The importance of sleep is only diminishing as the world gets deeply connected and busier than ever. Thanks to all the technologies that continue to shape our lifestyles. And it’s technology again that is coming to our rescue and to remind us of how critical our sleep is. The Sleep Company introduced a SmartGRID mattress that’s the epitome of comfort technology and is backed by science and research.

We got an inch closer to the founders to dive deep into the concept of comfort technology, their vision, and where it all began. It’s indeed intriguing to see the depth, science, and theories behind the oldest human habit - sleep. 

How did the Idea Come into Being? - Merging Sleep with Technology

It was a personal experience that paved the way for Asia’s first SmartGRID Mattress from India. Harshil Salot, Co-founder of TSC, recalls the journey that led to co-founding the brand began with his journey into new parenthood. After their son, he realized that a good night’s sleep had become hard to come by and the surprising bit was that it wasn’t the little one keeping them up all through the night but instead it was the mattress they were sleeping on. 

The next few months were spent scouring the country looking for the right mattress that was ergonomically supportive, breathable, and long-lasting. However, he soon realized that, unlike other western markets, India was severely lagging behind in terms of innovation within the comfort and sleep experience. Most people continued to rely on an invention from the 1960s i.e. memory foam. 

Here’s when the founders took it upon themselves to really disrupt this space with some unique innovation that would have the following features:
●    Completely adaptable to different parts of the body
●    Exhibit minimal pressure on the surface while sleeping
●    Cooling material since heating was a huge issue, especially in tropical countries like ours
●    Extremely comfortable

It was a calling that led the two founders to drop everything including quitting their job to travel across the world meeting with sleep experts and material scientists to find the ultimate mattress. This ultimately led them to ex-DRDO material scientist Dr. Tripathi who they collaborated to create their patented SmartGRID Technology. 

Unique Patented Technology: A First in the Industry and the Category

Dr. Tripathi, who was consulting one of Harshil’s family businesses back then, led the R&D and started out by analyzing the current materials used in the industry and reading a lot of research papers on pressure-relieving materials and technologies. After experimenting with over 100 materials and finally narrowing down on what is the current material that’s not only fostering the dreams of thousands already but was also earlier used in medical applications like hip joints and elbow joints. Here’s when the formulation of the mattress was changed by adding a lot of other ingredients and developed into the SmartGRID technology. This entire process took about 1.5 years and surpassed all the instances that made everything seem like a whirlwind. In the end, persistence was rewarded with the birth of revolutionary technology. 

Most mattresses that are available in the market are primarily composed of memory foam, spring, or latex – however, the mattress by The Sleep Company consists of a completely new material made from hyper-elastic polymer – the biggest disruption in sleep technology.

Benefits for End-User 

After endless pre-launch trials and technical studies on pressure mapping of SmartGRID vs. other premium brands in the country – the results were overwhelmingly showing that SmartGRID exhibits zero to little pressure on a human body while memory foam or foam creates a lot of pressure on body curvatures making people toss and turn.

Furthermore, while the initial introduction of the technology began with the SmartGRID mattress, The Sleep Company has now gone on to extend the applications of this disruptive patented tech to smart sleep accessories i.e. Seat Cushions, Back Cushions, and Adjustable Pillows. For the end-user, SmartGRID is a revolutionary technology that, with its innovative design and composition enables;
●    Superior ergonomics - intelligently designed, giving you advanced levels of posture support 
●    Motion isolation that cancels out any kind of disturbance
●    Temperature control with 2,500 air channels that don’t trap body heat and allow for optimum airflow
●    Extreme durability doesn’t sag or sink over time

The D2C Route for Revenue Generation 

The pandemic has given rise to D2C as a unique strategy and business model to build revenues by surpassing the intermediaries of a typical marketplace model. We asked Harshil to shed some light on what was TSC's route forward and how has the current direct model performed. He mentioned, “TSC is a digital-first brand and currently selling only through the digital ecosystem. More than 50 percent of the business currently comes from TSC’s own web store and the balance from online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart.  TSC is currently at a Rs 100 crore ARR and is expected to hit Rs 500 crore revenue in the next 2 years. More than 30 percent of TSC’s sales come from Tier-II cities and beyond.”
 
Omnipresence and The Role of Social Commerce 

Going forward TSC expects to be an omnichannel brand to ensure its consumers can experience touch and feel. They are in the process of partnering with some large retailers to sell products.

TSC’s digital media strategy has always been focused on educating more Indians, especially smart shoppers on the importance of sleep with a focus on the sleeping surface and driving awareness of the SmartGRID technology. Their mission and vision across the world are to make people sleep and sit better. This two-fold ethos is what they've incorporated across activities, awareness, and presence. 

Today, the digital media mix for the brand includes – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google, with the latter being an essential discovery platform for the brand. The intent with social channels is to leverage it across the parts of the funnel – from the top end, it uses it to drive reach and awareness, while from the bottom of the funnel to drive conversions through retargeted campaigns for interested customers. Video assets have proved to be exceptionally useful for TSC, especially on Facebook and Instagram. They help to reach a more premium audience while both the platforms help to drive awareness about the brand proposition. Furthermore, YouTube helps with building a community and serves as a complementary platform to the other social channels. 

Being a digital-only brand it is important to have two-way communication with customers and social media is a tool to enable this two-way conversation by engaging them with a lot of contests, quizzes, and memes using topical subjects that take TSC closer to their customers with their feedback. With that, more than 30 percent of TSC’s leads come from social media, and it's been a combination of influencer marketing, content marketing as well as strong, organic word-of-mouth. 

A Glimpse into TSC’s Near Future

In line with their ambitions to change the way people sleep and sit, TSC will be introducing more experiential touchpoints to complement its D2C model, expand its product portfolio to include a seating category, and extend its reach to international markets as well, beginning with Japan and the Middle East. 

Furthermore, given the success they’ve seen in the last few years which will be augmented by its plans and outreach this year as well as in the years to come, its goal is to reach a Rs 1,000 crore run rate in the next 4-5 years with patents for its SmartGRID technology in more than 20 countries. 

Funding Plans 

TSC has raised one round of funding of Rs 13.4 crore led by Fireside Ventures and is in the process of raising another round which will help it to build more awareness of its patented technology, build its omnichannel presence, take innovation to the next level and expand into international shores as well.