For a third of American adults, poor sleep has become a routine condition rather than an exception. New York–based Eight Sleep, which calls itself the world’s first “sleep fitness company,” is betting that the bed itself can become the center of health monitoring and intervention.
The company, founded in 2014, announced this week that it has secured a fresh $100 million round of funding. The raise was backed by HSG, Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund, Y Combinator, and high-profile names from the world of motorsport, including Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. With the latest investment, Eight Sleep’s total funding climbs to roughly $260 million, according to PitchBook. The company previously closed an $86 million Series C in 2021 at a $500 million post-money valuation. Eight Sleep says its valuation has since doubled, though it declined to provide specifics.
Eight Sleep’s flagship product, the Pod, integrates AI, sensors, and thermal regulation into a sleep surface that can dynamically adjust temperature, firmness, and elevation. The system tracks metrics such as heart rate, breathing patterns, sleep stages, and movement, then makes real-time adjustments including automatically elevating the head to reduce snoring.
That combination has resonated with consumers. Eight Sleep reports more than $500 million in Pod sales and a tenfold revenue increase since the product launched in 2019. The company has also amassed a database of over one billion hours of recorded sleep, which underpins its AI models.
Unlike wearable devices such as Oura, Fitbit, or Apple Watch, the Pod is designed to be passive. Embedded biometric sensors track without requiring users to wear anything or place microphones in the bedroom.
“Privacy is foundational,” said Alexandra Zatarain, co-founder and chief marketing officer. “All data is encrypted, never sold, and fully private. We comply with GDPR and CCPA. Unlike many devices, we don’t use microphones, just passive, high-accuracy insights from the bed surface.”
The company is rolling out an AI system dubbed the Sleep Agent, which leverages large language models to generate thousands of “digital twins” for each user. The aim is to simulate possible outcomes and fine-tune conditions for the most restorative sleep in advance.
A second AI initiative, the Longevity Twin, projects long-term health trajectories based on each individual’s data up to 10 or 20 years into the future providing personalized recommendations for healthier living. “If we successfully execute our AI roadmap, launch internationally, and develop condition-specific interventions, achieving unicorn status will naturally follow,” Zatarain told TechCrunch.
The Autopilot feature remains Eight’s defining differentiator, creating a personal sleep blueprint from the first night and then continuously adapting to factors such as travel, stress, illness, and even a poor night’s rest. “And it works independently for each side of the bed,” Zatarain emphasized.
The company’s Health Check feature monitors cardiovascular and respiratory patterns with up to 99% accuracy without wearables. The goal is to give users nightly health insights that can complement medical care. “We’re not replacing your doctor, but we are giving you nightly, high-accuracy health monitoring so you can act early if trends shift,” Zatarain said.
The company has introduced a “Hot Flash Mode” for women experiencing menopause and patients undergoing chemotherapy, using AI-driven cooling to relieve symptoms. It is also developing contactless interventions for sleep apnea and is pursuing FDA approval to bring medical-grade solutions to market. CEO Mateo Franceschetti has noted that the Pod’s ability to adjust posture and elevation could support treatment of mild to moderate sleep apnea without requiring CPAP devices.
Eight Sleep sits in a competitive sleep tech market that includes wearables like Oura and Fitbit, medical players like ResMed, and other smart sleep surfaces such as Sleep Number and ChiliSleep. But with its AI-driven approach and passive biometric monitoring, Eight Sleep is positioning itself as both a consumer wellness company and a healthcare partner.
The company currently employs just over 100 people and ships its products to more than 30 countries, including Canada, the U.K. and EU nations, Australia, Mexico, and the UAE. Its next target is China, where a rising health-conscious middle class is driving demand for wellness technology.
Pricing for the Pod starts at around $3,000, which is in the premium bracket. Franchetti has likened the strategy to Tesla’s: the Pod today is the equivalent of the Model S, with the company eventually planning more accessible versions for broader adoption.
Eight Sleep’s ambition goes beyond hardware sales. With the Pod, Sleep Agent, and Longevity Twin, the company is aiming to build what it calls the “operating system for sleep and longevity.” By embedding AI-driven monitoring and interventions directly into the sleep environment, Eight Sleep is seeking to shift rest from a reactive measure of wellness into a proactive foundation for health and performance.
As Zatarain put it, “Over time, this data can complement medical care.”
