Eight Sleep拓展中国增长极 创始人拟切入预防医疗并推进IPO

E252|硅谷睡眠外挂:富人的玩具,还是预防医疗的入口?|对话Eight Sleep创始人 — 硅谷101播客

硅谷101播客

智能睡眠设备的核心价值在于通过自适应温控等实时物理干预替代被动数据追踪,并依托连续生理监测将床铺转化为筛查早期疾病的预防医疗入口。

AI-assisted summary of E252|硅谷睡眠外挂:富人的玩具,还是预防医疗的入口?|对话Eight Sleep创始人 — original source. Check the original for full context.

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Key ideas

  • Eight Sleep从被动监测转向物理干预,采用自研水冷床套配合AI算法,通过双分区动态温控最多可提升30%的睡眠质量,并借由抬高床架和自适应音频主动改善打鼾与助眠。 (3:45)
  • 通过全套自研传感器与后台数十亿小时睡眠数据训练的AI模型,系统能通过静息心率与HRV异常在发热等临床症状出现前3至5天预警疾病,未来正申请FDA认证用于呼吸暂停监测与干预。 (9:48)
  • 针对两万元人民币的高昂定价,创始人回应目前处于类似特斯拉“Model S阶段”,未来将逐步推出更平民化产品;同时中国已成其全球增长最快的国际市场,促使算法学习并适配了中国用户偏暖的体感差异。 (31:34)
  • 从YC W15起步的十年硬件创业历程中,团队通过深入中国制造供应链度过量产与现金流考验,公司去年已实现盈利并进入全球35个国家,长期规划将推进IPO并拓展更多产品线。 (24:45)

Detailed notes

## Background 本期节目由 YouTube 频道“硅谷101播客”于 2026 年 9 月 24 日发布。节目围绕被马斯克、扎克伯格等硅谷精英推崇的智能控温床套展开,主持人 Yiwen 对话 Eight Sleep 联合创始人 Matteo Franceschetti 与 Alex Zatarain,探讨这张售价两万元的硬件背后的十余年创业摸索、睡眠科技干预机制以及走向预防医疗的野心。

## TL;DR 两位创始人阐述了 Eight Sleep 如何跳脱出手表手环等纯数据监测的被动逻辑,通过自研传感器与液冷双分区动态温控,将床垫打造成自动调节微气候与防打鼾的主动干预型“睡眠管家”。对话复盘了团队从电热毯原型机、赴华攻克硬件量产、熬过现金流危机直至盈利的硬科技创业之路,并解释了两万元定价背后类似特斯拉“Model S 阶段”的商业逻辑。此外,他们还分享了算法如何自适应中国用户的偏暖习惯、赋能 F1 车手及环法冠军的极限恢复,以及未来通过 FDA 认证与全身扫描迈向预防医疗的长期愿景。

## Atmosphere & style 对谈在理性的工程探索与生动的创业复盘间自如切换,兼具前沿硬科技的宏大叙事与落地消费品时的真诚克制。主持人作为实际用户的切身体验追问,引出两位创始人对供应链踩坑、伴侣温差争执与临床意外发现的坦率剖析,对话流淌着务实而风趣的互动氛围。整期节目传递出一种冷静而笃定的极客信念,让听众在深度的睡眠科学解密中感受到科技重塑人类基础生理节律的热情。

## Bulletin - [03:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=225s) Eight Sleep从被动监测转向物理干预,采用自研水冷床套配合AI算法,通过双分区动态温控最多可提升30%的睡眠质量,并借由抬高床架和自适应音频主动改善打鼾与助眠。 - [09:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=588s) 通过全套自研传感器与后台数十亿小时睡眠数据训练的AI模型,系统能通过静息心率与HRV异常在发热等临床症状出现前3至5天预警疾病,未来正申请FDA认证用于呼吸暂停监测与干预。 - [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1894s) 针对两万元人民币的高昂定价,创始人回应目前处于类似特斯拉“Model S阶段”,未来将逐步推出更平民化产品;同时中国已成其全球增长最快的国际市场,促使算法学习并适配了中国用户偏暖的体感差异。 - [24:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1485s) 从YC W15起步的十年硬件创业历程中,团队通过深入中国制造供应链度过量产与现金流考验,公司去年已实现盈利并进入全球35个国家,长期规划将推进IPO并拓展更多产品线。

## Key takeaways - [12:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=730s) 核心产品形态选择智能床套而非整床或可穿戴设备,旨在实现完全被动、免穿戴、免频繁充电的无感“睡眠管家”体验。 - [13:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=780s) 水冷比风冷具备更高效、稳定的热量传导性能,结合双温区设计解决了80%至90%伴侣之间的体感温差痛点。 - [06:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=387s) 社会睡眠观念在过去十年发生逆转,从以压缩睡眠为荣的Hustle Culture彻底转变为将睡眠作为主动健康恢复的Sleepmaxxing文化。 - [09:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=588s) 系统过滤冗余的日常数据,聚焦静息心率上升与HRV骤降等生理异常指标,可在发热前3-5天发出健康预警。 - [16:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=998s) 推出专为女性研发的“孕期模式”,通过输入孕周实现自动化温控调节,有效缓解孕期潮热和产后体温剧烈波动的痛点。 - [20:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1215s) 技术护城河源于垂直整合:坚持全栈自研传感器硬件,算法模型直接基于专属硬件采集的数十亿小时海量数据训练,竞争对手难以通过外购复制。 - [20:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1250s) 远期医疗愿景是利用夜间静止睡眠的物理条件打造全身健康扫描站,当前设立的Eight Medical正推进睡眠呼吸暂停的FDA医疗认证。 - [23:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1386s) 化疗癌症患者自发利用主动降温缓解药物潮热,心血管用户因异常心率预警及时就医,展现出环境式健康监测的预防医疗价值。 - [25:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1559s) 消费级硬件创业没有捷径,创始人亲自常驻中国工厂打通EVT到量产环节,依靠健康的单体经济学和严苛制造标准跨越供应链陷阱并实现盈利。 - [27:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1637s) 中国不仅是核心供应链所在地,更在正式商业化后迅速成为增长最快的区域,消费者对品质和极速客服的高标准反向推动了其全球服务升级。 - [30:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1821s) 面对中国消费群体偏暖的体质与习惯,AI算法Autopilot能结合初始画像与群体行为识别,自适应优化本地化温控模型。 - [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1894s) 两万元的高定价对标特斯拉早期Model S路线,坚持通过高品质和健康利润率支撑30年长期运营与技术平民化愿景,而非打低价价格战。 - [34:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2068s) 职业运动员(如F1车手、环法冠军波加查)将床套作为随行外挂,通过在频繁转场与不同酒店中维持一致的睡眠微气候实现极限恢复。 - [35:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2158s) 跨时区出差与倒时差依赖光线与核心体温两大信号,睡前降温诱导褪黑素分泌,早晨升温配合光照唤醒机体。 - [37:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2256s) 针对三班倒与作息不规律群体,核心策略在于日历上主动锁定并隔离睡眠区块,利用强力制冷对抗昼夜节律错位、加速深睡眠入睡。

## Detailed walkthrough ### [03:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=225s) Beyond Wearables: An Active "Sleep Butler" That Responds in Real Time

Host Yiwen opens the conversation welcoming Eight Sleep co-founders Matteo Franceschetti and Alex Zatarain to *Valley 101*, sharing her personal excitement as an everyday user who recently unboxed the product. While wearable trackers like rings and watches have popularized sleep awareness, Matteo clarifies that Eight Sleep operates on a fundamentally different paradigm. Rather than treating sleep data as the final destination, Eight Sleep treats data merely as the input for active physical interventions. The overarching vision is about maximizing sleep performance—asking the question, "What if you could sleep only six hours and get more rest than when you were sleeping eight hours?" while simultaneously monitoring health metrics to support long-term longevity.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Passive Tracking vs Eight Sleep Active Intervention accDescr: Flowchart contrasting passive wearable tracking with Eight Sleep's closed-loop real-time response system.

subgraph Passive["Traditional Wearables"] A["Biometric Sensors"] --> B["Data Dashboard: HR, HRV, REM"] B --> C["Passive Output: User Left to React"] end

subgraph ClosedLoop["Eight Sleep Closed-Loop System"] D["Cover & Bed Sensors"] --> E["Background AI: 'Sleep Butler'"] E --> F["Real-Time Interventions"] F --> G["Dual-Zone Temperature Tuning"] F --> H["Base Elevation for Snoring"] F --> I["Adaptive Sleep Audio"] end ```

The core pillar of this responsiveness is dynamic dual-zone temperature regulation, which Eight Sleep has demonstrated can improve sleep quality by up to 30%. Because each partner in a bed typically has distinct thermal preferences and metabolic rates, each side of the mattress cover can be regulated independently. The temperature continuously shifts across the night in response to biometric feedback, sleep stages, ambient room conditions, and daytime activity levels. Beyond temperature, the system incorporates an adjustable base placed underneath the mattress that automatically elevates the user's head when it detects snoring, alongside integrated base speakers that emit soothing audio cues at targeted phases of the night to accelerate sleep onset. Alex explains that the company was founded in 2014 out of a glaring market void: pharmaceutical companies developed sedatives and wearables surfaced charts, but no one was leveraging automated physical hardware to adapt modern sleeping environments to biological needs.

- **Dual-zone control**: Independent temperature modulation for both sides of the bed, dynamically adapting to sleep cycles and biometrics throughout the night. - **Snoring mitigation & audio**: An under-mattress smart base that elevates the head upon detecting snoring and embedded speakers that guide sleep onset. - **Performance benchmark**: Temperature optimization designed to yield up to 30% better sleep quality.

---

[06:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=387s) From Grind Culture to "Sleepmaxxing": The Cultural Shift Since 2014

Looking back to the company's inception in 2014, Matteo and Alex highlight how radically public perception around rest has transformed. A decade or two ago, prevailing hustle culture celebrated chronic sleep deprivation; boasting about waking up at 4:00 AM on four hours of sleep was a badge of honor, while sleeping eight or nine hours was dismissed as lazy or weak. In 2014, sleep tracking was virtually non-existent in mainstream culture—Apple had not even entered the wearable space yet, and sleep was considered a strictly private, almost taboo topic.

Today, that dynamic has completely inverted into what culture now calls "sleepmaxxing." Matteo notes that prioritizing eight hours of sleep is now viewed identically to going to the gym: a non-negotiable health discipline practiced by high performers who want to remain mentally sharp. Alex attributes this dramatic shift primarily to changes unfolding after 2020. The explosion of long-form podcasts, YouTube vlogs, and longevity evangelists—including public longevity experimenters and friends of the brand like Bryan Johnson—demystified the underlying sleep science for the mainstream consumer. Furthermore, while the intense biohacking wave of 2020–2022 (marked by fringe practices like peptide injection parties in San Francisco) caught headlines, Alex observes that the broader conversation has matured from extreme biohacking into mainstream preventative health, wellness, and lifespan extension.

- **Cultural baseline in 2014**: Hustle culture stigmatized sleep; wearable health tech was in its infancy prior to the Apple Watch mainstreaming biometrics. - **Post-2020 acceleration**: Podcasting, digital health media, and longevity figures transformed rest from a perceived vulnerability into an active performance and recovery tool. - **Mainstreaming of recovery**: Sleep optimization moved out of niche Silicon Valley biohacking circles into mainstream health routines worldwide.

---

[09:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=588s) Moving Past Vanity Metrics: Detecting Illness Anomalies Before Symptoms Appear

Addressing the proliferation of sleep scores—from deep sleep percentages and REM cycles to Heart Rate Variability (HRV) on devices like Garmin watches—Matteo emphasizes that users should not be burdened with analyzing raw data every morning. Eight Sleep conceptualizes its underlying AI as an invisible "sleep butler." The software operates behind the scenes, continually adjusting temperature, sound, and elevation while the user is unconscious, ensuring that the primary metric that matters is simply waking up feeling refreshed.

For data-conscious users who want actionable insights, Eight Sleep filters biometrics down to what the team terms "anomalies." Instead of overwhelming the user with daily noise, the AI flags significant physiological shifts that deviate from personal baselines. Matteo reveals that their predictive models focus primarily on resting heart rate (HR) and HRV trends: a steady climb in resting heart rate paired with a downward plunge in HRV typically surfaces three to five days before an individual develops a fever or manifests clinical sickness. By surfacing these anomalous biological shifts ahead of time, the system transitions sleep monitoring from retrospective tracking into an early warning indicator for preventative healthcare.

- **Automated "sleep butler"**: AI handles micro-adjustments in real time, shifting the user experience from passive data analysis to hands-off optimization. - **Early sickness detection**: Machine learning models flag impending illness 3 to 5 days prior to fever onset by identifying elevated resting HR combined with suppressed HRV. - **Focus on anomalies**: High-level notifications prioritize health deviations, reserving granular metric dashboards (HR, HRV, REM, deep sleep) for deep-dive tracking.

[12:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=730s) 为什么选择床套形态:无感的“睡眠管家”

Eight Sleep 之所以选择将产品做成床套(mattress cover),核心理念在于“无感”(seamless)。团队在思考睡眠时,坚信不该对用户提出任何额外要求。如果让用户在入睡前必须穿戴某种设备,或者隔三差五记着给 Garmin 手表、智能指环充电,甚至睡前还要主动去点击激活,这种需要刻意维持的行为从根本上违背了自然睡眠的逻辑。在身心疲惫的时候,人应当直接躺下就睡,其他一切都交给床垫表面的“睡眠管家”(sleep butler)默默打理。

将传感和调节模块直接嵌入人体接触的睡眠表面,是团队认为最自然的设计方案。从推出旗舰产品 Pod 之前的首款设备起,他们就一直沿用床套这一产品形态。虽然团队曾反复权衡过是否要直接售卖整合好的整张床垫,但最终的市场反馈表明,消费者更希望拥有高度的灵活性,能够把自己喜欢的科技床套直接铺在家里原有的任何床垫之上。

- **产品形态决策**:放弃整张床垫绑定销售,专注可适配各类家用床垫的智能床套。 - **用户体验核心**:零穿戴、免手动充电、无需睡前主动激活,实现真正的被动式服务。

---

[13:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=780s) 搬上床的液冷系统:解决伴侣温差之争与“挽救婚姻”

Eight Sleep 围绕温控技术进行了全方位的底层重构,迄今已申请了 40 多项专利。通过温度改善睡眠质量这一科学结论早在 50 年前就已被学术界证实,Eight Sleep 的真正突破在于第一次以消费级设备的形态与规模,将其普及给大众。床边的主机设备负责承担整套智能计算与调控中枢,而床套内部则负责循环液体。Matteo Franceschetti 将其比喻为:“想象一下把当今顶尖跑车上最精密的液冷系统移植下来,不是给超级跑车散热,而是专门服务于你的床和睡眠。”

对于采用液冷而非风冷方案的原因,Alex Zatarain 解释道,人体是一座持续散发热量的微型发热源,每晚躺在床上的 6 到 9 个小时里会不断散发体温。水是吸收和带走人体热量效率最高的介质,在维持低温和温度传导的稳定性上,水冷的效果远胜于空气循环。但与此同时,工程上的巨大挑战在于舒适度与隐形感——水冷管道必须足够柔软平整,让用户躺上去时感觉与普通优质床垫无异,在完全察觉不到管道存在的前提下享受温控。

这一设计迅速击中了核心痛点并找到了极佳的“产品市场匹配”(PMF):数据显示,80% 到 90% 的伴侣对睡眠温度的需求截然不同,一方怕冷、一方嫌热是引发家庭争执的常见诱因。双边独立温控让许多用户戏称 Eight Sleep “拯救了他们的婚姻”。

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Eight Sleep 液冷温控运行机制 accDescr: 展示床旁智能主机与双分区水冷床套之间的协同工作逻辑

subgraph Host ["床旁智能中枢 (Pod Hub)"] A["传感器数据采集 & AI 算法分析"] --> B["水温调节系统 (加热 / 制冷)"] end

subgraph Cover ["微气候水冷床套 (Mattress Cover)"] direction TB subgraph SideA ["伴侣 A 分区"] C["独立水路循环 A"] D["微气候温度 / 静音闹钟"] end subgraph SideB ["伴侣 B 分区"] E["独立水路循环 B"] F["微气候温度 / 静音闹钟"] end end

B --> C B --> E C --> D E --> F ```

---

[15:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=920s) 伴侣共眠的生理影响与双分区微气候

伴侣之间的睡眠状态存在极其密切的生理联动。睡眠节律(就寝与起床时间)不仅会相互感染,Eight Sleep 的长期数据还揭示了一个有趣的生理现象:女性在有伴侣陪同入睡时,其心率变异性(HRV)指标和身体恢复状况明显优于独睡状态。女性常常主观表示“伴侣在身边更容易睡着、睡得更香”,而后台的客观生理数据印证了这一直觉。

然而,同床共枕的挑战也显而易见:对方的翻身起卧、作息差异以及温度偏好极易破坏另一方的睡眠周期。Eight Sleep 的解决方案是为床铺两侧打造完全独立的“微气候”(microclimate): - **独立温区**:床垫左右两侧各自维持独立的温度设定,互不影响。 - **独立静音闹钟**:利用胸腔微震动或局部温变唤醒单侧入睡者,避免传统闹铃吵醒身旁伴侣。

---

[16:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=998s) 孕期模式与女性健康:从被忽视的临床数据到自动化干预

针对长期以来在医学研究中被忽视的女性生理需求,Eight Sleep 专门研发了“孕期模式”(Pregnancy Mode)。传统临床医学往往因为女性荷尔蒙周期变化复杂而减少针对女性群体的专项研究,而 Eight Sleep 借助已经进入千家万户的硬件网络,直接从现有用户群中招募自愿参与研究的女性,记录并分析她们真实的睡眠生理数据。

女性在怀孕期间体温会普遍升高,频繁出现原本未曾有过的潮热(hot flashes)或盗汗;产后随着荷尔蒙水平断崖式回落,又会经历类似围绝经期的剧烈体温波动。针对孕期各周不断变化的生理需求,Eight Sleep 利用 AI 算法开发了全自动化温控:

- **自动化温控介入**:用户只需在 App 内输入怀孕周数与预产期,算法便会根据当前孕周的典型体温轨迹,自动调整床垫一整夜的温控方案。 - **生理生物标志物对标**:系统实时监测静息心率、HRV(心率变异性)和呼吸率,并与孕前基线数据及同孕周标准区间进行对标比对,向准妈妈提示其生理体征是否处于“正常”范围,极大缓解了孕期的健康焦虑。 - **高粘性与正向反馈**:孕妇与产后妈妈群体成为了平台活跃度与忠诚度最高的用户群之一。用户普遍感叹这项功能超越了冷冰冰的“数据追踪”,而是真正通过温度干预解决了睡眠难题。

---

[19:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1185s) 十年迭代:在真实家庭场景中持续进化

走过十余年的硬件创业历程,团队并不认为存在某一个特定“完全失败”的孤立版本,整个过程更像是一场持续不断的打磨与升级。随着底层 AI 算力与传感器精度的整体进步,硬件与算法每一代都在推陈出新。从早期的基础原型一直演进到最新的 Pod 系列,每一次代际更迭都在舒适度、降噪表现、漏液防护以及算法自适应感知上吸取真实家庭环境中的经验,完成对前序版本的全面超越。

[20:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1215s) Data Moat and Proprietary In-House Sensors

When asked about the scale of the dataset powering Eight Sleep's algorithms and why competitors cannot simply copy it, Matteo Franceschetti explains that their moat stems from sheer volume and vertical integration. The company has collected billions of hours of sleep and health data, ingesting multiple terabytes of biometric information every single day. Achieving this depth of insight requires a massive installed user base operating at scale over years.

Matteo points out that even a well-capitalized competitor entering the market today with huge cash reserves could not buy their way into this position. Unlike standard consumer devices, Eight Sleep does not rely on off-the-shelf third-party sensors; its sensor layers are engineered entirely in-house. Because algorithms must be trained specifically on the unique electrical and mechanical characteristics of those custom sensors, Eight Sleep remains the only company equipped to train models on this proprietary data stream.

- Over billions of hours of longitudinal sleep data collected. - Multiple terabytes of health and biometric data processed daily. - 100% custom, in-house sensor hardware, rendering off-the-shelf algorithmic models incompatible.

---

[20:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1250s) The Preventive Health Vision: From Sleep Apnea to Full-Body Scanning

Addressing past comments about using sleep technology to tackle major health crises like cancer, Matteo outlines how consumer sleep tracking naturally transitions into predictive and preventive medicine. He cites a landmark Stanford study demonstrating that a single night of comprehensive sleep data can detect markers for up to 130 different diseases. Eight Sleep is already seeing these correlations surface within its own backend data, identifying early signatures of hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic conditions with preliminary accuracy rates approaching 90%, driven by AI triaging patterns invisible to human clinical observation.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Eight Sleep Preventive Care Pipeline accDescr: Progression from custom in-house hardware sensors to AI disease detection and medical interventions. subgraph DataCollection["Data Collection"] A["In-House Sensor Layer"] --> B["Billions of Hours of Nightly Data"] end subgraph AIAnalysis["AI Analysis & Triaging"] B --> C["Chronic Disease Patterns<br/>(Diabetes, Hypertension)"] B --> D["Sleep Apnea Event Detection"] end subgraph Intervention["Clinical & Preventative Outcomes"] D --> E["Active Apnea Mitigation<br/>(Pursuing FDA Clearance)"] C --> F["Long-term Vision:<br/>Overnight Full-Body Scanning"] end ```

Looking further ahead, Matteo applies first-principles thinking to the physics of the bed: a person lies virtually motionless in the same spot for six to eight hours on a large surface equipped with continuous power, space underneath and above, and constant Wi-Fi connectivity. Eight Sleep envisions turning that environment into an overnight full-body scanning station capable of screening for early-stage structural abnormalities and specific cancers. In the near term, the internal division known as "Eight Medical" is pursuing FDA clearance for both a software update that diagnoses sleep apnea using existing Pod hardware and an active intervention technology designed to mitigate apnea episodes in real time.

---

[23:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1386s) Unexpected Patient Needs and Life-Saving Biometric Alerts

The real-world application of Eight Sleep's technology often surprises the founders themselves. Matteo shares that cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy unexpectedly became a noticeable customer segment. Chemotherapy frequently induces severe hot flashes and impairs the autonomic nervous system's capacity to regulate body temperature. Patients turned to the Pod's active cooling to manage these debilitating side effects, opening the team's eyes to clinical use cases they had never anticipated.

Alex Zatarain highlights how passive biometric tracking serves as an early-warning radar for users who rarely look at raw health metrics. She recalls a striking letter from a customer who woke up feeling slightly unwell and checked his Eight Sleep trends. The app showed that his resting heart rate had been significantly elevated for several consecutive days. Prompted by that clear divergence from his baseline, he went to the emergency room, where physicians discovered an acute cardiac issue requiring immediate open-heart surgery. Stories like this underline the value of non-wearable, ambient tracking that flags anomalies before they turn fatal.

- Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy rely on the Pod's liquid cooling to counter drug-induced hot flashes and impaired thermoregulation. - Longitudinal resting heart rate (RHR) baselines enable users to catch cardiovascular events early and seek urgent intervention. - The platform functions as a frictionless biometric repository without requiring the user to wear rings, bands, or watches to bed.

---

[24:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1485s) The Brutal Realities of Consumer Hardware and Manufacturing

Reflecting on Eight Sleep's journey through Y Combinator in the Winter 2015 batch, Matteo acknowledges the notorious difficulty of building a consumer hardware startup, an era when very few hardware companies were funded. In hardware, founders cannot simply patch mistakes with code updates. Success demands mastering production lead times, calculating the exact bill of materials (BOM) cost, maintaining viable gross margins, and holding enough working capital to weather warranty claims, replacements, and tight supplier payment terms.

Matteo candidly notes that their early survival came down to a degree of naivety: "I think we were lucky to be naive, because it's one of the things that if you know before you start, maybe you don't even start." Unaware of how difficult the road would be, the founding team tackled each logistical and financial crisis as it arrived. A decade later, that resilience paid off: the company achieved profitability last year, boasts strong unit economics, and ships products across 35 countries.

- Scaled from YC W15 into a profitable consumer hardware business with solid unit margins. - Expanded distribution to 35 countries globally. - Navigated severe working-capital constraints, supplier net terms, warranty reserves, and supply chain logistics without failing.

---

[25:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1559s) Moving to China: Bridging the Prototype-to-Production Gap

To bridge the dangerous chasm between an impressive workshop prototype and a reliable, mass-manufacturable consumer product, Matteo packed his bags and moved to China for several months. Many first-time hardware entrepreneurs make the mistake of assuming that a functioning benchtop model is 90% of the journey, unaware of the rigorous engineering qualification required for mass production.

During that extended stay, Matteo selected factory partners and made foundational local hires, including Jack and Tony, who remain Eight Sleep's longest-tenured employees outside the founders and still run the company's China operations. Matteo emphasizes that consumer hardware cannot skip standard engineering stages—EVT1, EVT2 (Engineering Validation Test), DVT (Design Validation Test), PVT (Production Validation Test), and MP (Mass Production). Although eager founders constantly look for shortcuts, these multi-step methodologies have evolved over centuries to protect device reliability and build quality, and cutting corners inevitably leads to catastrophic failure in the field.

---

[27:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1637s) Entering China: Localized Execution and Explosive Growth

Having officially launched commercial sales in mainland China in April, Alex reports that China has rapidly become Eight Sleep's fastest-growing international market, with demand surging well beyond internal forecasts. Rather than being treated as a distant, foreign market, China has been central to the company's manufacturing DNA since its founding days.

Alex explains that many Western brands stumble in China because marketing there requires an entirely different playbook from North America or Europe. Instead of attempting to manage campaigns remotely from the United States, Eight Sleep built an on-the-ground marketing and operations team inside China. This local team orchestrates regional channel strategies, navigates domestic advertising platforms, and crafts localized messaging. The timing proved ideal: the brand had reached global operational maturity across 35 countries, and Chinese consumers are showing an unprecedented appetite for cutting-edge health, wellness, and sleep-optimization technology.

- Launched commercial sales in China in April; immediately became the company's fastest-growing regional market. - Avoided common foreign-entrant mistakes by hiring a specialized, dedicated marketing team based in China. - Leveraged rising domestic consumer interest in preventive health, longevity, and high-performance sleep technology.

[28:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1735s) 中国市场的惊喜:苛刻的消费者与极致的客服标准

Eight Sleep 的目标是成为全球所有与睡眠相关领域的领跑者,在中国市场自然也是如此。主持人 Yiwen 提到,中国消费品市场的竞争极其激烈,因此很好奇两位创始人在做市场调研时,有哪些意外甚至是惊喜的发现。

Alex 坦言,中国消费者的“高要求(demanding)”确实让他们感到吃惊。中国本身作为全球制造中心,市场上各种商品应有尽有、触手可及,但中国消费者并没有因此降低标准妥协,相反,他们对产品品质和极致体验有着极高的执念。另一个显著的文化差异在于交互效率:在中国,用户习惯了在微信上寻求服务,期望“6 秒内得到响应”、全天候 24/7 随时在线待命,这在欧美成熟市场是无法想象的。虽然这给团队带来了不小的学习曲线,但 Eight Sleep 已经决定把这种在中国学到的极致服务体验反哺到全球市场,将其作为公司的最高服务标杆(gold standard)。目前 Eight Sleep 在中国主要通过线上渠道销售,并在深圳开设了一家快闪店(pop-up store),未来还计划拓展更多线下体验点,让消费者能亲自试躺体验。

[30:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1821s) 文化与体质差异:AI 算法如何适应中国用户的“偏暖”偏好

在讨论到不同人群的睡眠偏好时,Yiwen 提到不同国家、文化甚至个人体质之间的温感差异巨大,例如她自己就属于怕冷、极度需要保暖的体质。

Alex 透露,在进入中国市场前的调研中,他们确实发现需要调整以往对人体床温偏好的既有认知——相比欧美及全球其他地区的用户,中国消费者普遍喜欢更偏暖一点的床面温度。Eight Sleep 依靠数据驱动与 AI 动态调整来解决这种跨文化差异:

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 用户温控个性化适配流程 accDescr: 展示从用户初始画像输入、AI 自动温控到跨市场群体模式识别并反哺算法的自适应闭环。

subgraph Onboarding["初始阶段"] A["用户初始设置<br/>(性别 / 年龄 / 基础偏好)"] end

subgraph SleepCycle["日常使用与反馈"] B["整夜睡眠生理数据监测"] C["Autopilot AI 算法<br/>动态微调床面温度"] end

subgraph Optimization["群体与模型进化"] D["本地市场数据沉淀<br/>(如识别中国用户偏暖习惯)"] E["全局算法与模型持续迭代优化"] end

A --> B B --> C C --> B C --> D D --> E E --> C ```

- **初始画像校准**:新用户在注册引导(onboarding)时,会输入性别、年龄以及个人主观偏好。 - **自适应微调**:Autopilot 的 AI 引擎会以初始偏好为基准,根据整晚的实际体征与温度反馈自动介入微调。 - **群体模式识别**:随着某一特定市场的用户量不断攀升,算法能敏锐捕捉到不同地域的特征规律(如中国用户的偏暖习惯),进而让整个算法模型自我迭代、越用越聪明。

[31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1894s) 定价两万元背后的逻辑:我们正处于特斯拉的“Model S 阶段”

针对床套在美国约 3000 美元、在中国约两万元人民币的高昂定价,Yiwen 提出了质疑:中国消费电子硬件和各类 AI 模型普遍在卷价格战,Eight Sleep 凭什么敢卖这么贵?

Matteo 拿科技巨头做类比,直言 Eight Sleep 目前正处于类似特斯拉当年的“Model S 阶段”。公司的长远愿景是“为全球 80 亿人普及睡眠科技(democratize sleep for 8 billion people)”,后续自然会推出更亲民的“Model X、Model 3 和 Model Y”。但研发高度复杂的前沿硬科技在早期注定成本高昂,唯有经过持续的技术迭代与工程优化,才能逐步降低门槛。

Alex 补充道,Eight Sleep 从不打算卷低价,而是“以结果定输赢(compete on outcome)”——只要产品真能切实改善睡眠,消费者就愿意买单。Matteo 也回应了之前关于意大利高端品牌的讨论,澄清公司并不是要做传统意义上的奢侈品牌,但他从意大利传统品牌身上学到了对卓越品质的偏执,以及通过健康利润率确保公司可持续运营 30 年甚至走向 IPO 的商业逻辑。他指出,意大利模式偏重工匠精神、高溢价与小规模,而美国模式偏重大规模扩张却容易牺牲产品品质;唯有苹果和乔布斯成功融合了这两种理念——既保持无与伦比的技术与高级感,又绝不在利润妥协中牺牲品质。Eight Sleep 的品牌定位正是沿着这一路径前行。

[34:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2068s) 顶尖运动员的睡眠外挂:从 F1 车手到环法冠军波加查

当被问及马斯克、扎克伯格等商业精英以及专业运动员等核心拥趸时,Alex 表示,其实不论普通人还是高阶人群,本质上面临的睡眠生理痛点都是相通的;但职业运动员对睡眠恢复(recovery)有着近乎苛刻的要求。

- **F1 赛车手**:一个赛季有 20 多场分站赛,跨越各大洲和不同时区,赛程极其繁重。为了在不同酒店维持一致的睡眠微环境,多位车手选择随身携带 Eight Sleep 床套到处参赛。 - **NBA 球员**:全美高频飞行,经常周二打完一场客场比赛、周四深夜又要转战另一座城市,高压之下的身体快速排毒与机能恢复依赖核心体温调节。 - **环法自行车赛冠军波加查(Tadej Pogačar)**:波加查已连续两年在环法大赛期间全天候使用 Eight Sleep。他在比赛全程住过的 20 到 30 家不同酒店里,每晚都让团队提前安装好 Eight Sleep 床套;如果离开这款产品,他很难获得维持顶尖赛场统治力所需的深度恢复。

[35:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2158s) 克服时差与日常节律:光线、核心体温与绝对的自律

面对经常跨时区出差的现代人,Alex 总结了调节生物钟与对抗时差的科学方案:

首先必须在日程表中“留足睡眠时间”,无论身处世界何地,都要把睡眠置于优先级。其次是保持入睡与起床时间的绝对一致(consistency)。

在大脑的生理机制中,“光线”与“温度”是掌管昼夜节律最关键的两大信号。善用这两个信号即可快速倒时差:入夜时通过降低核心体温(core body temperature)促进褪黑素分泌、帮助快速入眠;早晨则借助光线照射并提升床温唤醒身体。

Matteo 自豪地表示,创立 Eight Sleep 经过十多年的摸索,他们自己对睡眠规律的掌控已经驾轻就熟。他提到自己前几天刚从美西出差回来,周一晚上一口气睡足了 9 小时 12 分钟,精神饱满地开启了新一周。保持规律睡眠并没有捷径,关键在于生活自律:无论白天多忙碌,到了晚上固定时间(例如 22:00),就必须果断收起手机和电脑去睡觉;只要长期坚持,大脑和身体就会建立起条件反射式的作息生物钟。

[37:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2236s) Prioritizing Sleep: 8–9 Hours and the Power of Consistency

When asked about their personal sleep hygiene, the founders explain that their own circadian rhythms run like clockwork. Because their daily schedules are remarkably consistent, they rarely need an alarm clock—their bodies simply wake up naturally when fully rested. When the host asks how much sleep they actually log each night, the answer is an uncompromising eight to nine hours. Pushing through on less is out of the question: "less than eight for us is very difficult, is a disaster," they share with a laugh. Maintaining that discipline reinforces how intimately they understand their bodies' physical and cognitive limits, setting the baseline for everything their company builds.

- **Nightly Duration:** Eight to nine hours consistently every night without relying on morning alarms. - **Strict Baseline:** Anything under eight hours is considered a personal "disaster" for daily functioning and physical recovery.

---

[37:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2256s) Sleep Optimization for Shift Workers and Irregular Schedules

The conversation shifts to the broader cultural evolution around sleep, which began in Silicon Valley and has spread globally. While maintaining a strict bedtime routine is ideal, the host points out that it can feel like an impossible luxury for shift workers, medical professionals, and those with irregular hours. Alex and Matteo acknowledge that many of their members work in hospitals or have fluctuating shifts, and offer two practical strategies for optimizing sleep when schedule consistency is out of reach:

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Sleep Optimization for Shift Workers accDescr: Recommended strategies for optimizing sleep quality when working irregular shifts or off-peak hours. subgraph Mindset["Behavioral Adjustment"] A["Protect Sleep Time"] --> B["Avoid living a standard daytime schedule when working shifts"] end subgraph PodIntervention["Pod Thermal Intervention"] C["Dynamic Temperature Regulation"] --> D["Accelerate Sleep Onset"] D --> E["Deeper Sleep Despite Daytime Circadian Misalignment"] end ```

First, they urge shift workers to deliberately prioritize and protect sleep blocks on their calendar. The biggest pitfall for night-shift workers is attempting to live the daytime life of someone on a standard 9-to-5 schedule while simultaneously working nights, which invariably compresses actual sleep time. Second, they highlight how dynamic thermal regulation directly aids shift workers: by utilizing the Pod to actively cool the bed, users can fall asleep significantly faster and access deeper sleep stages even when sleeping in the middle of the day against their biological circadian rhythms.

- **Shift Worker Demographics:** Frequent users include doctors, nurses, and hospital staff navigating rotating rosters. - **Dedicated Time Blocks:** The critical behavioral fix is carving out dedicated hours specifically for sleep rather than trying to balance full daytime social routines on night shifts. - **Thermal Compensation:** Active cooling from the Pod acts as an environmental trigger that counteracts circadian misalignment, deepening sleep architecture even during daylight hours.

---

[39:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2341s) Eight Sleep's Future Vision: Expansion, New Products, and an Eventual IPO

Reflecting on a decade-long journey of taking Eight Sleep from DIY heated-blanket prototypes to an international presence across more than 35 countries, the host asks what comes next. The founders outline an ambitious roadmap centered on scaling their physical and digital footprint while continuing to elevate global sleep literacy. Their future goals include releasing additional hardware products, expanding into more international distribution channels and countries, and ultimately pursuing an initial public offering (IPO) down the line.

More than corporate milestones, they emphasize the ongoing cultural mission: continuing to shift the mainstream conversation—echoed by sleep researchers and health advocates like Matthew Walker and Andrew Huberman—toward recognizing sleep as the single most critical, actionable pillar of preventative health and longevity.

- **Global Presence:** Operating in 35+ countries after more than 10 years of consumer hardware R&D. - **Long-term Roadmap:** "More products, more countries, more channels... and at a certain point probably an IPO." - **Core Mission:** Spreading awareness of sleep optimization and preventative health to a broader global audience.

## Notable quotes > [03:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=225s) What if you could sleep only six hours and get more rest than when you were sleeping eight hours? — Matteo Franceschetti

> [13:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=780s) 想象一下把当今顶尖跑车上最精密的液冷系统移植下来,不是给超级跑车散热,而是专门服务于你的床和睡眠。 — Matteo Franceschetti

> [24:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1485s) I think we were lucky to be naive, because it's one of the things that if you know before you start, maybe you don't even start. — Matteo Franceschetti

> [28:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1735s) 6 秒内得到响应 — Alex Zatarain

> [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1894s) democratize sleep for 8 billion people — Matteo Franceschetti

> [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=1894s) compete on outcome — Alex Zatarain

> [37:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2236s) less than eight for us is very difficult, is a disaster — Matteo Franceschetti

> [39:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8&t=2341s) More products, more countries, more channels... and at a certain point probably an IPO. — Matteo Franceschetti

## Mentioned Eight Sleep, Matteo Franceschetti, Alex Zatarain, Yiwen, Pod, Pod Hub, Autopilot, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bryan Johnson, Sam Altman, Tadej Pogačar, Matthew Walker, Andrew Huberman, Steve Jobs, Apple, Apple Watch, Garmin, Tesla, Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Y Combinator, Stanford University, FDA, Eight Medical, F1, NBA, WeChat

## Video description 【本期节目由Eight Sleep赞助播出】

在这个健康意识崛起的时代,我们越来越愿意花大价钱管理自己的身体。睡眠,就是其中最重要的方面之一。 与手表、戒指等可穿戴设备不同,Eight Sleep的产品是一张能够自动控温的智能床套。马斯克、扎克伯格、Bryan Johnson、Sam Altman,都是它的用户。多名职业运动员,也习惯带着它去比赛。这张售价约两万元的智能床套,究竟替我们做了什么? 这期播客,我们邀请了Eight Sleep的两位创始人,Matteo Franceschetti和Alex Zatarain,聊聊睡眠科技和文化。 他们说,现代人已经熟悉了各项睡眠指标,例如深度睡眠、REM、HRV。但Eight Sleep想要更进一步:在人们熟睡时,根据身体的变化,自动调整床面温度、床体高度,让技术在你毫无知觉的时候工作。 这张床套背后,也是一家消费硬件公司十多年的摸索。从拆开电热毯做原型机,到众筹卖爆却发现卖一台亏一台;从搬到中国学习制造,到反复经历现金流危机,创始人踩了很多坑,才慢慢探索出令人满意的产品形态。 今年4月,Eight Sleep进入中国。消费竞争激烈的中国市场,反而是他们增长最快的一个。一张床套卖两万人民币,Eight Sleep如何解释自己的定价?进入全球35个国家,这家公司从上百万用户身上学到了什么? 我们也聊到伴侣之间的温差、孕期与产后的睡眠变化,以及他们更远的野心:从改善睡眠,走向健康异常预警和预防医疗。最后,我们还是回到那个最朴素的问题:究竟怎么才算睡个好觉?

【主播】 Yiwen,硅谷101主持人 【嘉宾】 Matteo Franceschetti,Eight Sleep联合创始人、CEO Alex Zatarain,Eight Sleep联合创始人、CMO

【你将听到】 00:00 一张被马斯克搬进办公室的床套 04:01 从追踪到干预:一张床套想替你做什么? 06:27 从“不睡觉”到 sleepmaxxing,睡眠文化的十年转向 09:48 看了那么多睡眠分数,然后呢? 11:25 睡眠数据里,有哪些预测疾病的信号 11:53 为什么最终选择床套,而不是床垫或可穿戴设备? 13:00 把液冷系统搬上床,解决伴侣之间的温差之争 16:38 孕期、产后与更年期:被忽视的女性睡眠需求 20:14 数据与自研传感器:哪些积累难以复制? 20:50 治疗癌症?从睡眠监测到预防医疗 24:45 消费硬件创业:制造、成本与现金流的现实考验 25:59 搬到中国学制造:从原型机到量产,没有捷径 27:17 中国成为增长最快的市场,哪些反馈超出了预期? 31:34 两万元的床套怎么定价?“我们还在 Model S 阶段” 34:28 带着床套跑遍赛场,职业运动员在意什么? 36:42 旅行、时差与轮班:作息不固定,如何安排睡眠? 39:02 更多产品、更多国家,Eight Sleep的下一步 39:45 温控原理:人们一整晚的温度需求为何不同? 56:16 两万元买一晚好觉,你觉得值得吗?

【试睡感受】 在使用Eight Sleep的几个月里,我亲身感受到了合适的温度对睡眠的重要性。除此之外,Eight Sleep每天早上会发送一段前一晚的睡眠总结,并给出怎么做能睡的更好的建议。 现在在国内购买Eight Sleep产品,除赠送长期有效的Autopolit标准版订阅之外,还有硅谷101听众专属的1200元优惠券: 天猫优惠券 https://tinyurl.com/2ygrtcwm 京东优惠券 https://tinyurl.com/2bowz7js 或联系店铺客服报暗号【硅谷101】领取; 海外听众可在eightsleep.com使用SV101折扣码,获得200美元优惠。

【硅谷101年会来了,线下见】 10月10日—11日,我们将在【硅谷】举办Alignment 2026年度大会,从大模型、Agent、机器人到AI Infra,从实验室里的突破,到真实世界的商业化,我们直击AI变化最剧烈的前沿。 来自OpenAI、Anthropic、NVIDIA、Meta、Google DeepMind、SemiAnalysis、Cerebras等公司的研究者、创业者与投资人将齐聚现场,分享正在发生的机遇和挑战。 报名链接:https://luma.com/alignment2026?utm_source=podcast

【欢迎加入硅谷101 Discord讨论群】 https://tally.so/r/KYZNQD

【监制】 泓君 【后期】 Amei 【运营】 朱婕 【BGM】 Treasure Hunt - Johan Landqvist Papa Funk - spring gang Walk the Walk - Ziggy A Pretty Good Day - Instrumental version - Isaac DaBom None of My Business - Arthur Benson

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqI7kJQEnV8)

中文简报

Eight Sleep拓展中国增长极 创始人拟切入预防医疗并推进IPO 智能睡眠设备的核心价值在于通过自适应温控等实时物理干预替代被动数据追踪,并依托连续生理监测将床铺转化为筛查早期疾病的预防医疗入口。 两位创始人阐述了 Eight Sleep 如何跳脱出手表手环等纯数据监测的被动逻辑,通过自研传感器与液冷双分区动态温控,将床垫打造成自动调节微气候与防打鼾的主动干预型“睡眠管家”。对话复盘了团队从电热毯原型机、赴华攻克硬件量产、熬过现金流危机直至盈利的硬科技创业之路,并解释了两万元定价背后类似特斯拉“Model S 阶段”的商业逻辑。此外,他们还分享了算法如何自适应中国用户的偏暖习惯、赋能 F1 车手及环法冠军的极限恢复,以及未来通过 FDA 认证与全身扫描迈向预防医疗的长期愿景。 Eight Sleep从被动监测转向物理干预,采用自研水冷床套配合AI算法,通过双分区动态温控最多可提升30%的睡眠质量,并借由抬高床架和自适应音频主动改善打鼾与助眠。 (3:45) 通过全套自研传感器与后台数十亿小时睡眠数据训练的AI模型,系统能通过静息心率与HRV异常在发热等临床症状出现前3至5天预警疾病,未来正申请FDA认证用于呼吸暂停监测与干预。 (9:48) 针对两万元人民币的高昂定价,创始人回应目前处于类似特斯拉“Model S阶段”,未来将逐步推出更平民化产品;同时中国已成其全球增长最快的国际市场,促使算法学习并适配了中国用户偏暖的体感差异。 (31:34) 从YC W15起步的十年硬件创业历程中,团队通过深入中国制造供应链度过量产与现金流考验,公司去年已实现盈利并进入全球35个国家,长期规划将推进IPO并拓展更多产品线。 (24:45)

Reading summary

Eight Sleep 联合创始人 Matteo Franceschetti 与 Alex Zatarain 认为,睡眠科技正从被动的数据监测演进为实时物理干预,其目标是通过无感硬件改善睡眠质量,并将睡眠场景转化为提供早期疾病预警的预防医疗入口。 无感物理干预:双分区液冷重构睡眠 (3:45) 传统可穿戴设备通常将生理数据作为追踪终点,而 Eight Sleep 提出将数据作为物理干预的触发信号。为了避免穿戴与充电带来的额外负担,团队选择将传感与调控模块整合进可适配各类床垫的智能床套中。系统采用双分区微气候设计,通过嵌入床套的细软管道进行水循环控温,旨在解决伴侣之间普遍存在的温差争议;官方称该温控方案最高可提升30%的睡眠质量。此外,硬件还搭配了可在打鼾时自动抬高头部的智能底座,并针对体温波动剧烈的孕妇群体开发了随孕周自动调节微气候的孕期模式。 从优化恢复到预防医疗:早期疾病预警 (9:48) 随着公众意识从宣扬睡眠剥夺的拼搏文化转向注重机能恢复的“Sleepmaxxing”,系统背后的 AI 算法被定位为无需人工介入的“睡眠管家”。在数据呈现上,平台更侧重过滤噪音并标记偏离个人基线的生理异常:算法模型监测到静息心率持续升高且心率变异性(HRV)显著下降时,通常可在发热或临床症状显现前3至5天预警潜在疾病。长期规划中,团队引用斯坦福大学关于单夜睡眠数据与多类疾病关联的研究,试图利用夜间数小时连续静卧的场景将床套升级为全身健康扫描设备,旗下“Eight Medical”目前正在推进睡眠呼吸暂停筛查与干预技术的 FDA 医疗认证。 跨越量产鸿沟:驻华打磨供应链与硬件突围 (24:45) 消费电子硬件无法通过软件热更新修补制造缺陷,必须经历 EVT、DVT、PVT 至大规模量产的严密工程验证,同时承受物料清单成本(BOM)、质保准备金与流动资金的严苛考验。为跨越实验室原型到量产交付的鸿沟,创始人早期曾驻扎中国数月,完成供应链遴选与常驻工程团队的建立。自2015年孵化于 Y Combinator 至今,公司历经十余年硬件与传感算法迭代,依托自有知识产权的传感器阵列建立数据壁垒,目前已实现商业化盈利,业务拓展至全球35个国家和地区。 高阶定价逻辑与中国本土化自适应 (31:34) 针对产品在美国约3000美元、在中国约两万元人民币的高昂售价,创始人将当前阶段类比为特斯拉早期的“Model S 阶段”,表示公司选择以实际干预效果建立高端品牌认知与健康利润率,待技术成熟后再逐步推出大众化产品线。自4月正式进入中国市场后,中国迅速成为其增长最快的海外区域。面对本土消费者对微信即时响应服务的高标准要求,以及中国用户在体质与偏好上较欧美用户普遍偏暖的特征,系统通过初始画像设置与整夜体征监测,依靠 Autopilot AI 算法动态学习区域群体的体温规律,实现算法模型的本土化自适应。 Eight Sleep 展现了将消费级硬件转型为预防医学基础设施的商业设想,但其当前的高昂定价与订阅门槛仍将其局限在专业运动员和高净值人群等受众范围内;未来能否顺利跨过医疗认证门槛并下沉至大众消费市场,仍有待工程降本与临床实践的进一步检验。

Source quotes

[3:45] Matteo Franceschetti: What if you could sleep only six hours and get more rest than when you were sleeping eight hours? [13:00] Matteo Franceschetti: 想象一下把当今顶尖跑车上最精密的液冷系统移植下来,不是给超级跑车散热,而是专门服务于你的床和睡眠。 [24:45] Matteo Franceschetti: I think we were lucky to be naive, because it's one of the things that if you know before you start, maybe you don't even start. [28:55] Alex Zatarain: 6 秒内得到响应 [31:34] Matteo Franceschetti: democratize sleep for 8 billion people [31:34] Alex Zatarain: compete on outcome [37:16] Matteo Franceschetti: less than eight for us is very difficult, is a disaster [39:01] Matteo Franceschetti: More products, more countries, more channels... and at a certain point probably an IPO.

Original transcript

[0:10] Foreman [0:33] Brian Johnson. [0:37] forch. [1:14] >> [music] [1:19] [music] [1:27] >> Fore [1:46] garment [1:51] HRV [2:02] Fore [2:21] sleep. [2:27] for [2:29] HRV [2:43] Kelly, Alex Zaring. [music] [3:02] [music] [3:24] Fore [3:45] Alex, welcome to Valley 101. [3:47] >> Yeah, thank you for having us. [3:48] >> I am really excited for this. Great to [3:50] meet the people behind a product that I [3:52] sleep on every night. I was really [3:53] excited when I unboxed the product. A [3:55] lot of my friends have been telling me [3:56] about it. I feel like you guys have [3:58] really made the brand known not only in [3:59] the tech circle but also just in [4:01] general. But um for the viewers who are [4:04] not really familiar with eatle, tell me [4:06] a little bit more about what you guys [4:07] are building here. [4:08] >> Yeah, we invented a technology that [4:10] improve your sleep. Everything starts [4:11] with a mattress cover that you can [4:14] install on top of your mattress, but [4:15] then we added other technology that will [4:18] help you mitigate snoring and also help [4:20] you fall asleep. But in general, we have [4:22] this vision about really enhancing sleep [4:25] performance. What if you could sleep [4:26] only six hours and get more rest than [4:29] when you were sleeping eight hours? And [4:30] in the meanwhile, we also want to track [4:32] everything about your health so you can [4:34] live a healthier and longer life. [4:36] >> So I guess the core technology here is [4:38] temperature control. You mentioned that [4:40] it was so cooler. Tell me a little bit [4:42] more about how that idea came about for [4:45] you guys when I guess when you guys [4:46] started building that. That was like [4:47] when you guys are 20, 24, 25. We started [4:50] working on this in 2014 the the first [4:54] time and we had this vision about the [4:56] ability to track everything about your [4:58] health and respond. The big difference [5:00] between what we do and wearables is that [5:03] the data is not the end point for us but [5:05] is just a mean to an end. The end is the [5:08] ability to respond. Temperature is one [5:10] of the ways we respond and is one of the [5:12] most effective. So each side of the of [5:15] the cover each side of the bed can have [5:17] a different temperature and that [5:18] temperature will dynamically adjust [5:20] based on your biometrics, sleep stages, [5:22] preferences and uh whatever you did [5:25] during the day. So sort of activities. [5:27] So temperature is the first big ones and [5:30] true temperature we can give you up to [5:31] 30% better sleep. Then there are other [5:34] technologies. There is one for snoring [5:35] mitigation. This is a bass that goes [5:37] underneath your bed and if you're [5:39] snoring, we are going to raise your head [5:41] and that should mitigate your snoring. [5:43] And then we also have a speaker in the [5:45] bass and we are able to play certain [5:47] sounds at certain moments of the night [5:49] to help you fall asleep. [5:50] >> And all of it is really personalization. [5:52] So as you saw, it's it's all these [5:54] different factors about your [5:55] environment. But when we started working [5:57] on what is now aid sleep, it was because [5:59] of this clear vacuum in the market where [6:02] like Matteo said, you know, wearables [6:03] may give you data. There are pharma [6:05] companies that create drugs to help you [6:07] fall asleep and help you stay asleep. [6:09] But the reality is that no one was using [6:11] technology to solve this problem of [6:13] humans struggle to sleep well. And [6:15] modern ways in which we live are getting [6:18] a bit in the way of our ability to sleep [6:19] really well every single night. So we [6:21] wanted to solve that. And we realized [6:23] that we have to personalize the night [6:24] for every human in order to do that and [6:26] that's what we do. [6:27] >> I wanted to talk a little bit more about [6:28] just sleep in general. I feel like we're [6:30] kind of in like a sleep maxing world. [6:32] Everyone suddenly started to care about [6:34] sleep a lot more. Was that the case when [6:36] you guys started the company? [6:37] >> No. No. No one was talking about sleep [6:39] now back in 2014. And I mean the world [6:42] was so different in terms of health and [6:44] wellness. You know the trends have [6:45] really accelerated I think over the last [6:47] six years. But no one would talk about [6:49] it in public as well like it wasn't [6:51] something you talk discuss with your [6:52] friends or it was sort of very private. [6:55] There were no technologies that were [6:56] really tracking sleep. Wearables were [6:58] starting to do it. There were a few [6:59] companies, you know, Apple was not even [7:00] in the wearable space at the time. So, [7:02] it was a very different world. And as [7:04] you're saying now, everyone cares about [7:05] their sleep and people are talking about [7:06] sleep maxing. People are talking about [7:08] recovery as a key component of [7:09] performance and health. So, the world [7:11] has really changed. [7:12] >> I feel like previously there was this [7:14] grind culture. Everyone is proud of not [7:17] sleeping, you know, waking up at 4:00 [7:19] a.m. and all that. And that has really [7:21] changed. What have you noticed, you [7:22] know, over the years of building this [7:24] product in terms of the cultural [7:26] reception of this? [7:27] >> Yeah. Well, I think a lot changed since [7:29] 2020. I think that there have been also [7:32] just social media has given us the [7:33] ability to discuss in depth so many [7:36] topics about health that maybe [7:38] previously were not. The explosion of [7:39] formats like podcasts and YouTube vlogs [7:42] and you just have so many great [7:44] individuals who are sharing some of the [7:46] science behind why you should be [7:47] sleeping and you know why it matters for [7:49] your longevity. We have people who are [7:50] friends of the brand like Brian Johnson [7:52] who are out there experimenting with all [7:53] these things around how can you live [7:54] longer. um that has fueled the [7:57] conversation for the average consumer [7:58] where they are seeing that media and [8:01] then they're also thinking well what [8:02] does that mean for me um obviously [8:04] technology companies like eight but many [8:06] others that are providing that data [8:07] every day has sort of opened the eyes to [8:09] people of wow actually I do feel better [8:12] when I sleep more so it's been a [8:13] combination of factors but it has [8:15] changed significantly I think post 2020 [8:18] to where we were before in the first [8:19] years of the company [8:20] >> I would almost simplify saying look 10 [8:23] 10 20 years ago So sleeping 8 9 hours [8:27] was seen as weak as like you're wasting [8:30] your time. You know, you're not uh [8:32] probably driven enough. Well, instead [8:34] now is literally perceived like going to [8:36] the gym. Okay, you're a healthy person [8:38] and then probably during the day you [8:40] will be also a top performer because you [8:42] will be sharp. [8:43] >> And so this shift is because of the [8:45] reasons Alexandra just described. And [8:47] it's it's pretty incredible and true, [8:49] which is the most important thing is [8:51] literally what science proves. How does [8:53] it fit into you know the biohacking [8:55] culture? I was you know in SF a lot. I [8:58] went to a lot of the peptide parties [8:59] where people inject stuff into their [9:02] their own bodies also to like optimize [9:04] sleep. Have you seen example of people [9:05] kind of biohacking their their own [9:07] sleeps? I think we're a bit past that [9:09] which is interesting. Like I do think [9:10] that um biohacking as a movement was [9:15] very strong in that 2020 to 2022 and [9:17] then it really just blended with general [9:19] wellness and what we're seeing now [9:21] around the world when we travel to all [9:22] these countries where we sell eight [9:24] sleep is that everyone's talking about [9:25] wellness in the sense of they want to [9:27] live healthier longer. So the sense of [9:28] longevity and so I think that sleep has [9:31] become more quote unquote mainstream [9:33] compared to say peptides that are sort [9:35] of more right now on the edges and [9:37] they're being adopted by people who are [9:39] in the early adopter circles. Definitely [9:42] in Silicon Valley you see a lot of that [9:43] because people tend to have appetite to [9:45] take risk and experiment and they're [9:46] doing all sorts of things. You mentioned [9:48] wearables. I feel like right now we use [9:50] so many technologies to track how we [9:52] sleep. I have a Garmin on on my wrist [9:54] right now and I feel like we have so [9:55] many metrics like REMM, deep sleep, HRV [9:59] like all of those words. What do you [10:01] think are the most important things when [10:04] it comes to sleep metrics or you know [10:06] just holistically are metrics important? [10:08] >> Well, a couple of things. So the the [10:10] first one is people obviously like [10:12] metrics but at the end of the day what [10:14] they pay us for is to do the job for [10:16] them. That is what we do through this [10:19] form of responses temperature and [10:20] elevation. At the end of the day, [10:22] another metaphor I like to use is we [10:24] built a sleep bottler for you that will [10:27] do continuous adjustment while you are [10:29] unconscious to deliver better sleep. So [10:31] this is an AI that is behind the scene. [10:33] It looks at the data for you and in real [10:35] time adjust temperature, elevation, [10:37] noise and in the future other factors. [10:39] So number one thing is you shouldn't [10:41] even look at the metrics. We just need [10:43] to make sure that when you wake up you [10:44] feel great. Then if you want to look at [10:46] the metrics because we all want I'm I'm [10:48] a a metric geek. I think the key thing [10:51] is to simplify things and uh highlight [10:55] when there are what we call internally [10:58] anomalies. So at the end of the day what [11:00] you want to know is is everything on [11:01] track? Yes. And then most of the people [11:03] are fine. Then if something is changing [11:05] in your body and our AI or our [11:08] intelligence is able to detect that you [11:10] have a certain likelihood to be sick [11:12] within two three days that is what we [11:14] should surface. And then there are [11:16] people like me and maybe you and we [11:17] really want to go deep into the data and [11:19] there is when you should have a [11:21] dashboard with HR, HRV, deep sleep or [11:23] RAM and so on. [11:25] >> How does it predict you know when you [11:27] were sick? [11:28] >> We have models that look at the bunch of [11:31] different biometrics. Usually the most [11:33] relevant are HR and HRV. And so you [11:35] start seeing a trend where your heart [11:37] rate at rest starts going up usually [11:39] three, four, five days before you get [11:41] fever and your HIV starts going down. [11:44] And so those are what we call anomalies [11:46] and that is how we are training our [11:48] models to be able to detect some of the [11:50] shifts in your biology. [11:52] >> Yeah. And I wanted to talk a little bit [11:54] more about you know why you guys choose [11:56] mattress cover. I know that you guys [11:57] pivoted a little bit cover then mattress [12:00] and back to cover and then there are so [12:01] many variables which seems to be the [12:04] usual way that people are going about [12:06] like with sleep tracking. Why did you [12:08] guys choose mattress cover in [12:10] particular? [12:11] >> Well first we wanted it to be seamless. [12:13] So for us when we think of sleep, we [12:15] didn't want to have to ask you to do [12:17] something else, right? Even wearing [12:19] something while you're sleeping or [12:20] having to remember to charge your Garmin [12:22] or your wearable every x days and [12:25] remember to do that or activating it or [12:28] anything like that like was out of the [12:29] question. We don't believe that that's [12:30] the right way to go, especially when it [12:32] comes to sleep. When you feel tired, you [12:34] should just be able to go to bed. And [12:36] like Matteo said, this sort of sleep [12:37] butler takes care of you. So embedding [12:40] something on the surface that you're [12:42] sleeping on felt the most natural design [12:44] option. And so that's why the mattress [12:46] cover that's the form factor we've had [12:48] since our very first product before the [12:49] pod. And we've sort of gone back and [12:51] forth in whether we sell it integrated [12:53] to a mattress or not. But in the end, [12:54] consumers wanted the flexibility to put [12:56] it on top of any bed they already had at [12:58] home. So it turned out to be the right [13:00] bet. [13:00] >> I would love to talk a little bit about [13:01] the technology that allows us to do [13:03] that. And what are your proprietary [13:05] technologies that you know kind of [13:07] optimize this temperature control and [13:09] help us feel comfortable? [13:10] >> We have filed many many patents. I I [13:12] think we have over probably 40 patents [13:15] in the in in that range. I mean we [13:17] really reinvented the technology from [13:19] the ground up. We came up with this [13:21] technology that is liquid base and uh we [13:25] the the science behind what we do and [13:27] the fact that temperature will improve [13:29] your sleep is something that has been [13:31] proven for probably I don't know 50 [13:33] years by now. So we didn't invent that. [13:35] That was already proven. What we did is [13:38] we were the the first company that was [13:40] able to create a consumer device at [13:42] scale that could deliver this value to [13:44] the average user. And another thing we [13:47] noticed was the need for couples. What [13:50] we see is 80 to 90% of the couples they [13:53] have different temperature preferences [13:55] and different needs. And that is where [13:57] we immediately found the product market [13:59] fit. So people like to joke saying that [14:01] we saved their marriage because they [14:03] were fighting with their partner about [14:05] different temperature needs. I want it [14:06] colder, I want it warmer and and so on. [14:09] And so we build this technology that um [14:12] uh has a device that sits next to your [14:14] bed and there is where the whole [14:15] intelligence leave and then there is [14:16] this cover where liquid cooling is [14:18] circulating. So thinking think of having [14:21] the most sophisticated liquid cooling [14:23] technology ever built, but instead being [14:26] maybe for your top car or super car is [14:28] just for your bed and for your sleep. [14:30] >> Yeah, I was actually quite surprised how [14:32] easy it was to assemble. Like I kind of [14:34] just pour water in and it worked. Was [14:36] that like a cautious decision between [14:39] like liquid cooling and I guess other [14:40] method? [14:41] >> Yeah, I mean ultimately because water is [14:42] the best material to actually absorb the [14:45] body heat. Our bodies are quite hot. [14:47] They're dissipating heat throughout the [14:48] night. here in bed for 6 to9 hours every [14:50] night and so the water can absorb that [14:52] and remove it from the surface of the [14:54] bed. Um so it's much more successful at [14:56] achieving and maintaining cooler [14:58] temperatures than air would be for [15:00] instance. So that's why liquid was [15:02] important to achieve our goal. But then [15:04] like Mattel said it's is really [15:06] sophisticated because we had to also [15:08] make it comfortable. When you're [15:09] speaking about being on the surface of [15:10] the bed you need to make it comfortable. [15:12] You need to make it reliable. We wanted [15:13] it to like disappear so that it wouldn't [15:15] bother you go in bed and it just feels [15:16] like your regular mattress that you had [15:18] bought previously, but now you have [15:19] these added benefits. [15:20] >> And uh going back to that couple point, [15:24] uh I thought that was really interesting [15:25] as you said people have different [15:27] temperature preference. Is there any [15:28] scientific evidence proven that you know [15:30] how like sleeping with a partner kind of [15:32] like affect your your sleep like your [15:34] partner's sleeping habits would like [15:36] change your sleep quality? [15:37] >> Yeah, I think we have data. [15:39] >> Yes. Yeah, there's definitely like a [15:41] very close connection. One because of [15:42] habits. So couples who are going or not [15:45] to bed like are keeping the same [15:46] bedtimes or wake up times like they will [15:48] influence their sleep significantly. Um [15:51] but even while you're in bed one thing [15:53] that we have seen in our data is that [15:54] women are actually heavily influenced by [15:57] having their partner in bed and their [15:59] HRV so their recovery tends to be much [16:02] better when they have their partner in [16:03] bed than when they don't. And so you [16:05] start seeing all these sort of [16:06] physiological effects of having your [16:08] partner with you um that are very [16:10] interesting. And so you would hear [16:11] anecdotally women would say like, "Oh, [16:13] it's much easier for me to fall asleep [16:14] with our partners with me or like I [16:15] sleep better." But then we actually see [16:17] in the data that it's true. The [16:18] challenge is that when you're sleeping [16:20] with someone again, their uh bedtime [16:22] routine, their wake up can bother you, [16:24] their temperature preference can bother [16:25] you. And those are some of the things [16:26] that we're solving here by giving each [16:28] partner the ability to define their own [16:31] side of the bed, their microclimate, [16:32] their own conditions, their own silent [16:34] alarms so that they interrupt each [16:36] other's sleep as little as possible. To [16:38] build on that, I wanted to talk a little [16:40] bit about women's health as well because [16:41] you guys launched the pregnancy mode. [16:43] Tell me a little bit about you know how [16:44] you guys discover that use case and you [16:47] know with like pregnancy and postpartum [16:50] how the sleep quality differ you know in [16:52] those period of their life. [16:54] >> Yeah. Well, I think everything that [16:55] we're doing in women's health is really [16:57] fascinating because you know there's a [16:58] lot of conversation about how little [17:00] women are really studied and anything [17:01] related to our health and wellness. it's [17:03] sort of harder to run clinical studies [17:05] for women because of the variations that [17:07] we have in our hormonal cycles. And we [17:09] said, well, that doesn't make sense to [17:10] us. Like, let's just figure out, given [17:12] that we have this incredible scale of [17:13] being in consumer's homes, let's figure [17:15] out a way to recruit women who want to [17:16] participate in studies with us. They're [17:18] already part of our user base so that we [17:20] can learn how women sleep. Let's [17:21] actually start contributing back to [17:22] science and like sharing some of this [17:24] data. So, women anecdotally would say [17:26] that as they go through pregnancy, they [17:27] start feeling warmer. They start feeling [17:29] sometimes even sort of hot flashes or [17:31] night sweats that they wouldn't have [17:32] before pregnancy. And then as they go [17:34] into postpartum, they have those effects [17:36] again, which almost feels like a little [17:37] bit of a pmenopause moment because their [17:40] hormones are starting to go back down to [17:42] where they were pre-reg. And we saw that [17:44] in the data. It was very clear. So as [17:46] the pregnancy advances and every week of [17:48] pregnancy, you do have different needs [17:51] in terms of what environment temperature [17:53] is going to keep you comfortable at [17:55] sleep. So we said, well, why don't we [17:56] build that? Let's actually use AI to [17:58] create this algorithm that's just going [18:00] to run automatically. If you tell our [18:02] product what week of pregnancy you're [18:03] in, what is your due date? It will just [18:06] manage the temperature of your bed for [18:08] you automatically. You don't have to do [18:09] anything. And beyond that, we have the [18:11] value that we have the data. So, we can [18:12] also tell you here's how your heart rate [18:14] is looking compared to pre-preg [18:16] benchmarks. Here's what your HRV looks [18:18] like, your breathing rate, which all of [18:20] those biomarkers change as a pregnancy [18:21] advances. And we can benchmark you. we [18:24] can tell you for the week of pregnancy [18:25] you're in whether those metrics are [18:27] looking quote unquote normal which also [18:30] gives women some peace of mind which is [18:32] so important in that phase of life. [18:33] >> Yeah. When you train the algorithm what [18:35] is the kind of the training data? Do you [18:37] think like we have enough data for from [18:40] you know like pregnancy and just like [18:41] women in general uh to train this [18:43] algorithm to make sure it's accurate. [18:45] >> We do because the thing that we have is [18:46] obviously all the people that sleep on [18:48] the pod we recruit from our user base. [18:50] So we have women opt in. [18:51] >> That's what's amazing. So we don't need [18:53] to go and like get that data from any [18:55] external source which obviously as you [18:56] said sometimes there's not enough or [18:58] there's not enough of the same quality [18:59] of data for us. We have this incredible [19:01] product in people's homes and our user [19:03] base is excited because we're going to [19:05] build something that's going to actually [19:06] benefit them because they they end up [19:08] using it. [19:09] >> What kind of feedback have you been [19:10] hearing? [19:11] >> So those two cohorts it's incredible but [19:13] they're some of their like highest [19:14] engaged cohorts. They just love the [19:15] features. We're building something that [19:17] no other technology company has done for [19:19] them because it's beyond tracking. So, [19:20] it's not just the data, but we're [19:22] actually solving a problem for them [19:24] through this response. And so, that's [19:26] just amazing for them. It's like [19:27] someone's finally building what I needed [19:29] and that is giving me a pregnancy that [19:31] means I can sleep better, a postpartum [19:33] that, you know, where I can recover [19:35] better. And when you think about it, in [19:37] those moments in your life, sleep is so [19:39] fundamental to your well-being. It [19:41] really is critical. It's probably the [19:43] most critical thing that you have to do. [19:45] >> Yeah, that's awesome. So, I guess it has [19:47] been over 10 years. Looking back, are [19:50] there versions of product that failed [19:51] and um what did you learn from that [19:53] experience? [19:54] >> Well, it's not that there was a version [19:55] that that uh failed. I think over the [19:58] years, we always kept improving what we [20:00] had both because technology became [20:02] better in general through AI and [20:04] sensors, but every iteration now for [20:06] example with the pod we are pod six with [20:09] the each iteration of this device is [20:12] better than the previous one. [20:13] >> And uh when it comes to the algorithm, [20:15] how large is the data set behind the [20:17] algorithm? What specifically is hard to [20:18] replicate about those data? [20:20] >> Well, it's billion of hours of health [20:22] data and so we collect multiple [20:24] terabytes of health data per day and the [20:27] only way you can do that is to be at [20:29] scale. So even if you were starting a [20:31] company today with a large amount of uh [20:33] cash in in the bank is literally [20:35] something you cannot buy even because in [20:38] our case we don't have offtheshelf [20:40] sensors but the sensors have been [20:41] developed in house by us and so to train [20:44] your algos on this specific type of [20:46] sensors there is only one company in the [20:48] world that can do it which is us [20:49] >> and I do also want to talk a little bit [20:51] about the ant go here you know in a [20:53] podcast I think two years ago you [20:54] mentioned that you wanted to solve [20:56] cancer with this technology tell me more [20:59] about just that connection. How do we [21:01] get from track and sleep data to you [21:03] know solve one of the hardest disease? [21:06] So first of all recently like probably [21:08] six months ago there was a paper [21:10] published by some scientists at Stanford [21:12] and what they proved is that with the [21:14] data of one night of sleep they can [21:16] detect 130 diseases and we started [21:18] seeing that in our back end meaning we [21:20] start seeing correlation between sleep [21:22] and diabetes and hypertension and other [21:24] diseases and we start seeing an accuracy [21:27] that based on an early test is close to [21:31] 90% accuracy this is something is [21:33] happening just because of AI is fairly [21:36] incredible how AI is triaging different [21:38] amount of data and and finding [21:40] correlations that maybe us as humans we [21:43] wouldn't have found. Then specifically [21:45] for cancer we have a vision for full [21:47] body scanning. We believe that while [21:48] you're asleep we could uh scan your body [21:51] and detect certain types of health [21:53] conditions including certain types of [21:55] cancer. [21:56] >> Yeah, it's really cool. At the end of [21:57] the day, if you think you're standing [21:59] still in the same position for six hours [22:02] and you are on a surface, lying down on [22:04] a surface that is really big, we have [22:06] space underneath your body and [22:07] potentially, you know, above your body, [22:10] then you start thinking first principle [22:12] in terms of technology. Okay, what can [22:13] you do to a body that is standing still [22:15] when you have all this space, Wi-Fi [22:17] connection and electricity? And I guess [22:20] to follow up on that, you are also [22:22] pursuing FDA clearance for this product, [22:24] you know, as part of the preventive care [22:26] and you guys publish an independent [22:27] study. Tell me just more about that [22:30] process and why did you decide to pursue [22:31] this role? [22:32] >> We are moving towards uh what know [22:34] internally we call eight eight medical [22:37] and so how can we pursue our medical [22:40] mission? How can we help millions of [22:41] people to really extend their life or at [22:44] least maybe even save their life? One of [22:46] the first step will be through sleep [22:47] apnea. uh step one of a journey that [22:50] hopefully will will last many decades [22:53] and um we have a technology that is able [22:55] to detect if you have sleep apnea while [22:57] you're asleep sleeping on the current [22:59] technology so it's a software update and [23:01] then we also develop a technology that [23:03] mitigates sleep apnea and we're pursuing [23:05] FDA approval for both of them. [23:06] >> Got it. Has there been any examples of [23:09] anyone you know benefiting from uh you [23:11] know seeing like signs of diseases early [23:13] from using your product even like in [23:15] your own experience because I assume [23:17] like you guys are the first users of the [23:18] mattress cover. What has kind of [23:20] surprised you while you were using uh [23:23] this product in your experience like if [23:25] I'm looking at your data and everything? [23:27] >> Well the most unexpected case is um for [23:30] people going through cancer. We didn't [23:32] expect that, but we discovered that uh [23:34] when they're going through chemo, they [23:36] have hot flashes and the body also um [23:40] becomes less accurate in temperature [23:42] management. And so we started seeing a [23:44] lot of people with cancer buying the [23:45] product. We didn't expect that. We [23:47] didn't know anything about that and now [23:49] we we fully understand the why. And our [23:52] goal is to start helping people uh in [23:54] with those condition as well. And there [23:56] have been cases too of people who have [23:58] written to you where they say, you know, [24:00] I've been sleeping on the pod for a [24:01] while. And so they have their their [24:02] data, right? So it's it sort of builds [24:04] this repository of what's happening [24:06] while you're sleeping to your body and [24:08] they um were not feeling great. They [24:11] checked their metrics on the eight app [24:13] and they saw that it had been a few days [24:16] where something was off. I think in this [24:17] case specifically was their heart rate [24:19] at rest and they decided to go to the [24:21] hospital. In the case of this one person [24:23] I remember, he said that he ended up [24:24] needing heart surgery. And so I think [24:27] that's an example of what data is doing [24:28] and sort of empowering us where it might [24:31] not be something that you're interested [24:32] in checking every day, but the fact that [24:34] you can passively track your biometrics, [24:36] it becomes such an important signal when [24:38] something does feel off or when we can [24:40] flag a certain trend like Matt was [24:42] saying earlier and then people can go [24:44] and do something about it. [24:45] >> Yeah. I wanted to move on to, you know, [24:47] you guys building this company. Being a [24:49] consumer hardware company, I think, you [24:51] know, we can all admit it's pretty [24:52] tough. When you guys were in YC back in [24:55] 2015, I assume there weren't that many [24:58] hardware companies in your batch. What [25:00] are the biggest challenges of building a [25:02] hardware company, a consumer hardware [25:04] company in particular? [25:05] >> Well, the the first part is to really [25:07] understand the the manufacturing, how [25:09] long it takes. Then you need to [25:11] understand the unit economics. is not [25:13] something you can adjust quickly. So [25:16] being able to nail what is your bomb [25:18] cost or the cost of production of [25:20] manufacturing of the device and what the [25:23] margins will be and then you need to [25:25] have enough cash or capital to handle uh [25:28] returns replacement the whole supply [25:30] chain uh the net terms or non-net terms [25:33] you get from suppliers in the early [25:35] days. I think we were lucky to be naive [25:38] because it's one of the things that if [25:40] you know before you start maybe you [25:43] don't even start in our case we were so [25:45] naive then we had to figure it out as [25:47] the problems were coming in and we did [25:50] it so now 10 years later uh company last [25:53] year was profitable strong unit [25:55] economics we sell in 35 countries strong [25:58] growth [25:58] >> yeah you mentioned that you flew to [26:00] China to uh was it like to tour the [26:02] factory or to you know [26:03] >> Yeah I moved to China uh for multiple [26:05] months because at the time we had [26:07] prototypes that were working but I don't [26:09] think we were fully aware of the delta [26:11] between having a working prototype and [26:13] something that can be fully shipped and [26:15] manufactured and so we had to learn that [26:18] and I moved there we selected the [26:20] manufacturers we also hired our first uh [26:23] employees in China which are still with [26:25] us they're actually the longest tenure [26:27] employee in the whole company outside [26:29] the founders uh Jack and Tony and yeah [26:33] those people that I found back then [26:35] they're still leading our group in [26:36] China. [26:37] >> What have you learned about [26:38] manufacturing from that like I guess [26:40] trip in China? [26:40] >> Well, the the first one and the biggest [26:42] is really this delta between uh uh a [26:44] working prototype and a final product. [26:46] And the main reason is to there are [26:49] first certain steps that you cannot [26:51] skip. It's called EVT 1, EV2 and DVTMP [26:54] and so on. But more than anything, these [26:56] steps are really key for the quality and [26:58] reliability of the device. So you [26:59] literally cannot skip them. At the [27:01] beginning founders, entrepreneurs they [27:04] always try to find shortcuts and they [27:05] think they can cut certain steps but [27:07] obviously manufacturing is something [27:08] that now has been tested for hundreds of [27:10] years from very smart people and some of [27:13] these things can literally not be uh [27:15] cut. [27:16] >> Yeah. And I wanted to talk a little bit [27:17] about the Chinese market which is one of [27:19] the main reasons we are having this [27:20] conversation here. So you guys started [27:22] selling in China since April. How has [27:24] that been? [27:25] >> It's been great. It's been our fastest [27:27] growing market. I think the reception [27:29] has been incredible. We were really [27:31] excited to get into China because in one [27:33] way or another, China has always been a [27:35] part of our journey as a business. Like [27:36] Matteo said, he moved there for many [27:38] months at the beginning and the [27:39] reception has been great. Just far [27:40] beyond what we expected. I think a lot [27:42] of excitement that the pod was finally [27:44] available. [27:45] >> That's awesome. What did you do like in [27:46] preparation for this launch? Did you [27:48] like go to China and like talk to the [27:50] market there, the folks there? [27:51] >> Yes, definitely. I mean, we've been [27:52] going to China now for years, so I think [27:54] like we were familiar enough like to [27:56] know sort of how different it is, right? [27:58] That's the first thing that I think any [27:59] brand coming from outside China realizes [28:01] and why I think most brands are scared [28:03] to enter is because it's really [28:04] different than marketing to the rest of [28:06] the world. But for us, it was an [28:07] exciting challenge. And what we did [28:09] first was build a team. So we built a [28:10] team that a marketing team that would [28:12] know the market that would be in China [28:14] that they could actually take the [28:15] leadership and guide us through what it [28:17] would mean to build the awareness of the [28:19] brand and also all the different [28:21] advertising channels and how they [28:22] performed. So that was that was our [28:24] strategy is hire the best people [28:25] possible to make it happen. Was there a [28:27] reason why you guys decide to do this [28:29] now in this market? [28:30] >> I think it just felt like the right [28:31] time. I think the brand's reaching a [28:33] certain point of maturity. You know, [28:34] we're in over 35 countries and so when [28:36] we think what is the next big market to [28:38] tackle like I mean China's always at the [28:40] top of the list, right? Like it's a huge [28:41] market. It's a market that's very [28:43] exciting. There's a lot of innovation. I [28:44] think the Chinese consumer right now is [28:47] definitely into everything related to [28:49] their health and their wellbeing as [28:50] well. So, we didn't want to be left [28:52] behind. like we are taking the [28:54] leadership around the world on [28:55] everything related to sleep and so we [28:57] want to be also the leaders in China [28:59] when everything that comes to sleep. [29:01] >> Yeah. I would love to hear a little bit [29:02] about you know what that market [29:04] surprised you because I you know growing [29:06] up in China always thought it was a very [29:07] competitive like consumer product market [29:10] you know when you were doing like market [29:12] research what about the market that [29:14] surprised you know even like pleasantly [29:16] surprised. Yeah, I think that it's a [29:18] pleasant surprise, but it definitely was [29:19] a surprise to see how demanding the [29:21] Chinese consumer is because as you're [29:23] saying, it's a market where you find so [29:26] many products, right? And there's this [29:27] availability of almost anything that you [29:29] would want because it's a country that [29:31] is manufacturing so much of what we use [29:33] around the world, but is really positive [29:37] to see that the consumer still demands [29:39] high quality and they want high quality [29:42] products, right? They're not just [29:43] compromising. They want the best. They [29:45] want the best service and um that's [29:47] something we have to build for. The fact [29:49] that the the way you interact with a [29:50] brand, you expect a very six-second [29:52] response on WeChat and like people just [29:54] need to be available 24/7 is something [29:56] that in other markets people don't [29:57] expect. Yeah. [29:58] >> Right. And so it's something of learning [29:59] curve, but it's been great because we've [30:01] also been able to bring those learnings [30:03] to the service that we provide outside [30:05] of China because we think that should be [30:06] the gold standard. [30:08] >> What cities in China organized in now or [30:10] is it mostly online? [30:11] >> Yeah, it's all online right now. Um and [30:13] we have a pop-up store in Janzen and now [30:15] we're looking at other locations as well [30:17] so we can bring the product to life in [30:18] person and people can try it and buy in [30:20] person too. [30:21] >> Yeah. I guess going back to uh the [30:22] Chinese market and really the global [30:24] market because sleep is something where [30:26] I guess individual physique uh matters a [30:29] lot and varies a lot. Like I for example [30:31] am a pretty hot sleeper. I cannot stand [30:33] any coldness. Uh but you know a lot of [30:35] people in western countries may have a [30:37] different preference. How do you guys [30:38] account for those preference across [30:41] cultures and regions and countries? [30:43] >> Yeah, it's something that we saw [30:44] actually when we were doing the [30:46] pre-market entry in China that we did [30:49] have to adjust our understanding of like [30:51] preferences for humans in terms of what [30:54] they want to feel like when they get in [30:55] bed because actually Chinese uh user [30:58] does prefer the bed to be slightly [30:59] warmer [clears throat] than what we see [31:00] in the rest of the world. And so the the [31:02] beauty of it is that the way we account [31:04] for is we just see the data and you see [31:05] the usage. So it's very easy like when [31:08] you're onboarding to the product you [31:09] give the product your preferences [31:11] because it starts from there like what [31:13] who are you and like you know male [31:14] female age etc but then also what do you [31:17] prefer so then the AI is just adjusting [31:19] automatically to that and then we can [31:21] start seeing patterns as the user base [31:22] grows in a certain market of like where [31:25] are distinct patterns than from what we [31:27] have seen in the rest of the world [31:29] >> and as you get more data does the [31:30] algorithm keep improving? [31:32] >> Yes. [31:32] >> Yeah. [31:33] >> Nice. I do want to talk a little bit [31:35] about the pricing strategy. Uh the price [31:37] point. So you guys sell in the US right [31:39] now is like around $3,000 for a mattress [31:42] cover. Uh that is quite expensive for [31:44] for a mattress cover. And China is a [31:47] market where really all the consumer [31:49] hardware companies I think compete on [31:51] prices. You know even with AI models [31:53] they like compete on prices. How do you [31:55] guys account for that difference? How do [31:58] you guys think about the pricing [31:59] strategy? Well, the way we think is just [32:01] to use some references, right? Think of [32:03] Apple or think of Tesla. Obviously, [32:06] right now we we are at the Model S if we [32:09] were Tesla. So, you should imagine the [32:11] Model Y, X and three to come. The idea [32:13] is to democratize leap for 8 billion for [32:16] 8 billion people. And so, over time we [32:19] will do it. The point is when you [32:20] develop a technology that is so [32:22] sophisticated usually at the beginning [32:24] is slightly more uh expensive but then [32:27] over time you find ways to optimize [32:29] through better engineering and that is [32:30] how you make it affordable. Then the [32:33] brand and our brand is aspirational and [32:35] that is where you can make reference to [32:37] an Apple. So we are not the type of [32:39] device that wants to be sold at the [32:41] cheapest price. That is not our [32:43] position. We just want to build the [32:44] greatest product and even if that [32:46] requires a slightly higher price that [32:48] that's what we want. Uh that's not our [32:51] focus but at the same time we want to [32:53] make it uh uh more I would say [32:56] democratic for 8 billion people. [32:58] >> Yeah. I think ultimately we don't think [32:59] of competing in price but we compete on [33:01] outcome. So if we are the product that [33:03] is going to help you sleep better, we [33:05] are confident people will buy our [33:06] product. [33:06] >> Yeah. You mentioned I think in a [33:08] previous interview that you really look [33:09] up to uh the luxury brand from your home [33:11] country in LA where when they raise [33:13] prices they actually receive more [33:15] demand. Is that kind of the model that [33:16] you guys are going after as well? [33:18] >> I don't think it's luxury meaning we [33:20] don't want to be positioned as a luxury [33:21] brand. Then one of the things I learned [33:24] from great Italian brands is this [33:26] obsession for quality and also obsession [33:28] for building a company that is [33:30] sustainable with margins that can take [33:33] you IPO and make sure that we are going [33:35] to be around for the next 30 years. But [33:37] the the the position is is not [33:39] specifically luxury. It's more what [33:41] Alexander said is all around delivering [33:43] the greatest product for sleep [33:45] enhancement. Because usually in Italy is [33:47] all about excellence, quality, slightly [33:51] higher prices but smaller scale and that [33:54] is how they generate enough bottom line [33:56] to have a great company. Well, instead [33:58] in the US is all about scale. But then [34:00] sometimes there is the risk of [34:02] compromising quality. And so I think [34:04] there are very few companies like Apple [34:06] and with Steve Jobs that was able to [34:08] almost find the balance between the US [34:10] way and the American way where they [34:11] created a product that is still [34:13] incredible is technologically advanced [34:15] but is still premium and uh uh something [34:18] that people desire and they don't want [34:20] to compromise on product just to [34:22] compress margins. [34:23] >> And so that is where Apple sits and that [34:26] is exactly what I love. You guys have a [34:28] lot of like celebrity uh users as well. [34:30] You know, this is kind of become like a [34:32] stats simple. What are the pain points, [34:34] you know, when it comes to sleeping for [34:36] those high performance individuals, the [34:40] athletes, you know, executives? [34:42] >> Well, I think it's the same as a regular [34:43] person, right? Like what's fascinating [34:44] is to see that after all these years [34:46] working in the sleep space, like we see [34:48] that humans, we sort of all share the [34:50] same sleeping problem. But obviously, [34:51] the one caveat would be like [34:53] professional athletes and athletes that [34:55] travel often. So we have a lot of F1 um [34:57] drivers who use the product and a lot of [34:59] them travel with it across all the [35:01] races. You know, they're traveling [35:02] across multiple time zones. They have [35:03] what like 20 something races in a [35:05] season. So it's like very grueling and [35:06] so for them recovery is important mostly [35:08] because they're just traveling so much [35:10] and they're sleeping away from their [35:12] bed. So they want to have the same [35:13] conditions wherever they go around the [35:15] world. Or we have, you know, NBA [35:16] athletes like in the United States, [35:18] they're traveling all around the US, but [35:20] they also have just, you know, they may [35:21] have a match on Tuesday and then they [35:23] have another one on Thursday and uh it's [35:25] late at night. And so those are very [35:27] particular cases, but we're all sharing [35:29] the same physiology, which is [35:31] temperature is still such an important [35:33] factor in our ability to fall asleep and [35:34] stay asleep. [35:35] >> Another great story is Pagacher, the guy [35:37] who has won multiple tour France. This [35:40] is the second year in a row where uh he [35:42] installs our product in each hotel of [35:45] each stage of the tour to France uh [35:48] which is what probably 20 20 to 30 [35:51] hotels every single night because he [35:53] can't sleep without our product to [35:54] recover and deliver the performance he [35:56] needs to win the tour to France. [35:58] >> For someone who travels a lot, what [36:01] would you say they should do to optimize [36:02] their sleep? [36:03] >> Well, I think the first is making enough [36:04] time for sleep. wherever you're in the [36:06] world, just making sure that you're [36:07] prioritizing that in in your day [36:10] schedule. Um, the second is consistency. [36:12] I mean, we travel often as well, and I [36:14] think when it comes down to beating jet [36:15] lag is trying to stay consistent with [36:17] your bedtime and wake up time regardless [36:18] of where you are in the world. And the [36:20] cues around temperature and light are [36:22] really the two most important signals [36:23] for your brain of when you should be [36:24] sleeping and when you should be awake. [36:26] So, use those cues to your advantage. [36:28] So, exposure to light and then also the [36:30] temperature. So dropping that core body [36:32] temperature in the evening so you can [36:34] fall asleep and then raising it in the [36:35] morning. That's what's going to help you [36:37] adjust as you go through the different [36:39] parts of the world. [36:40] >> Yeah, totally. So for you guys, you [36:42] know, after like over 10 years, do you [36:43] feel like you have figured sleep out or [36:46] >> Definitely. [36:46] >> I think Yeah, we do pretty well. We just [36:49] came back from the West Coast the other [36:51] day, slept 9 hours and 12 minutes and [36:54] that is how I started my Monday. [36:55] >> Wow. What do you do like during I guess [36:57] during the day to uh keep your sleep [36:59] consistent? I think it's just [37:00] prioritizing it, right? It's basically [37:01] saying at certain point of the day, no [37:03] matter how busy you are, you have to [37:04] just go to bed. You need to put away [37:06] your phone, your computer, and go to [37:07] bed. And like, as long as you do that [37:09] and you do it at a consistent time, it [37:11] becomes a routine for your body. So, [37:12] your body knows that by 1000 p.m. you're [37:15] tired, you're going to go to sleep. And [37:16] then you also I rarely use an alarm. My [37:19] body just wakes up naturally, but [37:20] because we are quite consistent with our [37:22] schedule. [37:22] >> What would you say is the How long do [37:24] you guys sleep? Every night. [37:25] >> Eight to nine hours. [37:26] >> Oh, wow. Every night. [37:27] >> Yes. [laughter] the less than eight for [37:29] us is a is very difficult is a disaster. [37:32] >> Wow, that's that's fascinating. So, you [37:33] really knows your body well. Yeah. Uh I [37:36] I actually want to build on that and [37:38] talk more about the culture because we [37:40] talked uh in the very beginning about [37:41] how kind of the culture surrounding [37:43] sleep has changed uh starting from [37:45] Silicon Valley and now like around the [37:47] world. Keeping a consistent sleep [37:48] routine, it's somewhat of a luxury for [37:51] and for a lot of people who have to work [37:53] maybe night hours or you know not [37:55] consistent hours every day. it is kind [37:58] of hard to like keep that. What does [38:00] sleep optimization look like for people [38:01] who may not have the luxury of keeping a [38:04] consistent schedule? [38:05] >> We get that a lot because we definitely [38:06] have some members who are um even people [38:09] who work at hospitals or you know [38:10] doctors and they have changing shifts. [38:12] And so what we know is that as much as [38:14] possible just still prioritizing sleep [38:17] in your day makes a big difference. So [38:19] even if the schedule is changing [38:21] continuously, if you just make enough [38:23] time for sleep, that will help you [38:25] because the biggest challenge people [38:27] have who have night shifts or who have [38:29] changing schedules is that they end up [38:30] not making enough time for sleep. You [38:32] know, they try to live the life of a [38:34] person who has a regular schedule but [38:36] they actually don't have one. Um so that [38:37] would feel like our first [38:39] recommendation. The other one we do see [38:40] with our product specifically that [38:42] because of the influence that [38:43] temperature can have in helping them [38:45] fall asleep faster and like get deeper [38:46] sleep that it gives them a boost. So [38:48] those hours that they are sleeping even [38:50] if they may be a little off to their [38:51] regular circadian rhythm because maybe [38:53] they were sleeping in the middle of the [38:54] day um the influence of that temperature [38:57] coming from the pod can help them [38:58] achieve higher quality sleep even if [39:00] it's in the middle of the day. [39:01] >> So my last question is what is the [39:03] vision now that you guys are in you know [39:04] 35 plus countries uh around the globe [39:07] and you know over 10 years of making [39:09] this product what are you planning to do [39:11] in the future? [39:12] >> More products, more countries, more [39:14] channels um and a certain point probably [39:17] an IPO. Yeah, totally. And I guess more [39:19] people to realize the importance of [39:21] sleep. Yeah. [39:22] >> Yes. [39:23] >> Great. Awesome. Thank you guys so much [39:24] for joining me. Yeah, this has been [39:26] great. Thank you. 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