HomeFundingAmsterdam-based sleep tech startup Shleep raises €1.4 million for its B2B platform...

Amsterdam-based sleep tech startup Shleep raises €1.4 million for its B2B platform to help employees get enough rest

As we mentioned not too long ago, it’s crucial for startups that their founders (and employees) get enough sleep.

Almost two-thirds of adults are not getting enough sleep, and need to catch up on the weekends. As a result, they suffer from fatigue and diminished productivity, costing US companies alone $411 billion per year. Employees are working longer hours and experiencing more work-related stress, and only 13% of employees worldwide feel engaged, according to a 2013 Gallup poll.

In fact, research shows that getting enough sleep is the number 1 issue employees want help with when it comes to their physical health, and 40% of employees would ask for sleep support from their employers – and for millennials, that figure is even higher, at 50%.

Amsterdam-based Shleep has developed a B2B sleep coaching platform, which is already being used by high profile clients including The Huffington Post, Deloitte, and Spotify to help their employees get enough rest. So far, Shleep’s clients are reporting great results: up to a 50% reduction in sleep debt, and up to 25% increases in productivity.

Today, the startup announced that it has attracted €1.4 million from VCs including Global Founders Capital and Health Innovations. Shleep will invest the proceeds to further develop its neuroscience-based platform to improve employee productivity, health, and engagement.

Shleep is the first science-based sleep coaching platform for companies, founded by Dr. Els van der Helm and Jöran Albers, along with their team of sleep PhDs, health experts and software engineers. Dr. van der Helm was named by Arianna Huffington as one of the five most influential people in the field of sleep, and top 20 in well-being. Driven by the latest neuroscience research and the founders’ business expertise, Shleep supports employees, teams and leaders in changing their behaviour and habits around sleep to avoid burnout and increase employee productivity, health, and engagement.

“More businesses are starting to realize that people have higher expectations from their employer than ever before,” said Professor Nick van Dam from IE Business School. “They care less about their salary but more about a positive environment, doing meaningful work and feeling supported by the company to prioritize their own health and well-being.”

“I was very impressed by the team and their track record, and I’m very excited to get onboard and support the Shleep team as it works on tackling this ever-increasing issue of sleep management,” added Gerald Parloiu, Partner at Global Founders Capital.

“With so many people disengaged and unproductive at work, we believe that we need to fix one of the root causes,” said CEO Dr. van der Helm. “Research now shows sleep is a critical driver for your burnout risk, your ability to come up with new insights or ideas, to manage your own emotions and recognize emotions in others, and even your ability to trust others and behave ethically.” 

Mary Loritz
Mary Loritz
Mary served as Head of Content at EU-Startups.com from November 2018 until November 2019. She is an experienced journalist and researcher covering tech and business topics.
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