50 to 70 million US adults have a sleep disorder, and 30% of Americans suffer from insomnia. Nowhere is the problem more pronounced than New York City, where well over 35% of adults report getting less than seven hours of sleep per night.
Causes of insomnia are manifold and must be addressed on several fronts, but arguably the simplest solution is the perfect mattress. That’s why New York startup Helixsleep is providing direct-to-consumer, custom mattresses that they construct based on the individual sleep profile of each customer.
We sat down with Helixsleep Co-Founder Adam Tishman to see how he’s hoping to get New York City insomniacs reaquainted with a good nights rest.
Q. How would you define HELIXSLEEP in one phrase or sentence?
A. Helix is a direct-to-consumer sleep brand looking to bring customization to the sleep category through individually customized, insanely comfortable mattresses built for you.
Q. What are your current product offerings?
A. We sell mattresses, foundations, and mattress protectors.
Q. When and how did your journey begin? What is your story so far?
A. Helix was founded out of personal need based on terrible in-store mattress buying experiences by the founders after moving to a new city for business school. We knew there had to be a better way! So we started to do the research and realized we could bring the best quality products to consumers through customizing beds at affordable price points.
Q. What are some of the hurdles the company faced and overcame to reach where it stands right now?
A. Scaling is always really difficult. Growing from 3 people to 10 people to 30 people is challenging as you build your organization.
Q. What are your company’s core values? What drives you to do what you do?
A. Helix’s mission is to empower individuals to be their best selves through customized sleep. We believe that a good night’s rest can change a person for the better.
“We believe that a good night’s rest can change a person for the better.”
Adam Tishman
Founder, Helixsleep
Q. What problem(s) is your company solving? How are you contributing to a larger social good?
Lack of sleep is basically endemic in the US at this point. And the research is finally supporting common sense that sleep is essential for youown health as well as your performance. Helix looks to help people get a better night’s sleep by making a product specifically made for them.
Q. What stage of investment is your company in and are you currently hiring?
A. Helix is series A funded. We’re a dynamic, growing team that is definitely expanding across multiple areas of the company. Our culture is very flat and open.
Time will tell whether customized sleep will become dominant in the sleep category, but for now, Helixsleep is unique is its promise to develop a customized mattress for each customer. Follow their journey at helixsleep.com.