Startups

With $5.6M in funding, Beddr unveils new product for improving sleep quality

The Series A funding round, which was led by Three Leaf Ventures, will help support the solution's commercial launch as well as the continued evolution of the product.

Sleep is crucial to an individual’s well-being. When problems — like sleep apnea — arise, they can take a toll on one’s overall health and increase the risk of conditions like high blood pressure and depression. That’s where Beddr comes in.

The Mountain View, California-based startup is launching a new product aimed at helping people understand their sleep issues. The company has also raked in a $5.6 million Series A round led by Three Leaf Ventures with participation from Stanford-StartX Fund, Delta Dental Washington Seed Fund and I.T. Farm.

The solution, called Beddr SleepTuner, consists of a mobile app and an FDA-listed sensor, which users place on their upper forehead and wear while sleeping. The sensor captures various factors, including heart rate, heart rate spikes, blood oxygen saturation, stopped breathing events and sleep position. In the morning, users can pull up all the data in the app and gain clinical-grade insights into what may be causing their sleep issues. Over time, consumers can pinpoint trends in how they sleep.

In a phone interview, Mike Kisch, Beddr’s CEO and one of its founders, aptly described using SleepTuner like tuning a musical instrument. Over time, our bodies change and our sleep falls out of tune. A consumer can then wear the sensor for two or three nights and learn about how they can bring their sleep back into tune. They don’t necessarily have to use it again until something impacts or changes their life.

“We talked to hundreds of people who have sleep issues,” Kisch said. “Their goal is to understand and improve their sleep. That’s really the way we’ve designed the user experience. It’s designed to coach a person and direct them towards therapies.”

The Mountain View startup wanted to “combine the friendliness of consumer technologies with clinical validity,” he added.

The Beddr SleepTuner is currently available for pre-order. The suggested price is $149, but it’s currently being offered at an introductory price of $99.

Kisch noted that initially, the company is selling it directly to consumers. The startup is also in the process of working on paid pilots with employers. The employer market is important, he said, because people who don’t sleep properly are less productive. By focusing on sleep, companies can help their employees be more efficient and less at risk for future issues.

The $5.6 million in funding will support the solution’s commercial launch. It will also assist with the continued evolution of the product.

Photo: viridian1, Getty Images

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