI infrastructure purpose-built for higher education. Nectir AI provides 24/7 personalized learning support grounded in course content—without compromising trust, outcomes, or academic integrity. Nectir is trusted by 80,000 students across 100+ campuses and is fully FERPA- and SOC 2-compliant. For more information, visit https://www.nectir.io.

About Rethink Impact
Rethink Impact is the largest venture firm in the country dedicated to investing in female leaders using technology to help solve the world’s biggest problems (Forbes) and believes the next generation of extraordinary companies will find success through their relentless pursuit of mission for the benefit of all communities. For more information, visit https://rethinkimpact.com.

Josephine Cheng
Head of Marketing & Communications
Nectir
[email protected]

This release was issued through WebWire®. For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE Nectir

TASHKENT, Ouzbékistan, 10 mars 2026 — Uzum (la « Société »), l’écosystème numérique leader de l’Ouzbékistan, a le plaisir d’annoncer la clôture d’un investissement stratégique de plus de 130 millions de dollars, ancré par les entités souveraines du Sultanat d’Oman (« l’Investisseur »).

La transaction associe des capitaux propres primaires et des capitaux structurés et établit un point de référence d’évaluation pré-monétaire de 2,3 milliards de dollars, avec des conditions de conversion liées au prochain tour de financement qualifié de la société. Cet investissement marque une étape importante par rapport aux précédents tours de financement d’Uzum et renforce considérablement le positionnement de la société avant sa série B.

La transaction comprend également une participation des actionnaires internationaux existants, VR Capital, Tencent et FinSight Ventures, ce qui témoigne de la confiance internationale dans la croissance à long terme d’Uzum et dans l’économie numérique en pleine expansion de l’Ouzbékistan.

Le capital sera utilisé pour accélérer la prochaine phase de croissance d’Uzum dans ses principaux secteurs verticaux – le commerce électronique, la banque numérique, les paiements et les prêts à la consommation – en mettant l’accent sur l’élargissement de la gamme de produits, le renforcement de l’infrastructure et l’amélioration de l’accès aux services numériques dans l’ensemble du pays. Uzum a construit un écosystème entièrement intégré combinant le commerce et la technologie financière à l’échelle nationale. Ses plateformes – dont Uzum Market, Uzum Tezkor, Uzum Bank et Uzum Nasiya – sont utilisées par plus de 20 millions de personnes, soit plus de la moitié de la population de l’Ouzbékistan.

Le monde entier est convaincu de la croissance de l’Ouzbékistan

L’Investisseur apporte une expertise régionale à long terme et une forte concentration sur les marchés de consommation et de technologie à forte croissance. Ce partenariat reflète l’intérêt international croissant pour l’Ouzbékistan, l’une des économies numériques émergentes les plus attrayantes au monde.

« Cet investissement est un soutien important à la stratégie d’Uzum et au potentiel numérique de l’Ouzbékistan », a déclaré Djasur Djumaev, fondateur et PDG d’Uzum.

« Nous nous concentrons sur la mise en place d’une infrastructure d’envergure nationale, axée sur la technologie, ouverte à tous et conçue pour une utilisation quotidienne par des millions de personnes et d’entreprises. Le soutien de l’investisseur, aux côtés de nos actionnaires mondiaux existants, nous donne une forte impulsion alors que nous préparons la série B et continuons à développer notre écosystème. »

Uzum a été conseillé par DLA Piper pour cette transaction. L’Investisseur a été conseillé par Greenberg Traurig.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2929184/Uzum_Holding_LTD.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2067732/5445555/Uzum_Group_Logo.jpg

JLL Capital Markets arranged Freddie Mac refinancing for 224-unit building, the first of four Gowanus Wharf Residences

NEW YORK, March 10, 2026 — Joint partners, Charney Companies, Tavros and Canyon Partners Real Estate today announced that they have secured $125.536 million in fixed-rate financing for Union Channel, a 224-residential rental building in the burgeoning community of Gowanus Brooklyn. The trophy building, with an abundance of amenities, wonderful views and spacious, well-designed apartments, is the first of the four new buildings that make up the campus of Gowanus Wharf.

JLL worked to secure the 7-year, fixed-rate loan through Freddie Mac. The loan will be serviced by JLL Real Estate Capital, LLC, a Freddie Mac Optigo Lender.

Designed by Fogarty Finger Architecture, the striking nine-story building has been extremely popular with renters since it debuted a year ago. Union Channel offers 224 residential rental apartments, with 25% designated as affordable housing. Residential amenities include a rooftop swimming pool and sundeck, fitness center, yoga studio, coworking lounge, sky lounge and 24/7 attended lobby along with 22,226 square feet of retail space and 98 parking spaces.

“Union Channel is the cornerstone of our vision for Gowanus Wharf and reflects our conviction in the long-term trajectory of this neighborhood,” said Justin Pelsinger, Partner and COO of Charney Companies. “Securing the loan enables us to continue executing our business plan while delivering a high-quality residential experience in one of Brooklyn’s most dynamic communities,” added Colin Rankowitz, Partner at Tavros.

“We are excited to participate in the evolution of Gowanus through Union Channel, which represents a significant step in establishing a new standard for residential living within the Gowanus Wharf community,” said Jacob Feingold, Partner and Head of Originations at Canyon Partners Real Estate. “This investment highlights our commitment to high-quality, well-located multifamily assets, and we value our partnership with Tavros Capital and Charney Companies in driving the long-term vision for this dynamic neighborhood.”

Union Channel is the first of four planned buildings that will make up Gowanus Wharf, along with Douglass Port which is slated to open in the late spring of 2026, Nevins Landing which will debut in the fall of 2026, and 175 Third Street, designed by architect Bjarke Ingels and the largest property on the Gowanus Wharf campus. Gowanus Wharf will ultimately feature approximately 2,000 residential units, a public park, canal boardwalk and 160,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities ranging from a basketball court to a health and wellness spa.

Gowanus has undergone significant transformation following its rezoning, attracting substantial public and private investment and positioning the neighborhood for sustained residential and retail growth. Union Channel benefits from immediate access to the Union Street subway station and proximity to Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Downtown Brooklyn.

The JLL Capital Markets Debt Advisory team representing the borrower was led by Senior Managing Directors Christopher Peck and Peter Rotchford, Senior Director Nicco Lupo, and Managing Director Michael Shmuely.

“Union Channel represents a best-in-class asset within one of Brooklyn’s most compelling long-term growth corridors,” said Peck. “Freddie Mac recognized the strength of the sponsorship, the quality of the construction and the property’s strategic positioning within the broader Gowanus Wharf master plan. We continue to see strong appetite from agency lenders for well-located, institutional-quality multifamily assets in New York City.”

About Charney Companies
Founded in 2013, Charney Companies is a fully integrated real estate development, construction, brokerage, and management firm focused on developing, owning, and operating first-class residential and commercial real estate in the New York City Metro area. From ground-up construction to adaptive reuse and value-add repositioning, Charney plays an integral role in all aspects of the development process – combining creative vision with a tech-driven approach to deliver superior products to the marketplace and best-in-class returns for investors. Beyond their own portfolio, Charney extends their expertise to third-party clients through brokerage and property management services, bringing the same standard of excellence to every engagement. Charney owns, operates, and is under construction on over three million square feet throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan and has earned awards and recognition from municipal organizations and media outlets for their work. For more information, visit: charneycompanies.com.

About Tavros
Tavros is a privately-owned real estate investment management and development firm. They invest on a discretionary basis, with a strong focus on New York City, and a global investor base of family offices, trusts, high net worth individuals, and institutions. Core to the Tavros discipline is the quality of its partnerships with tenants, investors, and lenders. As an owner and property manager, Tavros aims to ensure a positive experience for its tenants through attention to detail and a focus on quality of life. For more information, visit: tavroscapital.com.

About Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC
Founded in 1991, Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC (“Canyon”) is the real estate direct investing arm of Canyon Partners, LLC, a global alternative asset manager with $29 billion in assets under management. Over the last fifteen years, Canyon has invested over $7.8 billion of debt and equity capital across 27 transactions capitalizing $33.8 billion of real estate assets while focusing on debt, value add, and opportunistic strategies. With 30+ years of experience, Canyon has established a broad menu of investment capabilities spanning property types, US regions, and project stages including development, transitional, and distressed/workouts. For more information visit: www.canyonpartners.com.

About JLL
JLL (NYSE:JLL) is a leading global commercial real estate services and investment management company with annual revenue of $26.1 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 113,000 as of December 31, 2025. For over 200 years, clients have trusted JLL, a Fortune 500® company, to help them confidently buy, build, occupy, manage and invest across a variety of industries and property types, including office, industrial, hotel, multi-family, retail and data center properties. Driven by our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world, we help our clients, people and communities SEE A BRIGHTER WAY. Powered by rich global datasets and leading technology capabilities, we provide coordinated, end-to-end delivery of real estate services for a broad range of global clients who represent a wide variety of industries. Through LaSalle Investment Management, we invest for clients on a global basis in both private assets and publicly traded real estate securities. For further information, visit: jll.com.

SOURCE Gowanus Wharf

Backing from E8 Angels accelerates the deployment of AI-driven monitoring for a sector accounting for 37% of U.S. industrial fossil fuel use.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2026 — Imperium Technologies, creator of the InteliTrap® smart steam trap and SteamView® monitoring platform, announced it has surpassed $2 million raised. The funding includes an investment from E8 Angels, the nation’s largest cleantech angel investing network, advancing Imperium’s effort to bring digital insight and control to industrial steam systems.

While much of industry has modernized, steam remains a critical yet under-innovated corner of industrial infrastructure, despite accounting for 37% of fossil fuel use in U.S. industry. For decades, operators have relied on manual inspection and blind, reactive maintenance, often with no insight into the waste that drives energy loss, excess emissions and costly unplanned downtime.

Imperium’s solution combines InteliTrap®, the company’s first-to-market smart steam trap, and SteamView®, a data-driven, intelligent monitoring platform designed to help operators identify issues earlier and act faster. Together, the technologies help industrial operators detect failures earlier, improve reliability, reduce waste and make better maintenance decisions with real-time insight.

“Steam is too important, and too costly, to remain a blind spot in industrial operations,” said Brad Medford, CEO of Imperium Technologies. “As pressure grows to improve efficiency and cut emissions, operators need a smarter way to manage steam. Imperium is helping bring one of industry’s most overlooked systems into a more intelligent era.”

By combining intelligent hardware with real-time software insight, Imperium is creating a new category in steam system intelligence for industries such as chemicals, food processing and industrial manufacturing.

“Imperium’s smart steam traps and monitoring system can significantly reduce energy waste, potentially reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by tens of millions of tons of CO2 while making steam systems more reliable, lowering costs, and reducing wear and tear on the system. This triple win for the environment, customers, and suppliers is the kind of opportunity that E8 investors seek to make happen,” said Gordon Smith of E8 Angels.

Imperium plans to use the funding to support commercialization, expand market reach and develop SteamView’s analytics and AI capabilities.

About Imperium Technologies
Imperium Technologies helps industrial operators modernize steam systems with smart hardware and real-time monitoring. Its patented solutions, InteliTrap® and SteamView®, are designed to reduce the invisible waste of industrial steam, improve reliability and bring greater intelligence to system performance. The company is based in Austin, Texas.

Media Contact:
Leah Brown
Imperium Technologies
903-245-4695
[email protected]
Imperiumzone.com

SOURCE Imperium Technologies LLC

• Focused on automating labor-intensive tasks including truck unloading and palletizing
• Strategic partnerships with industry titans like FANUC and Saddle Creek
• Led by veterans with extensive expertise in Physical AI R&D and commercialization

SEOUL, South Korea, March 10, 2026 — NAVER D2SF, the corporate venture capital arm of NAVER, has invested in Anyware Robotics, a robotics startup solving real-world industrial challenges through advanced physical AI, starting from logistic scenarios. Anyware Robotics develops robots designed to autonomously perform demanding material handling operations — including truck unloading, pallet stacking, and package handling — with exceptional speed, safety, and adaptability.

Manual unloading in logistics centers is one of the most physically demanding and hazardous tasks, exacerbating persistent labor shortages. While automation demand is high, the variability of on-site logistics environments has made it difficult for robots to deliver tangible results. Anyware Robotics addresses this with robots trained on real-world data to optimize performance across complex logistics environments. Its systems combine robust mechanical design and intelligent software to enable a single robot to handle multiple use cases, offering scalability and cost efficiency to logistics operations.

The company has proven its technological efficacy through partnerships with global leaders such as FANUC and Saddle Creek Logistics, significantly improving operational safety and efficiency without necessitating modifications to existing infrastructure.

Founded in 2023, Anyware Robotics is led by a team of robotics industry veterans with deep research backgrounds in mechanical engineering and imitation learning, credited with a collective portfolio of over 100 academic publications. The founders also bring field-proven experience from top robotics companies including FANUC, Amazon Robotics, and GreyOrange.

NAVER D2SF plans to continue expanding its investments across all layers of physical AI — from perception and computation to control. The firm focuses on startups like Anyware Robotics that demonstrate the real value of physical AI by solving real-world challenges, helping them drive long-term competitiveness in their respective fields.

About NAVER D2SF

NAVER D2SF is NAVER’s in-house corporate venture arm, supporting sustainable growth by collaborating with startups. Founded in 1999, NAVER has maintained its position as Korea’s leading search engine for over 20 years and operates across commerce, content, fintech, and cloud services. Under the technological vision of D2 (For Developers, By Developers), NAVER is actively developing new technologies and global partnerships to grow as a leading tech company.

To learn more, visit https://d2sf.naver.com

SOURCE NAVER

Creates Head of Talent position and adds additional Operations Associates

NEW YORK, March 10, 2026 — Astara Capital Partners, LLC (“Astara”), a middle-market private equity firm, is pleased to announce the continued expansion and development of its team.

Ensuring its portfolio companies have strong executive leadership teams capable of executing the value creation plan is central to Astara’s investment strategy.  Recognizing that recruiting, augmenting, and developing management teams is a critical and full-time job, the firm has hired Diana Barr as Human Capital Operating Partner. 

“Diana has spent her entire career in executive search and has led talent acquisition and talent development at major industrial companies such as Grainger and Boeing, as well as in private equity.  Hiring someone of her caliber reflects how we regard the importance of this role.  We are confident she will add tremendous value to our portfolio companies and are excited to have her join Astara”, said Michael Ranson, Managing Partner of Astara.

“I’m excited to join Astara because the firm understands something fundamental: talent is an upstream driver of enterprise value. Astara’s commitment to operational engagement and partnership with management teams creates the ideal environment to institutionalize a differentiated talent playbook,” said Ms. Barr.  “I believe this deep appreciation of the importance of talent to a company’s success is uncommon in most of the private equity industry.”

In addition to hiring Ms. Barr, Astara continues to expand its operations team.  Gian Paolo Pernicone and Shane Januik joined the firm as Operations Associates and are responsible for assisting portfolio companies with a wide array of operational improvement initiatives. 

“From inception, we architected Astara to be a unified team of both investors and operators.  Our continued investment in the operations team pays future dividends by helping our companies execute their value creation plans.  Astara’s balanced focus on investing and operations bolsters our portfolio companies’ capabilities and helps them accelerate earnings growth,” said Mr. Ranson.

Chris Curti, an Operating Partner with Astara, added “the Operations Associate program has been very successful.  They increase the bandwidth and capabilities of portfolio company management teams and quickly become invaluable resources.  The feedback I receive from leadership teams is consistent – their involvement helped us execute faster and with greater certainty.”

About Astara Capital Partners

Astara Capital Partners is an integrated team of investors and operators investing in the middle market. The firm brings capital, strategic, and operational resources to its investments to build sustainable value and position them for long-term success. Astara focuses on a variety of sectors where it has deep experience, including packaging and converting, food, building products, forest products, and industrial manufacturing, distribution, and services. More information about Astara can be found at www.astaracapital.com.

SOURCE Astara Capital Partners

Labcorp Venture Fund, Mayo Clinic, Sutter Health, InterVest, MGFO, PGGM, Puma Venture Capital, and ROM Utrecht invest alongside existing investors Invest-NL, EIC Fund, Fred Moll, NYBC Ventures, and Sonder Capital

UTRECHT, Netherlands, March 10, 2026 — Vitestro, the pioneer in medical robotics advancing automated diagnostic blood collection, today announced the close of a $70 million oversubscribed Series B financing. The round includes new strategic investment from U.S. healthcare leaders Labcorp Venture Fund, Mayo Clinic, and Sutter Health, new financial investors InterVest, MGFO, PGGM, Puma Venture Capital, and ROM Utrecht, and continued support from existing investors Invest-NL (supported by InvestEU), EIC Fund, Fred Moll, NYBC Ventures, and Sonder Capital.

Proceeds will be used to advance the next generation Aletta^® Autonomous Robotic Phlebotomy Device™ (ARPD™), enabling deeper integration into high-volume clinical workflows. The funding will also support Vitestro’s U.S. FDA De Novo regulatory pathway and global commercial readiness, including manufacturing scale-up, clinical expansion, and commercial infrastructure development, as the company prepares for broader market adoption beginning in Europe and progressing toward the U.S. market.

“Closing our Series B financing reflects strong conviction in our mission to establish a new standard in autonomous robotic venous access and diagnostic blood collection,” said Toon Overbeeke, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Vitestro. “Our technology has evolved from a novel vision into a clinically validated reality, and we are grateful for the support of this distinguished syndicate of strategic, healthcare, and life science investors as we move toward broad clinical adoption. Diagnostic blood collection remains the highest-volume invasive medical procedure globally, with billions of procedures performed annually.”

Vitestro leadership will use the proceeds to further advance the platform’s technical capabilities and integration into existing technology infrastructure, conduct essential clinical studies and pilot programs to embed the technology into real-world workflows, and expand its team to meet growing demand from healthcare providers.

“The Labcorp Venture Fund sees strong potential in solutions that modernize core diagnostic processes and improve consistency for patients,” said Megann Vaughn Watters, Head of Labcorp Venture Fund. “Applying robotics, multimodal imaging and AI to clinically validated diagnostic blood collection is an exciting approach, and we’re thrilled to support Vitestro as they advance this important work.”

“Vitestro is redefining one of the largest and most under innovated clinical workflows with a first-of-its-kind autonomous robotic platform for diagnostic blood collection addressing an enormous unmet global market need,” said Dr. Fred Moll, co-founder and partner at Sonder Capital and former co-founder and CEO of Intuitive Surgical and Auris Health. “I believe this technology has the potential to establish a new standard of care, much as robotic surgery did in its early days.”

The Aletta^® ARPD™ is designed to autonomously perform diagnostic blood collection. The system combines multimodal imaging, advanced robotics, and artificial intelligence to identify suitable veins, guide needle insertion, and collect blood samples with high precision and consistency. Aletta^® is intended to support phlebotomy departments by performing routine diagnostic blood draws, helping address staffing challenges, reduce human-dependent variability, standardize quality, enhance the overall patient experience, and enable greater operational predictability and scalability in high-volume outpatient care settings.

For more information, visit www.vitestro.com 

About Vitestro

Vitestro is a global leader in medical robotics advancing diagnostic blood collection through autonomous technology. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company brings deep expertise in engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, and commercialization. Vitestro has developed Aletta^®, the world’s first and only CE-marked Autonomous Robotic Phlebotomy Device™ (ARPD™), establishing a new category and benchmark for diagnostic blood collection. By integrating advanced robotics, multimodal imaging, and AI, Vitestro is enabling greater precision, operational efficiency, and an improved patient experience in clinical settings. Aletta^® is currently CE-marked and is currently being deployed in clinical and pre-commercial settings in Europe and has not yet received FDA authorization in the U.S. Vitestro is actively advancing its U.S. regulatory pathway while expanding global clinical collaborations to support the future commercialization of autonomous diagnostic blood collection worldwide.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2927933/Vitestro.jpg

SOURCE Vitestro

Stream, Sandbar’s private voice ring and conversational interface, mark a new step in human-computer interaction, designed for individual augmentation in an agentic world

NEW YORK, March 10, 2026 — Sandbar, an interface company based in New York City, announced today it has raised $23M in a Series A funding round led by Adjacent and Kindred Ventures, bringing total funding to $36M. The round follows a $10M Seed led by True Ventures in early 2025 and a $3M pre-seed led by Upfront Ventures and Betaworks in early 2024.

Stream, Sandbar’s first product, is a private voice ring and conversational interface. It gained early attention at launch in November through in-person demos and word of mouth — earning coverage from The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Bloomberg, and Wired. The funding will accelerate hiring across machine learning, interaction design, and software ahead of Stream’s Summer 2026 ship.

Sandbar was founded with a simple north star: self extension– technology that extends human agency rather than replacing it. Co-founders Mina Fahmi (CEO) and Kirak Hong (CTO) worked together at CTRL-labs—acquired by Meta in 2019 — where they worked on bridging the gap between human intent and action, including on the Meta Neural Band. At Sandbar, they’re working with a team of engineers, designers, and technologists focused on expanding human capabilities–to think, remember, and create wherever they are.

“We believe in self augmentation in an agentic world,” said Mina Fahmi, cofounder and CEO. “With the right interface, everyone should be able to develop ideas and get things done wherever they are, with the speed, privacy, and ease of thinking.”

Stream pairs Stream Ring—a private voice ring with a touchpad, personal mic, and haptic feedback–—with a conversational interface that helps you capture notes, talk through ideas, retrieve web info, and take actions on-the-go. No unlocks. No interruptions. Stream is a faster, more private way to think out loud, build on it, and act.

Unlike AI companions, Stream is designed without an identity of its own. It remembers what you share, listens only when you hold the button to speak — even at a whisper — and uses multiple AI models to organize, respond, and search the web in real time. Your data stays yours and can be shared with other apps. This spring, Sandbar will launch a closed Beta to refine software interactions and introduce Inner Voice, a feature that responds in a voice personalized to the user — creating a more natural way to develop ideas.

Sandbar’s team of 15 has shipped some consumer products including iPhone, Vision Pro, Fitbit, and Kindle. Key hires include Sam Bowen (VP of Hardware, previously Amazon, Fitbit, and Peloton) and Brooke Travis (VP of Marketing, previously Equinox, Dior, and Gap).

Pre-orders for Stream are open now at sandbar.com with early pricing. Batch 1 has sold out; Batch 2 is available now, shipping this Summer.

About Sandbar

Sandbar is an interface company based in New York City. Its mission is to bridge gaps — to better navigate the world around and inside us. Stream, its first product, is a private voice ring and conversational interface that lets people think, capture, and create wherever they are. Sandbar is backed by Adjacent, Kindred Ventures, True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, Betaworks, and others. Learn more at sandbar.com.

SOURCE Sandbar

DUBLIN, Calif., March 10, 2026 — Amber Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company pioneering the next generation power management for AI data centers, today announced the initial closing of its $30 million Series C financing round from new and existing investors.  

The funding will be used to scale product development, expand customer engagements, and accelerate commercialization of Amber’s breakthrough vertical power delivery solutions designed to power the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.

Amber Semiconductor is developing disruptive power architectures that fundamentally change the way power is delivered within datacenters to the AI processors. Amber’s PowerTile™ technology allows backside placement on the server board, delivering power through a vertical path and reducing power distribution losses to the processor by more than 85%. As AI workloads continue to expand, Amber’s solutions address critical challenges in power scalability, thermal management, and space constraints in modern AI data centers.

“AI data centers are entering a new era where power delivery is becoming a key performance differentiator,” said Thar Casey, Founder and CEO of Amber Semiconductor. “This financing marks an important milestone as we continue to execute on our vision of transforming power delivery for AI. The strong support from our investors reflects growing confidence in our technology and the critical role it will play in enabling the next generation of AI computing.”

The announcement follows Amber’s recent successful tape-out of its PowerTile™ vertical power delivery solution, completed this January. By delivering power through a vertical path rather than traditional lateral distribution, Amber’s PowerTile™ significantly improves efficiency and scalability for AI systems.  AmberSemi will begin shipping to major customers in Q3 of 2026.

In addition, Amber will be chairing an industry session at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) 2026 in March, titled “Vertical Power for AI Data Centers”. Presenting with Amber will be representatives from AMD, Nvidia, and Global Foundries. The session will highlight emerging trends, system-level innovations, and the growing importance of vertical power architectures shaping the future of AI infrastructure.

About Amber Semiconductor

Amber Semiconductor, based in Silicon Valley, is a fabless semiconductor company pioneering advanced power management solutions for AI data centers and more.  With its breakthrough PowerTile™ technology, Amber’s innovative vertical power delivery architecture delivers unprecedented power density and efficiency to high-performance processors such as AI, servers, and FPGAs in space-constrained applications.

With over 50 U.S. patents secured, Amber is a member of the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) and is widely recognized for the impact of its technologies. The company has earned honors including Fast Company‘s Next Big Thing in Tech, consecutive Edison Awards for Innovation, inclusion in EE Times‘ 100 Startups Worth Watching, and more.

Learn more at www.ambersi.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE AmberSemi