An NBA Favorite, Somnee Raises $10M for AI-Powered Sleep Headband
Co-founded by Dr. Matt Walker and already used by the NBA, Somnee deploys EEG sensors and AI to guide the brain into a natural sleep state
Sleep tech startup Somnee has raised $10 million in a seed extension round for its AI-powered sleep headband that’s already making inroads with the NBA and Equinox Hotels.
The funding round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Marc Benioff’s Time Ventures, Lead VC, Orlando Magic owners the DeVos family, Seaside Ventures, Nelstone Ventures and Metalab, among others.
Founded in 2022 by a team of University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists including popular social media personality Dr. Matt Walker, Somnee makes a sleep headband that’s designed to help people fall asleep faster, sleep for longer and improve their overall sleep quality.
The headband, which currently retails for $429, uses electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors and proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) technology to map a user’s brain activity and deliver personalized stimulation that guides the brain into a natural sleep state. According to Somnee, its headband significantly outperforms melatonin, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and Ambien. A typical Somnee session lasts 15 minutes before bed, and overnight use isn’t required.
The Berkeley-based company is positioning its product as a tech-forward, drug-free alternative to traditional sleep solutions. Dr. Walker noted that Somnee functions as an “electroceutical” product and not a pharmaceutical one.
“We’re trying to speak to the brain in its own language – using gentle, precisely timed pulses of electricity, not unlike how a conductor uses subtle hand movements to guide an orchestra into harmony,” Dr. Walker said following the funding round.
Somnee will use the new funding to support the upcoming launch of its second-generation headband, which is currently being used in beta pilot mode with select NBA teams through a recent partnership. Somnee’s new headband will feature personalized brain mapping, real-time monitoring and AI-powered intervention throughout the sleep cycle.
The funding round marks the latest milestone in a year of impressive growth for Somnee, which hired former Fitbit executive Tim Rosa as its CEO around 18 months ago.
Under Rosa’s leadership, Somnee was recently selected to take part in the NBA Launchpad startup accelerator program, which supports the development of technologies that advance player health and performance. The company has also partnered with Equinox Hotels and has won several sleep technology awards from publications including “GQ.” Rosa has also led efforts to relocate Somnee’s manufacturing out of China and expand teams in California and India.
Somnee is currently exploring additional partnerships with professional sports organizations, employers and healthcare brands, it says.
“We’re like a sleep lab for the bedroom,” Rosa told Athletech News in February. “We’re taking the technology that Dr. Matt Walker and our scientists use at UC Berkeley, and we’ve miniaturized it into a product that not only helps with sleep onset, but helps with sleep maintenance as well as overall quality.”
Somnee is one of several innovative, new sleep tech products to enter the market in recent years, pushing the global sleep market to a projected $950 billion by 2032.
Rosa, who played a key role in Fitbit’s rise to prominence as the company’s chief marketing officer, sees parallels between the rise of fitness trackers like Fitbit and the emergence of sleep tech products like Somnee.
“It kind of reminds me of when we started at Fitbit,” Rosa said. “Then, sitting was the new smoking. Now, not sleeping is the new smoking.”