Matteo & Alexandra (Eight Sleep)
Getting Fit Through Sleep Technology
INTRODUCING MATTEO & ALEXANDRA:
In today’s episode, Sam welcomes Matteo Franceschetti and Alexandra Zatarain, co-founders of Eight Sleep, the world’s first sleep fitness brand with a mission to fuel human potential through optimal sleep. Eight Sleep leverages thermoregulation, data, and technology to design products to restore individuals to their peak energy every morning. Eight Sleep has raised over $70 million in venture funding and has helped over 30,000 people get sleep fit with its hardware and digital products. Matteo is the co-founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, holds multiple patents in tech and health, and is a member of the Forbes Technology Counsel. Alexandra is the co-founder and VP of Brand and Marketing at Eight Sleep. In 2017, she was named by Forbes to the “30 under 30” list in Consumer Technology. In 2020, she was named by E! as one of the top 100 Female Founders.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES INSIGHTS ON SLEEP TECH, ENTREPRENUERSHIP, & SLEEP AS A MEANS TO AN END:
Matteo and Alexandra share the story of how they met, the technology behind Eight Sleep, and what they’ve learned about their own sleep habits
Why people to lose sleep
Debunking common myths about sleep
Matteo and Alexandra share their nightly routine prior to going to sleep
Matteo and Alexandra’s entrepreneurial journey
Alexandra’s business background
How Eight Sleep went from an idea to raising millions via venture investment
Lessons learned during the development process
Eight Sleep’s mission statement
Growth and marketing strategies for Eight Sleep
Vision for the future of Eight Sleep
Success and work-life balance
Mental recovery techniques that Matteo and Alexandra utilize and advice they would give to aspiring entrepreneurs
Sam thanks Matteo and Alexandra for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can follow them and Eight Sleep
WHAT DID MATTEO & ALEXANDRA SAY?
“The first thing you need to solve if you want to improve your sleep is that temperature regulation.” (Matteo)
“If we were gonna do something where we were gonna put the next ten to twenty years of our lives into building something interesting, it would have to have some unique impact on the world. And what better way than to help people lead healthier more productive lives through sleep.” (Alexandra)
“Every company has to make compromises. Not everyone’s Apple with the ability to kind of make everything perfect.” (Alexandra)
“We don’t think of sleep as the end goal. We’re not just here to give you a great night’s sleep. It’s about sleep as a means to an end. And your end is probably building a successful business, being a great parent, being a great doctor or nurse or teacher or whatever it is that you want to achieve in life.” (Alexandra)
“I think for entrepreneurship and particularly tech startups, the U.S. is a great market. You have access to capital. You have access to a pool of talent and knowledge. And the market is big enough where if you have product-market fit you can build a billion dollar business just in the U.S. and then expand it.” (Matteo)
“I think there will be a day when millions of people can compress their sleep and they can know years in advance if there is anything wrong with their health. So, preventative health and saving lives is something that really matters to me.” (Matteo)
“You have to be resilient and you just have to work hard and find your own methods of balance and integration of work into your life, because there’s no such thing as separation when you’re running a business.” (Alexandra)