A London tech start-up behind the world’s first sleep sensing headphones has exceeded a £750,000 crowdfunding target after attracting funding from more than 500 investors.
Pitched as “the only headphones you need”, Kokoon has worked with premium acoustics brand Onkyo to create what it claims to be the world’s first headphone and mobile app designed to aid sleep and relaxation.
The headphones use EEG brainwave sensing technology to understand and analyse an individual’s sleep pattern by measuring movement and brain activity. They then make automatic adjustments based on the user’s pattern and their surrounding environment.
Kokoon’s product also incorporates an intelligent sleep alarm, which finds the lightest point in a user’s sleep cycle to wake them up. Meanwhile, the smartphone app monitors the EEG data and provides intelligent insight with a nightly sleep score.
“Many of us struggle sleeping at some point, be it on long flights, noisy neighbours, stress, or a racing mind,” the company said in its campaign on Crowdcube.
“We found the answer in a sleep clinic – relaxing audio, a highly effective sleep aid with efficacy validated in multiple clinical trials. Now we’re bringing those benefits out of the sleep clinic to consumers.”
To date, Kokoon has raised more than £1.2m from venture capitalists. It has also had encouraging early traction with over £2.8m in pre-order sales and more than 16,000 units ordered.
The company is currently progressing partnerships with two airlines and has had interest from “major retailers”.
The proceeds raised from the Crowdcube campaign will be used to launch headphones in the UK and abroad, as well as expand Kokoon’s team.