How The Sleep Company’s ‘Smart’ Solutions Are Disrupting India’s $256 Mn Mattress Market

The D2C brand’s patented SmartGRID technology offers a superior sleep experience, deals with back pain issues and funnels body heat

Priyanka and Harshil Salot spent many sleepless nights looking after their newborn. But the baby kept the couple awake at odd hours, and the new parents found it difficult to get a good night’s sleep for a long time. Desperate to get quality sleep at any cost, they decided to upgrade their old mattress. That was when they met a dead end. After scouring the market for a comfortable and durable mattress that would ensure restful sleep and good body support, they realised that innovation was slowpaced in the industry and not much had happened there beyond the decades-old memory foam. The Salots wanted to give it a shot and make the traditional sleep industry exciting again with muchneeded techvantage. So, the SmartGRID mattress was developed in collaboration with the former DRDO material scientist, V. Tripathi.

The Sleep Company started by selling its flagship products – the Smart Ortho Mattress and the Smart Luxe Mattress. Later, it added more mattresses and introduced pillows, cushions, beds and SmartGRID chairs. The D2C brand’s revenue reached INR 56.4 Cr in FY22, nearly a 377% jump from INR 11.8 Cr clocked in the previous financial year. It has served more than 1.5 Lakh users and sold 1 Lakh+ products across 20 SKUs. It also expanded its offline presence by opening seven brick-and-mortar stores in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Delhi between June and December 2022.

The cofounders aim to disrupt India’s mattress industry with smart designs and technology. Unlike foam mattresses, their patented SmartGRID uses hyper-elastic polymer gel that senses body movement and adapts to one’s body shape, providing just the right amount of support and comfort – firm around the spine and soft around shoulders, hips and other pressure points. The stretchy gel prevents the mattress from sagging even after years of use, while the grid structure allows airflow to ward off body heat. Given that foam mattresses dominate nearly 60% of the Indian market, this technology can be a game changer as it takes care of both comfort and back support.

By March 2023, the brand aims to open 25 stores across India. In the next two years, it plans to enter overseas markets and become an INR 1K Cr company.